Occupation salary profile

Natural Sciences Managers

SOC 11-9121 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields. Excludes “Computer and Information Systems Managers” (11-3021) and “Architecture and Engineering Managers” (11-9041).

National median · BLS
$167,220
▲ +3.75% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$134,000
▲ +7.61% YoY · 683 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$180,250
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
108,690
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Natural Sciences Managers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 683 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$79,710$69,840
25th$119,430$83,198
Median (50th)$167,220$134,000
75th$221,540$185,000
90th — top pay$316,850$230,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $134,000 for Natural Sciences Managers — 19.9% below the BLS national median of $167,220.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Natural Sciences Managers

BLS projects employment of natural sciences managers to grow 8.2% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 9,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
112,200 → 121,500
+9,200 jobs
Projected change
+8.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
9,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus 5 years or more experience
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $134,000
Change vs prior year +7.61%
After inflation (CPI-U) +4.34%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 206 30.2% $70,000 $81,028 $122,387
Level II 221 32.4% $98,510 $141,398 $189,597
Level III 103 15.1% $131,872 $160,000 $216,180
Level IV 84 12.3% $197,698 $250,000 $304,083
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Natural Sciences Managers

The 5 most-filed job titles inside SOC 11-9121, from 683 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Clinical Research Coordinator 72 10.54% $63,090 $76,315 $84,081 +11.98%
Clinical Trial Manager 14 2.05% $90,000 $142,224 $151,678 -2.64%
Clinical Research Associate 12 1.76% $70,086 $97,374 $124,245 -27.79%
Project Manager 11 1.61% $98,107 $100,000 $120,619 -4.76%
Program Manager 10 1.46% $80,834 $92,082 $141,620 -1.36%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Natural Sciences Managers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Science4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Management of Personnel Resources3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Biology4.0
  • English Language4.0
  • Administration and Management3.8
  • Computers and Electronics3.7
  • Administrative3.6
  • Chemistry3.5
  • Mathematics3.5
  • Personnel and Human Resources3.3
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointAdobe AcrobatAdobe PhotoshopESRI ArcGIS softwareIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft WordOracle DatabaseRSAP softwareSASStructured query language SQL

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What natural sciences managers do

  • Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
  • Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
  • Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.
  • Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.
  • Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.
  • Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.
  • Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.
  • Prepare project proposals.
Also called
Chemical Process Exploration ManagerEnvironmental Program ManagerNatural Sciences ManagerResearch and Development Director (R and D Director)Analytical Services ManagerChemical Engineer SupervisorLab Manager (Laboratory Manager)Research AdministratorResearch ManagerWater Team Leader
Specialties within this occupation
  • Clinical Research Coordinators
  • Water Resource Specialists
More job titles for this occupation (57)
Agricultural Research DirectorAgriculture Research DirectorChemical Plant Technical DirectorClinical CoordinatorClinical Data CoordinatorClinical ManagerClinical Program CoordinatorClinical Program ManagerClinical Project ManagerClinical Research AdministratorClinical Research CoordinatorClinical Research DirectorClinical Research ManagerClinical Research MonitorClinical Research Nurse CoordinatorClinical Study ManagerClinical Trial CoordinatorClinical Trial ManagerClinical Trials ManagerCommunity Resource ConsultantEnvironmental Research Project ManagerEnvironmental Resource SpecialistGeochemical ManagerGeological ManagerGeophysical ManagerGravity ManagerHydrotechnical SpecialistHydrotechnicianLab Director (Laboratory Director)Laboratory Operations Director (Lab Operations Director)Laboratory Services Administrative Director (Lab Services Administrative Director)Natural Resources ManagerOcean Program AdministratorOncology Clinical Research CoordinatorPostdoctoral AssociatePostdoctoral FellowPostdoctoral Research FellowPostdoctoral ResearcherPower Supply EngineerQuarrying ManagerRegulatory ManagerResearch and Development Manager (R & D Manager)Research CoordinatorResearch Development DirectorResearch Development ManagerResearch DirectorResearch Project CoordinatorResource SpecialistWater Quality SpecialistWater Resource AgentWater Resource ConsultantWater Resource Engineering SpecialistWater Resource SpecialistWater Resources PlannerWater Restoration TechnicianWater Rights SpecialistWild Life Manager

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.