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Toxicologists play a critical role in assessing the safety of chemicals and substances. As of October 2025, the average salary for a toxicologist is $75,601 annually, or about $36 per hour. This figure reflects variations based on experience, education, and specialization within the field.
Geographic location significantly impacts earnings. For instance, states such as California and Texas offer higher salaries compared to others. In these states, toxicologists may earn upwards of $90,000 annually.
Industries such as pharmaceuticals, environmental consulting, and government agencies tend to offer the highest salaries for toxicologists. Understanding these nuances can help job seekers target their applications effectively. By exploring these factors, toxicologists can optimize their career paths and salary expectations.
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The highest-paying states for toxicologists are New Jersey, Connecticut, and Indiana. The lowest average toxicologist salary states are North Dakota, Utah, and South Carolina.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $108,974 | $52.39 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $90,844 | $43.67 |
| 3 | Indiana | $88,751 | $42.67 |
| 4 | Delaware | $81,371 | $39.12 |
| 5 | Maryland | $81,806 | $39.33 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $78,143 | $37.57 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $78,786 | $37.88 |
| 8 | Maine | $83,096 | $39.95 |
| 9 | New York | $77,909 | $37.46 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $80,737 | $38.82 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $74,400 | $35.77 |
| 12 | Oregon | $74,420 | $35.78 |
| 13 | California | $75,825 | $36.45 |
| 14 | Illinois | $73,664 | $35.42 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $73,909 | $35.53 |
| 16 | Montana | $73,440 | $35.31 |
| 17 | Ohio | $71,865 | $34.55 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $74,298 | $35.72 |
| 19 | Vermont | $70,038 | $33.67 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $67,516 | $32.46 |
| 21 | Virginia | $70,643 | $33.96 |
| 22 | Washington | $64,918 | $31.21 |
| 23 | Nevada | $73,848 | $35.50 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $67,104 | $32.26 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $61,612 | $29.62 |
| 26 | Alaska | $70,837 | $34.06 |
| 27 | Michigan | $63,571 | $30.56 |
| 28 | Arizona | $66,814 | $32.12 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $61,018 | $29.34 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $58,099 | $27.93 |
| 31 | Colorado | $61,084 | $29.37 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $60,172 | $28.93 |
| 33 | Iowa | $57,977 | $27.87 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $61,510 | $29.57 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $57,822 | $27.80 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $57,433 | $27.61 |
| 37 | Idaho | $57,866 | $27.82 |
| 38 | Alabama | $58,051 | $27.91 |
| 39 | Missouri | $49,869 | $23.98 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $53,810 | $25.87 |
| 41 | Florida | $53,759 | $25.85 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $48,922 | $23.52 |
| 43 | Georgia | $54,725 | $26.31 |
| 44 | Utah | $48,620 | $23.38 |
| 45 | Kansas | $53,132 | $25.54 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $53,239 | $25.60 |
| 47 | Texas | $43,497 | $20.91 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $48,206 | $23.18 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $46,181 | $22.20 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $49,690 | $23.89 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $48,519 | $23.33 |
The highest-paying cities for toxicologists are Paramus, NJ, Indianapolis, IN, and College Park, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paramus, NJ | $109,912 | $52.84 |
| 2 | Indianapolis, IN | $88,667 | $42.63 |
| 3 | College Park, MD | $81,583 | $39.22 |
| 4 | Newark, DE | $81,420 | $39.14 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $80,748 | $38.82 |
| 6 | Clovis, CA | $79,832 | $38.38 |
| 7 | Lancaster, PA | $78,377 | $37.68 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $78,176 | $37.58 |
| 9 | Kingsport, TN | $77,518 | $37.27 |
