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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

19-2031 Chemists

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge. Excludes "Biochemists and Biophysicists" (19-1021) and "Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers" (19-2042).


National estimates for Chemists
Industry profile for Chemists
Geographic profile for Chemists

National estimates for Chemists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Chemists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
82,940 2.0 % $ 41.54 $ 86,410 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Chemists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 21.62 $ 27.92 $ 38.13 $ 52.11 $ 67.14
Annual Wage (2) $ 44,970 $ 58,070 $ 79,300 $ 108,390 $ 139,650


Industry profile for Chemists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Chemists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Chemists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Chemists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 14,860 4.98 $ 39.06 $ 81,250
Scientific Research and Development Services 11,900 1.58 $ 47.94 $ 99,720
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 9,910 0.66 $ 32.24 $ 67,050
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 8,350 2.32 $ 43.98 $ 91,480
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 5,580 0.27 $ 57.94 $ 120,510

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Chemists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 14,860 4.98 $ 39.06 $ 81,250
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 4,610 2.70 $ 39.39 $ 81,920
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 8,350 2.32 $ 43.98 $ 91,480
Scientific Research and Development Services 11,900 1.58 $ 47.94 $ 99,720
Waste Treatment and Disposal 1,060 1.08 $ 38.41 $ 79,890

Top paying industries for Chemists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 5,580 0.27 $ 57.94 $ 120,510
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 30 0.05 $ 53.22 $ 110,710
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) 280 0.05 $ 49.91 $ 103,810
Support Activities for Mining 150 0.06 $ 49.53 $ 103,010
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers 230 0.05 $ 48.79 $ 101,490


Geographic profile for Chemists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Chemists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Chemists, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Chemists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 10,510 0.64 1.07 $ 41.37 $ 86,050
New Jersey 6,100 1.61 2.71 $ 47.69 $ 99,190
Texas 5,010 0.41 0.69 $ 43.45 $ 90,370
Pennsylvania 4,830 0.88 1.47 $ 37.05 $ 77,060
North Carolina 4,300 1.00 1.68 $ 35.66 $ 74,170




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Delaware 1,070 2.52 4.23 $ 53.11 $ 110,460
New Jersey 6,100 1.61 2.71 $ 47.69 $ 99,190
Maryland 3,110 1.23 2.07 $ 57.56 $ 119,730
Massachusetts 3,920 1.17 1.96 $ 48.31 $ 100,480
North Carolina 4,300 1.00 1.68 $ 35.66 $ 74,170




Top paying states for Chemists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 270 0.39 0.66 $ 62.45 $ 129,900
Maryland 3,110 1.23 2.07 $ 57.56 $ 119,730
Delaware 1,070 2.52 4.23 $ 53.11 $ 110,460
Virginia 1,410 0.38 0.64 $ 49.66 $ 103,290
Rhode Island 290 0.65 1.09 $ 49.54 $ 103,050





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Chemists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 7,340 0.83 1.39 $ 46.73 $ 97,200
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,690 1.42 2.38 $ 48.46 $ 100,790
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 3,390 1.26 2.11 $ 47.34 $ 98,460
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,330 0.57 0.96 $ 36.94 $ 76,830
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,780 0.92 1.54 $ 62.91 $ 130,860
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,720 0.62 1.05 $ 38.71 $ 80,510
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,290 0.98 1.65 $ 48.50 $ 100,880
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,130 1.52 2.55 $ 37.43 $ 77,860
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,760 0.59 0.99 $ 50.29 $ 104,600
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,760 0.95 1.59 $ 43.16 $ 89,770




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Midland, MI 840 27.03 45.33 $ 49.85 $ 103,700
Kennewick-Richland, WA 600 5.27 8.84 $ 54.04 $ 112,410
Lancaster, PA 1,190 5.10 8.56 $ 24.78 $ 51,550
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 1,340 4.33 7.26 $ 38.18 $ 79,420
Bloomington, IN 260 3.89 6.52 $ 38.57 $ 80,230
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 700 3.15 5.28 $ 35.32 $ 73,460
College Station-Bryan, TX 260 2.44 4.09 $ 24.22 $ 50,380
Wilmington, NC 300 2.39 4.02 $ 26.79 $ 55,720
Ann Arbor, MI 480 2.32 3.89 $ 33.17 $ 68,990
Trenton, NJ 500 2.17 3.64 $ 50.91 $ 105,890




Top paying metropolitan areas for Chemists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Peoria, IL 40 0.26 0.43 $ 64.90 $ 134,990
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,780 0.92 1.54 $ 62.91 $ 130,860
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 570 0.51 0.86 $ 58.77 $ 122,250
Barnstable Town, MA 40 0.46 0.76 $ 55.04 $ 114,480
Kennewick-Richland, WA 600 5.27 8.84 $ 54.04 $ 112,410
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 110 0.99 1.67 $ 53.16 $ 110,570
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 100 0.65 1.10 $ 53.15 $ 110,540
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 190 1.79 3.00 $ 51.47 $ 107,050
Trenton, NJ 500 2.17 3.64 $ 50.91 $ 105,890
Corpus Christi, TX 60 0.35 0.58 $ 50.39 $ 104,820

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Chemists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 180 0.73 1.22 $ 38.51 $ 80,100
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 160 1.30 2.18 $ 31.66 $ 65,860
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.72 1.20 $ 51.81 $ 107,770
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 130 0.73 1.23 $ 35.68 $ 74,210
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 130 0.85 1.43 $ 31.32 $ 65,150

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Chemists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 160 1.30 2.18 $ 31.66 $ 65,860
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 120 0.90 1.52 $ 38.97 $ 81,060
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 130 0.85 1.43 $ 31.32 $ 65,150
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 50 0.78 1.30 $ 24.58 $ 51,130
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 100 0.74 1.25 $ 32.47 $ 67,530

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Chemists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 58.20 $ 121,060
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 50 0.59 1.00 $ 54.43 $ 113,210
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 30 0.35 0.59 $ 52.37 $ 108,930
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 140 0.72 1.20 $ 51.81 $ 107,770
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 70 0.25 0.43 $ 51.45 $ 107,020


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021