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Senior chemist salary
Average senior chemist salary
$91,008
Average Senior Chemist Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Chemist in the United States is approximately $91,008 per year, translating to about $44 per hour. Salary can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, Senior Chemists employed in pharmaceutical manufacturing often earn more than those in academic settings.
Salary by State
States such as California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey offer some of the highest salaries for Senior Chemists, with averages exceeding $100,000. In contrast, states with lower living costs might report lower average salaries.
Job Opportunities
The demand for Senior Chemists remains strong, with opportunities available in research, quality control, and regulatory affairs. Those with advanced degrees or specialized certifications may command higher salaries and have better job prospects. By understanding the salary landscape and job market trends, you can make informed decisions about your career path in chemistry.
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Where can a Senior Chemist earn more?
Senior chemist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior chemist salary by state
The average senior chemist salary in Vermont, Virginia, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior chemist salary states are Arkansas, South Carolina, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior chemists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $107,117 | $51.50 |
| 2 | Vermont | $112,967 | $54.31 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $102,285 | $49.18 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $99,900 | $48.03 |
| 5 | Virginia | $108,232 | $52.03 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $112,642 | $54.15 |
| 7 | Washington | $98,088 | $47.16 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $104,456 | $50.22 |
| 9 | Texas | $100,128 | $48.14 |
| 10 | Maryland | $97,369 | $46.81 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $92,695 | $44.56 |
| 12 | California | $98,070 | $47.15 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $93,368 | $44.89 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $93,754 | $45.07 |
| 15 | Georgia | $96,786 | $46.53 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $88,903 | $42.74 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $89,883 | $43.21 |
| 18 | Montana | $93,264 | $44.84 |
| 19 | Idaho | $91,084 | $43.79 |
| 20 | Iowa | $86,913 | $41.79 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $88,615 | $42.60 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $89,595 | $43.07 |
| 23 | Michigan | $87,774 | $42.20 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $92,407 | $44.43 |
| 25 | Missouri | $85,494 | $41.10 |
| 26 | Oregon | $84,771 | $40.76 |
| 27 | Alaska | $93,032 | $44.73 |
| 28 | Illinois | $84,640 | $40.69 |
| 29 | Indiana | $83,489 | $40.14 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $82,340 | $39.59 |
| 31 | Kansas | $85,681 | $41.19 |
| 32 | New York | $83,489 | $40.14 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $77,022 | $37.03 |
| 34 | Nevada | $85,161 | $40.94 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $75,011 | $36.06 |
| 36 | Colorado | $85,371 | $41.04 |
| 37 | Ohio | $77,844 | $37.42 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $82,151 | $39.50 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $74,381 | $35.76 |
| 40 | Utah | $76,476 | $36.77 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $80,406 | $38.66 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $84,381 | $40.57 |
| 43 | Maine | $74,084 | $35.62 |
| 44 | Alabama | $78,458 | $37.72 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $72,178 | $34.70 |
| 46 | Arizona | $78,765 | $37.87 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $65,116 | $31.31 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $71,327 | $34.29 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $70,923 | $34.10 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $61,435 | $29.54 |
| 51 | Florida | $62,596 | $30.09 |
Highest paying cities for senior chemists
The highest-paying cities for senior chemists are Fremont, CA, Wilmington, DE, and Marlborough, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fremont, CA | $107,863 | $51.86 |
| 2 | Wilmington, DE | $107,229 | $51.55 |
| 3 | Marlborough, MA | $102,354 | $49.21 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $100,513 | $48.32 |
| 5 | Pawtucket, RI | $99,714 | $47.94 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $97,484 | $46.87 |
| 7 | Atlanta, GA | $97,065 | $46.67 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $93,766 | $45.08 |
| 9 | Pennsauken, NJ | $93,301 | $44.86 |
| 10 | New Haven, CT | $88,812 | $42.70 |
| 11 | Troy, MI | $87,886 | $42.25 |
| 12 | Boulder, CO | $85,317 | $41.02 |
| 13 | Bend, OR | $84,095 | $40.43 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $83,641 | $40.21 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $83,536 | $40.16 |
| 16 | Kent, OH | $78,389 | $37.69 |
| 17 | Madison, WI | $76,863 | $36.95 |
| 18 | Greenville, NC | $75,367 | $36.23 |
| 19 | Allentown, PA | $75,147 | $36.13 |
| 20 | Largo, FL | $63,524 | $30.54 |
Senior chemist salary details
A senior chemist's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $123,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior chemist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $91,008 | $7,584 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying senior chemist jobs
The highest paying types of senior chemists are senior scientist, scientist, and staff scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postdoctoral Scholar | $57,587 | $4,799 | $27.69 | 18,983 |
| Quality Control Coordinator | $49,894 | $4,158 | $23.99 | 88,145 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
| Quality Control | $32,824 | $2,735 | $15.78 | 83,496 |
| Research And Development Scientist | $90,278 | $7,523 | $43.40 | 129,803 |
| Chemical Technician | $42,584 | $3,549 | $20.47 | 40,191 |
Top companies hiring senior chemists now:
Which companies pay senior chemists the most?