| 10 | Neenah, WI | $74,711 | $35.92 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $74,059 | $35.61 |
| 12 | Cincinnati, OH | $69,660 | $33.49 |
| 13 | Saint Paul, MN | $67,225 | $32.32 |
| 14 | Lacey, WA | $66,251 | $31.85 |
| 15 | Tucson, AZ | $65,671 | $31.57 |
| 16 | Midland, MI | $63,484 | $30.52 |
| 17 | Durham, NC | $62,823 | $30.20 |
| 18 | North Little Rock, AR | $61,415 | $29.53 |
| 19 | Denver, CO | $60,710 | $29.19 |
| 20 | Bixby, OK | $60,634 | $29.15 |
A toxicologist's salary ranges from $46,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| Average | $75,601 | $6,300 | $36 |
| 25th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
The highest paying types of toxicologists are senior scientist, scientist, and staff scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHD Researcher | $51,634 | $4,303 | $24.82 | 19,736 |
| Researcher | $67,145 | $5,595 | $32.28 | 30,498 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | $57,587 | $4,799 | $27.69 | 18,983 |
| Research Technician | $43,034 | $3,586 | $20.69 | 64,786 |
Top companies hiring toxicologists now:
Toxicologist salaries at Exxon Mobil and Arkema are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average toxicologist salary at companies like Eastman and The Dow Chemical Company are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exxon Mobil | $144,203 | $69.33 |
| 2 | Arkema | $115,834 | $55.69 |
| 3 | Eastman | $111,280 | $53.50 |
| 4 | The Dow Chemical Company | $110,339 | $53.05 |
| 5 | NewMarket | $106,722 | $51.31 |
| 6 | Bayer | $105,449 | $50.70 |
| 7 | FMC | $104,274 | $50.13 |
| 8 | P&G | $102,301 | $49.18 |
| 9 | AstraZeneca | $102,204 | $49.14 |
| 10 | IDEXX | $101,143 | $48.63 |
| 11 | Gillette | $100,705 | $48.42 |
| 12 | Zymeworks | $96,162 | $46.23 |
| 13 | Medtronic | $95,086 | $45.71 |
| 14 | Church & Dwight Co. | $92,159 | $44.31 |
| 15 | Corteva | $91,983 | $44.22 |
| 16 | USG | $90,174 | $43.35 |
| 17 | Atrium Health Floyd | $89,226 | $42.90 |
| 18 | International Flavors & Fragrances | $88,821 | $42.70 |
| 19 | UL | $87,438 | $42.04 |
| 20 | Baxter International | $86,102 | $41.40 |
The average toxicologist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $94,650 | $45.50 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $86,576 | $41.62 |
| 3 | Technology | $81,741 | $39.30 |
| 4 | Non Profits | $81,694 | $39.28 |
| 5 | Health Care | $81,350 | $39.11 |
| 6 | Government | $53,904 | $25.92 |
The average toxicologist salary has risen by $12,706 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average toxicologist earned $62,895 annually, but today, they earn $75,601 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for toxicologists over the last decade.
Compare toxicologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare toxicologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $75,600 | $36.35 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $73,400 | $35.27 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $70,100 | $33.69 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $67,800 | $32.61 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $66,500 | $31.99 | -2.1% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exponent | Computational Toxicologist (PH.D.) | Washington, DC | 06/29/2025 | $171,600 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities | Toxicologist 2 | Oak Ridge, TN | 06/29/2025 | $71,793 |
| Boston Scientific | Senior Medical Device Toxicologist | Arden Hills, MN | 06/17/2025 | $82,600 |
| TRC Companies, Inc. | Toxicologist | Denver, CO | 05/26/2025 | $100,000 |
| Bostonscientific | Medical Device Toxicologist II (605075) | Marlborough, MA | 05/19/2025 | $72,800 |
| Exponent, Inc. | Computational Toxicologist (PH.D.) | Washington, DC | 05/13/2025 | $171,600 |
| Exponent | Senior Environmental Toxicologist (PH.D.) | Natick, MA | 05/03/2025 | $109,200 |
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities | Toxicologist 2 | Oak Ridge, TN | 04/30/2025 | $71,552 |
| Procter & Gamble | Global Product Stewardship-Human Safety Toxicologist | Mason, OH | 04/09/2025 | $135,000 |
| Adecco Us, Inc. | Bilingual (Mandarin) Medical Device Toxicologist | Marlborough, MA | 04/05/2025 | $66,784 |
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