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Job outlook for water chemists in the United States
Are water chemist jobs in demand?
Water chemist job and salary trends over time
Water chemist jobs over time
Water chemist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 636 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 655 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 659 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 668 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 666 | 0.00% |
Average water chemist salary over time
Water chemist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $57,165 | $27.48 | +2.2% |
| 2025 | $55,961 | $26.90 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $55,428 | $26.65 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $53,878 | $25.90 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $53,157 | $25.56 | +3.5% |
Water chemist jobs by state
Most common states for water chemists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 305 | 4% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 30 | 4% |
| 3 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 78 | 3% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 37 | 3% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 29 | 3% |
| 6 | California | 39,536,653 | 640 | 2% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 230 | 2% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 218 | 2% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 156 | 2% |
| 10 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 150 | 2% |
| 11 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 117 | 2% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 110 | 2% |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 103 | 2% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 97 | 2% |
| 15 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 70 | 2% |
| 16 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 26 | 2% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 21 | 2% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 16 | 2% |
| 19 | Vermont | 623,657 | 14 | 2% |
| 20 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 12 | 2% |
Water Chemist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of water chemist experts
Queens University of Charlotte
California State University - East Bay
Ohio Dominican University
North Carolina State University
Northern Kentucky University
University of the Pacific
Brigham Young University
Northern Kentucky University
Southwestern College
University of Kentucky
College of Idaho
SUNY at Albany
Ohio University Southern
Wake Forest University
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Aurora Clark: BS level Chemists can be employed in a variety of roles that leverage their scientific knowledge, laboratory and analytical thinking skills. As technicians in companies or government organizations they may be responsible for sample collection and analysis – for example water quality. They may also work in R&D; in industry as part of larger teams doing development of new materials or devices. On a daily basis this may include testing of different properties of materials under development or helping to design new experimental protocols/procedures to optimize synthesis or characterization. Leveraging their fundamental knowledge of Chemistry they may also work in government within interdisciplinary groups, in science policy, or may pursue science communication.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Aurora Clark: Chemistry is often called the Central Science because it intersects Biology, Physics, Math and Materials Science. As such, fundamental Chemistry knowledge is transferable and portable to a large range of public and private sectors. With artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) now actively part of the research process, Chemists are also at the intersection of Computer Science. The domain knowledge of Chemists is needed to help the Chemical industry employ AI and ML to create new therapeutics, materials, and to tackle challenges in energy production and environmental protection.
Justin Moss
Assistant ProfessorQueens University of Charlotte
Chemistry
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Justin Moss: Chemistry is a good profession to enter due to its evolving and interdisciplinary nature, job demand, competitive salaries, and rewarding work.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Monika Sommerhalter: Know your worth and look for opportunities to grow. Set yourself professional goals, whether it is a large goal (such as getting a promotion) or smaller goals (attending a workshop to master a new skill) on an ongoing basis. Keep your resume up-to-date so that it is easier for you to apply for new job opportunities within or outside of your company.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Monika Sommerhalter: The skill of learning itself! Being able to acquire new skills will become more important as technological progress speeds up. With more automation and machine assisted analysis, more data will be generated. The ability to distinguish relevant and meaningful information from superfluous data without getting overwhelmed will therefore also matter. Communication skills will always be relevant. Research and production teams need group members who can communicate their findings in an efficient and clear manner. With respect to Chemistry: Most analytical chemistry techniques, for example High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), will remain important for many years to come, but there will always be extensions and new developments, such as Ultra(HPLC) and new chromatography materials and detection methods. Having a solid foundation and to understand the basic principles of essential laboratory techniques in Chemistry combined with a curious and open mind to appreciate or even come-up with novel developments is a great recipe for success!
