Astronomers
Median $128,820
Occupation · SOC 19-2012
Physicists: pay and where the jobs are
What physicists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$172,250 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $171,180
- Median hourly wage
- $82.81
- Mean hourly wage
- $82.30
- Employment
- 20,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2012.
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How much do physicists make?
The median annual wage for physicists was $172,250 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $82,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $274,110. As an hourly rate, the median is $82.81. About 20,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Florida ($225,390), New Hampshire ($214,030) and Pennsylvania ($210,990). Florida also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for physicists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $82,110 | $39.48 | $6,843 | $5,550 |
| 25th percentile | $111,720 | $53.71 | $9,310 | $7,285 |
| Median | $172,250 | $82.81 | $14,354 | $10,750 |
| 75th percentile | $222,760 | $107.10 | $18,563 | $13,594 |
| 90th percentile | $274,110 | $131.79 | $22,843 | $16,172 |
Physicists: pay by state
43 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$159,281 take-home in national prices
2
$158,855 take-home in national prices
3
$152,557 take-home in national prices
Where a median physicist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 340 | $225,390 | $113,240 | $308,580 | $164,719 | $159,281 |
| New Hampshire | 30 | $214,030 | $96,760 | $301,570 | $157,556 | $151,256 |
| Pennsylvania | 230 | $210,990 | $88,300 | $261,820 | $148,853 | $152,557 |
| California | 5,930 | $207,490 | $125,390 | $296,740 | $135,336 | $122,233 |
| Oregon | 90 | $200,320 | $104,370 | $315,910 | $129,291 | $125,086 |
| Oklahoma | 40 | $200,050 | $61,380 | $249,780 | $139,543 | $158,855 |
| Texas | 580 | $184,040 | $69,960 | $289,950 | $137,057 | $141,213 |
| New York | 1,140 | $181,970 | $80,000 | $292,950 | $125,503 | $116,292 |
| Kentucky | 50 | $180,910 | $65,860 | $282,000 | $128,704 | $142,752 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $180,300 | $104,750 | $303,910 | $124,032 | $119,710 |
| Iowa | 110 | $178,110 | $83,830 | $292,990 | $126,888 | $144,582 |
| Maryland | 1,200 | $174,390 | $105,560 | $219,450 | $122,047 | $116,281 |
| North Carolina | 150 | $174,180 | $64,050 | $256,860 | $123,877 | $131,329 |
| Wisconsin | 180 | $173,120 | $89,310 | $291,910 | $121,059 | $128,656 |
| Minnesota | 110 | $171,220 | $131,870 | $336,740 | $116,934 | $118,569 |
| Louisiana | 40 | $166,240 | $85,360 | $214,090 | $120,290 | $136,372 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $165,340 | $120,720 | $235,180 | $117,505 | $127,429 |
| Tennessee | 240 | $165,010 | $88,610 | $239,850 | $124,050 | $135,028 |
| New Jersey | 470 | $163,270 | $100,490 | $289,830 | $113,775 | $104,567 |
| Ohio | 630 | $162,900 | $64,860 | $239,360 | $118,565 | $127,800 |
| District of Columbia | 480 | $157,040 | $86,820 | $202,360 | $108,223 | $98,473 |
| Utah | 30 | $156,760 | $64,090 | $258,690 | $111,436 | $112,716 |
| Rhode Island | Not published | $155,150 | $86,340 | $298,000 | $110,443 | $107,981 |
| Nevada | 50 | $154,030 | $102,580 | $220,070 | $116,546 | $116,570 |
| Virginia | 940 | $145,040 | $97,720 | $238,570 | $102,875 | $101,752 |
| Georgia | 160 | $144,870 | $79,860 | $288,170 | $103,804 | $107,800 |
| Missouri | 90 | $140,460 | $70,550 | $276,590 | $101,606 | $111,880 |
| Alabama | 280 | $139,330 | $74,290 | $227,790 | $100,880 | $113,574 |
| South Carolina | 420 | $138,400 | $106,510 | $228,440 | $99,618 | $106,260 |
| Illinois | 1,590 | $137,140 | $81,830 | $221,380 | $98,358 | $98,399 |
| Arkansas | 60 | $135,820 | $110,390 | $214,000 | $99,274 | $114,191 |
| Idaho | Not published | $135,150 | $85,110 | $199,990 | $97,586 | $102,191 |
| Washington | 450 | $134,790 | $77,860 | $238,430 | $101,525 | $94,872 |
| Arizona | 120 | $130,500 | $102,160 | $242,730 | $97,594 | $96,938 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $129,970 | $64,980 | $219,440 | $95,634 | $109,983 |
| Hawaii | 40 | $117,190 | $77,190 | $383,510 | $83,780 | $76,198 |
| Massachusetts | 1,150 | $106,410 | $82,050 | $213,150 | $78,099 | $73,848 |
| Indiana | 230 | $105,940 | $64,000 | $220,040 | $80,263 | $86,000 |
| Colorado | 1,050 | $104,580 | $82,340 | $210,950 | $78,049 | $75,737 |
| Montana | 30 | $103,800 | $53,500 | $237,520 | $77,350 | $81,726 |
| Michigan | 510 | $94,520 | $64,380 | $248,500 | $71,558 | $74,372 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $83,050 | $53,910 | $180,690 | $67,256 | $75,921 |
| Delaware | 50 | $82,590 | $64,570 | $293,950 | $62,492 | $62,612 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.