What is the typical salary range for a Physicist?

Pay typically falls between $115,500 and $230,500 per year depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

Physicist Salary: $177,000 Average

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Average base salary

$177,000 / year

≈ $14,750 per month · $85.10 per hour

Location

25th percentile
$115,500Average
$177,00075th percentile
$230,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.

About this role

Physicist is a professional role in the Life, Physical, and Social Science job family. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.

How this role compares

Physicist pays 77% above the average across 48 roles in the Life, Physical, and Social Science job family (family average $100,000).

Similar-paying roles in Life, Physical, and Social Science

Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$176,000

Political Scientist$147,500

Economist$147,000

Astronomer$137,500

Biochemists and Biophysicists$134,500

Physical Scientists, All Other$133,500

Materials Scientist$130,500

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$121,000

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$120,500

Sociologist$119,000

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Physicist make?

The average base salary for a Physicist in the United States is $177,000 per year, or about $85.10 per hour.

What is the typical salary range?

Pay typically falls between $115,500 and $230,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

How does this compare with other Life, Physical, and Social Science roles?

The Life, Physical, and Social Science job family averages $100,000 across 48 roles tracked by WePayFairly.

Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.

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