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Dr. Christopher Martin: Maximizing your salary potential when starting your career in the area of chemistry will be largely dependent on your ability to know your skills and the value of those skills to potential employers. Always work to gain more experience and expand your skill base. As college students, you relied on professors to determine your ability and assign grades. In a job market that is driven by digital resumes, online job applications, key skill words, and an increasing amount of changing jobs, knowing what skills you have and matching them to skills employers are looking for will dictate your worth to that company. If you know your worth and your value, you can determine if you are being fairly compensated. If you don't know your worth, don't expect to get well compensated for what you don't understand yourself.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Mark Griep: Beginning chemists do the sorts of things that other scientists do. They start by learning the protocols for the most common procedures. Once they have demonstrated they can do the procedures reliably, they use those procedures to run tests on the materials that the company produces. Their results are needed to show that everything is safe and that the products meet the quality standards set by the company and government. They summarize their findings by writing technical reports and presenting them to their supervisors.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mark Griep: It is a good time to become a chemist because so many new fields have opened up and the traditional fields are working to become more environmentally sensitive. The students that I've helped train have entered a wide range of fields, although most have entered the pharmaceutical and environmental fields. The public's appetite continues to grow for effective drug therapies and real solutions to fight climate change or to address the effects of climate change.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lucian Lucia: BECAUSE IT IS KEY TO SOLVING THE GRAND CHALLENGES OF HUMAN HEALTH, CLEAN WATER AND AIR, ABUNDANT AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD, AND CLEAN ENERGY. EACH OF THESE NEEDS DESPERATELY NEED SOMEONE EQUIPPED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE ONLY AVAILABLE TO CHEMISTS. AS CHEMISTS, WE WILL EXPLORE THE MATERIALS, CHEMICALS, AND PROCESSES NEEDED TO ADDRESS EACH OF THE CHALLENGES. WE WILL NOT DO THIS WORK IN A VACUUM, BUT COLLABORATE WITH ENGINEERS, BIOLOGISTS, PHYSICISTS, AND MATERIALS SCIENTISTS. WE MELD WELL IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM AND POSSESS A DETAILED LOGIC, KNOWLEDGE, AND POISE WHICH MAKE US AN INDISPENSABLE MEMBER OF THE TEAM. THE WORLD DESPERATELY NEEDS CHEMISTS! MOREOVER, WE MUST OVERCOME THE STIGMA IT HAS BORNE FOR MANY YEARS IN ORDER TO PROPERLY ENTICE STUDENTS OF THE HIGHEST TALENT AND INTELLECT BECAUSE IT HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR LIVES.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Lucian Lucia: THIS IS A VERY LOADED QUESTION! CHEMISTS RECOGNIZE HOW IMPERATIVE IT REMAINS FOR CHANGING THE QUALITY OF OUR LIVES, YET, WE INTENSELY FEEL AND FACE THE BURDEN OF ITS IMAGE AS A POLLUTING FORCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. IN MANY WAYS, WE HAVE BROUGHT THE BURDEN ON OURSELVES BY NOT RECOGNIZING AND EMBRACING THE POTENTIAL OF GREEN CHEMISTRY AS A FORCE FOR GOOD AND CHANGE. AS WITH ANY TECHNOLOGY, THERE ARE PROS AND CONS, BUT THE COMMUNITY OF CHEMISTRY HAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY PROVIDED A COGENT ARGUMENT FOR WHY IT SHOULD BE PURSUED BY MANY MORE STUDENTS. TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, IT HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF MANY OTHER DISCIPLINES WHO DIP THEIR FEET IN IT BECAUSE IT IS SO ESSENTIAL TO MANY OF THE CHALLENGES WE ENUMERATED ABOVE. WE ARE A NOBLE PROFESSON, LIKE LAW OR MEDICINE, BUT SHROUDED IN MYSTERY BECAUSE WE DO NOT TEND TO ENGAGE IN ARGUMENTS OVERCOMING THE POLEMICS WE FACE IN SOCIETY. CHEMISTRY CAN DO A LOT OF GOOD, BUT WE NEED TO MANAGE OUR SCIENCE TO FOCUS ON ITS SUSTAINABILITY AND PROCLAIM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Isabelle Lagadic Ph.D.: I’ve met employers asking me if I could teach my students basic skills like “being on time”, “writing a proper email”, “clearly and carefully documenting their work”, “using critical thinking to stop a recording or an experiment when it is obvious that it is not working”. Those very basic skills that everyone takes for granted in addition of basic technical skills are going to become the most prevalent in the coming years. What’s scary is the collision between the inevitable advancement of Ai in this field and this lack of basic skills. It is difficult to train people on tomorrow’s skills if they don’t already master today’s skills.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Konstantinos Vogiatzis: The day-to-day work heavily depends on the actual position. It might include the application of analytical or spectroscopic techniques for quality control, synthesis of molecules or materials, or simply the utilization of computers for the simulation of chemical processes.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Konstantinos Vogiatzis: It’s hard to respond to this question, since chemical technology is exciting in any aspect! The chemical elements are the alphabet of a chemist, and the decillion of different combinations between them form an enormous chemical space that needs to be explored for the discovery of new, fascinating molecular structures. Modern AI is actively helping the chemist to navigate the molecular space. Some people (like me!) dislike the laborious chemical synthesis, but for others this is the true beauty of our discipline.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristina Stefaniak: Say yes to things at the beginning, those exposures will lead to gaining more knowledge and additional opportunities for advancement.