2021 Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Materials Scientists
Materials Scientists research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Materials Scientists with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $54,810 to $73,130 per year or $26 to $35 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
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Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Materials Scientists to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $79 | $165,290 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $63 | $130,890 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $48 | $99,460 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $35 | $73,130 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $26 | $54,810 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| NH | $75 | $156,630 |
| CT | $66 | $137,380 |
| IN | $59 | $122,810 |
| CO | $58 | $120,270 |
| WA | $56 | $116,840 |
| CA | $55 | $113,840 |
| OH | $55 | $113,490 |
| UT | $52 | $108,350 |
| GA | $52 | $108,220 |
| NJ | $51 | $105,490 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Materials Scientist is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like NH doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at NH might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Materials Scientists are in the states of NH, CT, IN, CO and WA.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | $126380 | $60.76 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $121180 | $58.26 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | $120340 | $57.86 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $120230 | $57.80 |
| Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | $110330 | $53.04 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $108830 | $52.32 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | $107520 | $51.69 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | $106370 | $51.14 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing | $103860 | $49.93 |
| Machinery Manufacturing | $102640 | $49.35 |
| Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | $101500 | $48.80 |
| Nonferrous Metal Production and Processing | $96950 | $46.61 |
| Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | $95830 | $46.07 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | $95800 | $46.06 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | $95230 | $45.78 |
| Chemical Manufacturing | $91970 | $44.21 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $90460 | $43.49 |
| Chemical Manufacturing | $82540 | $39.68 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $70950 | $34.11 |
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