What education do physicists need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists doctoral or professional degree as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links one program here to physicists: Physics (Bachelor's).

Physicists: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays physicists the most?

Florida, at a median of $225,390. After adjusting for prices, Oklahoma is highest, at $227,736 in US-average prices.

20,430 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree
Occupation code 19-2012

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Physicists earn a median of $172,250 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in Florida ($225,390) and lowest in Delaware ($82,590). After adjusting for prices, Oklahoma is highest ($227,736) and Delaware lowest ($82,749). Jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$172,250US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$82,110US

Top 10% earn over$274,110US

Projected job growth7%2025 to 2035, about 1,300 openings a year

Pay for physicists by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	Florida	$225,390	$217,949	340	$113,240	$308,580
2	New Hampshire	$214,030	$205,472	30	$96,760	$301,570
3	Pennsylvania	$210,990	$216,240	230	$88,300	$261,820
4	California	$207,490	$187,401	5,930	$125,390	$296,740
5	Oregon	$200,320	$193,806	90	$104,370	$315,910
6	Oklahoma	$200,050	$227,736	40	$61,380	$249,780
7	Texas	$184,040	$189,621	580	$69,960	$289,950
8	New York	$181,970	$168,614	1,140	$80,000	$292,950
9	Kentucky	$180,910	$200,657	50	$65,860	$282,000
10	Connecticut	$180,300	$174,018	60	$104,750	$303,910
11	Iowa	$178,110	$202,947	110	$83,830	$292,990
12	Maryland	$174,390	$166,151	1,200	$105,560	$219,450
13	North Carolina	$174,180	$184,657	150	$64,050	$256,860
14	Wisconsin	$173,120	$183,984	180	$89,310	$291,910
15	Minnesota	$171,220	$173,614	110	$131,870	$336,740
16	Louisiana	$166,240	$188,466	40	$85,360	$214,090
17	New Mexico	$165,340	$179,304	580	$120,720	$235,180
18	Tennessee	$165,010	$179,612	240	$88,610	$239,850
19	New Jersey	$163,270	$150,057	470	$100,490	$289,830
20	Ohio	$162,900	$175,588	630	$64,860	$239,360
21	District of Columbia	$157,040	$142,892	480	$86,820	$202,360
22	Utah	$156,760	$158,561	30	$64,090	$258,690
23	Rhode Island	$155,150	$151,691	Not reported	$86,340	$298,000
24	Nevada	$154,030	$154,062	50	$102,580	$220,070
25	Virginia	$145,040	$143,456	940	$97,720	$238,570
26	Georgia	$144,870	$150,447	160	$79,860	$288,170
27	Missouri	$140,460	$154,663	90	$70,550	$276,590
28	Alabama	$139,330	$156,863	280	$74,290	$227,790
29	South Carolina	$138,400	$147,628	420	$106,510	$228,440
30	Illinois	$137,140	$137,198	1,590	$81,830	$221,380
31	Arkansas	$135,820	$156,228	60	$110,390	$214,000
32	Idaho	$135,150	$141,527	Not reported	$85,110	$199,990
33	Washington	$134,790	$125,957	450	$77,860	$238,430
34	Arizona	$130,500	$129,622	120	$102,160	$242,730
35	Mississippi	$129,970	$149,472	80	$64,980	$219,440
36	Hawaii	$117,190	$106,584	40	$77,190	$383,510
37	Massachusetts	$106,410	$100,617	1,150	$82,050	$213,150
38	Indiana	$105,940	$113,512	230	$64,000	$220,040
39	Colorado	$104,580	$101,483	1,050	$82,340	$210,950
40	Montana	$103,800	$109,673	30	$53,500	$237,520
41	Michigan	$94,520	$98,236	510	$64,380	$248,500
42	South Dakota	$83,050	$93,751	30	$53,910	$180,690
43	Delaware	$82,590	$82,749	50	$64,570	$293,950

State names link to the state's college page. BLS publishes no median pay for physicists in 9 other states and territories.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to physicists. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Physics (Bachelor's)	67	$48,374	$23,000

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Physicists earn a median of $172,250 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $82,110, and the top 10% more than $274,110.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release