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Kristina Stefaniak: Some skills that are important would be the ability to communicate science clearly and effectively to all audiences, be it through TikTok, at a board meeting, or a meeting with your manager. Each audience requires a different form of science communication and knowing your goal and the way to execute it is a learned skilled. Having a knowledge of green chemistry is a critical component for all future scientists. It’s an important shift in how chemists are trained and has been supported by The American Chemical Society (ACS). Green chemistry provides a foundation that could be useful in all chemistry careers.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Jingbo Liu PhD: Chemistry is a great profession to enter now because it is at the forefront of solving many global challenges. From developing new energy sources to creating medical treatments, chemists play a crucial role in advancing science and improving quality of life. Furthermore, the demand for chemists is expected to grow in various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, energy, and materials science. The ongoing technological advancements also mean chemists have access to increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques, which can significantly enhance their research capabilities. Moreover, the growing emphasis on sustainability and green chemistry presents numerous opportunities for chemists to positively impact the environment and society.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Joseph Harrison: Chemistry is a good profession to have because it is in demand, since we are in a nanotechnology revolution there are/will be many jobs for chemists. Also, the problem-solving and analytical skills that Chemists use are useful for any industry.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Joseph Harrison: Chemistry is an expansive field and chemists do a wide range of things from helping to make new pharmaceutical drugs, to testing water for contaminants, to working on specialized equipment used to identify characteristics of new molecules.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Joseph Harrison: Chemists typically like using their problem-solving skills to advance science, but sometimes Chemists, especially in entry-level positions can be repetitive (i.e., doing the same analysis over and over again)
Dr. Jaron Hansen
Professor and ChairBrigham Young University
Chemistry
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Dr. Jaron Hansen: Likes: Intellectual Challenge, Contributing to Society, Variety of Career Opportunities, Hands-On Laboratory Work, Collaboration and Teamwork. Dislikes: Repetitive or Mundane Work, Pressure to Produce Results, Limited Funding and Job Instability.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Patrick Hare: Don’t just look for ‘chemist’ positions. A chemistry degree sets you up to do lots of different things under lots of different names. Once you get a job, keep networking (or if you haven’t done so, start)! Your first position won’t be your last, and having a group you can tap for help getting the next job or just figuring out problems that arise in the current one is very useful.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Patrick Hare: Facility with using and interpreting AI results is an obvious growing need. Many of those skills are just applied analytical and critical thinking. The trick will be to do the applying and keep them fresh. Understanding how the systems work will also be useful.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
David Hecht Ph.D.: Do your homework and try to get within the range for the position and the level of experience.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
David Hecht Ph.D.: Not sure- with a solid chemistry bkg and training, graduates should be equipped to learn and adapt as needed. Soft skills are VERY important and need to be developed.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
David Hecht Ph.D.: Work to stay positive and have a 'can do' attitude. Be willing to take on new tasks, responsibilities and try to go the 'extra mile'. Don't be afraid to say you do not know how to do something, but are willing to learn.
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arthur Cammers: There has a constant demand for chemistry skills in the job market. If you gravitate toward tinkering, math and science chemistry is an arena for your skills and curiosity.
Changqing Chen Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWhat will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Changqing Chen Ph.D.: Try to develop some business skills on product marketing and sales. Try to apply your scientific and engineering skills to business and become an all-around player.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Changqing Chen Ph.D.: 1. Analytical skills and communication skills will become more important since they are harder to be replaced by AI. 2. If interested, try to learn some information on AI and machine learning, which will be used more in chemistry in the near future on design and synthesis of new molecules/materials, environmental chemistry, green chemistry, and chemistry education.
What general advice would you give to a Water Chemist?
Bonnie Cantrell: Chemistry is the backbone to most protocols for the material, medical, and biological sciences.
Without chemistry, we would not know many of the things we know today. It will always be relevant in
helping change the scientific world as we know it. The advancements in science technology alone makes
chemistry today more exciting than ever. Just with balances from 1980's to now, we went from only
being able to weigh with counter balance weights to having a digital scale read accurately to 0.001
milligrams. Chemistry used to be more theoretical and only explainable from what we could make react
together. Now we have technology that can visualize the chemical composition and structure allowing
for us to create solutions to problems we could only dream of before. Whether you are wanting danger,
to save lives, or to help make this planet a better place to live, being a chemist can help you fuel your
passions.
