Chemists
Median $91,240
Occupation · SOC 19-2032
Materials Scientists: pay and where the jobs are
What materials scientists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$117,790 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $126,180
- Median hourly wage
- $56.63
- Mean hourly wage
- $60.67
- Employment
- 8,470
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2032.
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How much do materials scientists make?
The median annual wage for materials scientists was $117,790 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $66,820 and the highest-paid 10% more than $197,290. As an hourly rate, the median is $56.63. About 8,470 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($177,030), Oregon ($150,550) and Wisconsin ($137,700). California also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for materials scientists 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 | $66,820 | $32.13 | $5,568 | $4,653 |
| 25th percentile | $89,990 | $43.26 | $7,499 | $6,011 |
| Median | $117,790 | $56.63 | $9,816 | $7,641 |
| 75th percentile | $150,550 | $72.38 | $12,546 | $9,514 |
| 90th percentile | $197,290 | $94.85 | $16,441 | $12,176 |
Materials Scientists: pay by state
30 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
$106,346 take-home in national prices
2
$104,922 take-home in national prices
3
$103,578 take-home in national prices
Where a median materials scientist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,030 | $177,030 | $96,050 | $300,330 | $117,746 | $106,346 |
| Oregon | 100 | $150,550 | $105,030 | $199,000 | $100,404 | $97,139 |
| Wisconsin | 70 | $137,700 | $73,650 | $160,640 | $98,726 | $104,922 |
| District of Columbia | Not published | $137,600 | $132,790 | $161,700 | $96,588 | $87,886 |
| Massachusetts | 890 | $132,600 | $96,310 | $168,390 | $94,878 | $89,713 |
| Minnesota | 290 | $132,160 | $83,500 | $172,500 | $93,474 | $94,781 |
| New York | 530 | $131,740 | $87,880 | $204,830 | $94,135 | $87,226 |
| Indiana | 320 | $130,540 | $53,660 | $197,910 | $96,669 | $103,578 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $130,320 | $72,440 | $201,790 | $93,119 | $89,874 |
| Washington | 290 | $127,250 | $76,390 | $209,800 | $96,476 | $90,154 |
| Utah | 110 | $126,840 | $67,360 | $175,440 | $92,317 | $93,378 |
| Illinois | 380 | $125,850 | $84,070 | $184,130 | $91,200 | $91,238 |
| Virginia | 100 | $124,150 | $63,820 | $184,840 | $89,798 | $88,817 |
| New Hampshire | 80 | $119,990 | $65,200 | $173,640 | $93,243 | $89,515 |
| Colorado | 370 | $117,290 | $76,820 | $160,770 | $86,375 | $83,817 |
| Kansas | 40 | $115,490 | $86,800 | $182,780 | $84,433 | $93,743 |
| Maryland | 270 | $112,400 | $69,990 | $165,670 | $82,836 | $78,922 |
| Ohio | 450 | $108,830 | $54,620 | $159,130 | $82,836 | $89,288 |
| Michigan | 230 | $107,410 | $54,240 | $167,940 | $80,079 | $83,227 |
| Pennsylvania | 100 | $106,920 | $68,850 | $159,170 | $80,691 | $82,699 |
| North Carolina | 490 | $106,470 | $65,720 | $161,870 | $79,992 | $84,804 |
| New Jersey | 440 | $103,150 | $79,450 | $139,550 | $76,392 | $70,210 |
| Florida | 200 | $102,340 | $77,270 | $155,070 | $80,826 | $78,158 |
| South Carolina | 80 | $101,930 | $70,060 | $137,490 | $76,193 | $81,274 |
| Nevada | 100 | $97,490 | $78,350 | $121,610 | $77,414 | $77,430 |
| Georgia | 350 | $91,970 | $63,820 | $154,600 | $69,690 | $72,373 |
| Iowa | 180 | $88,320 | $52,450 | $149,020 | $68,259 | $77,777 |
| Texas | 300 | $72,700 | $50,970 | $151,050 | $59,974 | $61,793 |
| Montana | 50 | $71,810 | $55,030 | $129,960 | $56,652 | $59,857 |
| Tennessee | 60 | $69,010 | $57,800 | $150,590 | $57,379 | $62,456 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2032. *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.