Senior chemist salaries at Google and Airbnb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior chemist salary at companies like Macy's and Entegris are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $131,560 | $63.25 | |
| 2 | Airbnb | $126,081 | $60.62 |
| 3 | Macy's | $109,059 | $52.43 |
| 4 | Entegris | $109,058 | $52.43 |
| 5 | Mattel | $107,547 | $51.71 |
| 6 | Arkema | $106,388 | $51.15 |
| 7 | Bio-Rad Laboratories | $106,314 | $51.11 |
| 8 | Exxon Mobil | $106,218 | $51.07 |
| 9 | FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA | $105,355 | $50.65 |
| 10 | Applied Materials | $104,428 | $50.21 |
| 11 | AT&T | $104,147 | $50.07 |
| 12 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $103,399 | $49.71 |
| 13 | Dionex Corporation | $103,059 | $49.55 |
| 14 | Amazon | $102,849 | $49.45 |
| 15 | Albemarle | $102,613 | $49.33 |
| 16 | Eastman | $102,610 | $49.33 |
| 17 | Reata Pharmaceuticals | $102,059 | $49.07 |
| 18 | Nalco Holding Company | $100,802 | $48.46 |
| 19 | DuPont | $100,800 | $48.46 |
| 20 | AnaSpec | $100,797 | $48.46 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior chemist salary trends
The average senior chemist salary has risen by $10,949 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior chemist earned $80,059 annually, but today, they earn $91,008 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for senior chemists over the last decade.
Compare senior chemist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior chemist salary over time
Compare senior chemist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior chemist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,000 | $43.75 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $89,100 | $42.83 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $88,200 | $42.42 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | $85,800 | $41.24 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | $84,600 | $40.69 | +3.4% |
Recently added senior chemist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at&T | Senior Advanced Analytics | Alpharetta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $106,100 |
| Medline | SR Chemist, Mass Spectrometry | Mundelein, IL | 06/27/2025 | $85,280 |
| Love Your Revlon Career | Senior Chemist, Development (Fragrances) | Edison, NJ | 06/19/2025 | $80,000 |
| Actalent | Senior Chemist | Golden, CO | 06/18/2025 | $95,313 |
| Constellation | Senior Chemist | Oswego, NY | 06/12/2025 | $108,000 |
| Constellation Energy Corp | Senior Chemist | Oswego, NY | 06/12/2025 | $108,000 |
| Nivagen Pharmaceuticals | Senior Chemist | Sacramento, CA | 06/11/2025 | $75,000 |
| Vant Ai, Inc. | Senior Computational Chemist | Zurich, KS | 06/09/2025 | $120,000 |
| Do It Best | SR. Chemist-Onsite | Cary, NC | 06/08/2025 | $75,000 |
| Manpowergroup | SR Chemist | Santa Clarita, CA | 06/07/2025 | $68,871 |
Senior chemist salary FAQs
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