What will help Water Chemists increase their earning potential?
Bonnie Cantrell: When a chemist enters the job field, there is three main options for them: academia,
government, or industry. In academia, there are two types of careers: lecturers and researchers. A
lecturer position usually teaches the introductory level classes and one or two advanced level courses. A
majority of their days revolve around creating course content, setting up teaching laboratories,
mentoring students, and grading. Research professors typically teach the upper level courses in their
research specialty, but overall teach less courses than a lecturer to allow time for research. A majority of
a researcher's days include the same tasks as the lecturer, but they also work on writing grants to
continue to fund their research and edit manuscripts for journal publication of their research. Both
positions are also required to participate on committees that create the structure for the school's future
directions. Faculty entering academia all work towards becoming tenured. Those that have made it,
have job security and more confidence in their jobs.
Entry government positions and most of industry for a chemist would be a lot more directly
involved with laboratory work. The laboratory work you do though is almost always dictated by your
employer. This means you don't get to study what you are interested in, but you can focus more on the
chemistry as you don't have to teach and constantly apply for grants. Usually advancement in these
types of careers changes your day to day into more regulation and management responsibilities and less
hands-on involvement with chemicals.
Alan Chen Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Dept of Chemistry & the RNA Institute, University at AlbanySUNY at Albany
Chemistry
What Water Chemist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alan Chen Ph.D.: Our most successful students start research no later than sophomore year and many opt for our 5-year combined BS/MS track. These students outcompete BS-level applicants for entry-level jobs, and start at higher salary and responsibility levels as many companies will count time in graduate school as "prior experience". The MS degree is particularly versatile as it can also be earned part-time by current employees looking to advance, and unlike the PhD does not over-qualify you for the vast majority of entry level chemist positions. MS degrees typically enable early-career chemists to move up the ranks into management or team-leader positions after a few years. They are also a possible way for recent grads who were unable to get a job due to lack of research experience in undergrad, to get that crucial research experience during their MS thesis, and possibly even upgrade-in-place to our PhD program if they are doing really well. Basically, there seems to be no drawback to getting an MS in Chemistry at a research-intensive university for the vast majority of scientific career tracks.
Kyle Kemats Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of InstructionOhio University Southern
Chemistry Department
What soft skills should all Water Chemists possess?
Kyle Kemats Ph.D.: Communication skills are crucial, regardless of the type of position. Chemists need to be able to effectively communicate their findings, as well as communicate with their supervisors and colleagues. Additionally, chemists may be asked to train newer employees, further highlighting the importance of these communication skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Water Chemists?
Kyle Kemats Ph.D.: As I mentioned in question 1, training/experience on various instruments is the most important for industry/research jobs. For teaching positions, experience with different pedagogical/education techniques will be helpful for a potential candidate.
What skills will help Water Chemists earn the most?
Kyle Kemats Ph.D.: Communication, original thinking, as well as hard skills (training on instruments).
Brian Mendenhall
Associate Director and Career CoachWake Forest University
Office of Personal and Career Development
What skills stand out on Water Chemist resumes?
Brian Mendenhall: Two things that stand out for me, regardless of whether the person is seeking employment in research or industry, are data analysis (Excel, Python, R) and presentation skills. Research specific skills would also include experimental design and specific relevant laboratory techniques & equipment experience.
What soft skills should all Water Chemists possess?
Brian Mendenhall: In the past, the most important attributes have been leadership and problem-solving skills. If the pandemic has taught us anything, the most important attribute is the ability to work with others and get along in multiple virtual and in-person environments. The rest seem elementary and are all dependent on each other. To work well on a team, you need to problem-solve, both on the topic and on how to share information. To solve problems, you need to be analytical and quantitative. Certainly, to do this well, you need to communicate across diverse audiences and levels of understanding. The National Association of Colleges and Employers surveys employers on these priorities and updates the results frequently. (see below for your reference)
Ability to work in a team 81.0%
Problem-solving skills 79.0%
Analytical/quantitative skills 76.1%
Communication skills (verbal) 73.2%
Communication skills (written)
https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/press/the-key-attributes-employers-seek-on-college-graduates-resumes/