Occupation salary profile

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

SOC 19-1042 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities. Includes physicians, dentists, pharmacologists, and medical pathologists who primarily conduct research. Practitioners who primarily provide medical or dental care or dispense drugs are included in “Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners” (29-1000).

National median · BLS
$103,410
▲ +2.8% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$75,045
▲ +1.41% YoY · 4,432 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$116,840
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
172,340
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 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 4,432 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$64,800$62,232
25th$79,840$67,824
Median (50th)$103,410$75,045
75th$139,380$92,463
90th — top pay$177,780$130,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $75,045 for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists — 27.4% below the BLS national median of $103,410.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

BLS projects employment of medical scientists, except epidemiologists to grow 12.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 10,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
181,000 → 203,700
+22,700 jobs
Projected change
+12.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
10,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
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 doctoral or professional 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 $75,045
Change vs prior year +1.41%
After inflation (CPI-U) -1.67%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 2,335 52.7% $64,079 $70,000 $77,267
Level II 1,098 24.8% $74,672 $85,000 $106,870
Level III 297 6.7% $94,640 $126,006 $148,678
Level IV 181 4.1% $115,500 $160,000 $193,400
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

The 50 most-filed job titles inside SOC 19-1042, from 4,432 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
Research Associate 392 8.84% $68,000 $74,255 $80,734 +4.58%
Research Scientist 390 8.8% $69,835 $76,500 $88,000 +3.37%
Research Fellow 322 7.27% $68,182 $71,406 $76,210 +2.01%
Postdoctoral Fellow 266 6% $64,517 $70,902 $77,745 +3.3%
Staff Scientist 202 4.56% $65,830 $71,300 $80,392 +1.86%
Postdoctoral Associate 144 3.25% $64,310 $68,929 $75,000 +7.11%
Scientist generic 144 3.25% $76,342 $96,678 $127,249 +7.42%
Assistant Professor 138 3.11% $95,000 $118,657 $139,860 -1.43%
Instructor 136 3.07% $73,685 $80,000 $90,250 +0%
Postdoctoral Research Fellow 119 2.69% $62,442 $65,640 $69,850 +6.07%
Postdoctoral Scholar 111 2.5% $65,320 $70,000 $75,576 +1.5%
Associate Research Scientist 102 2.3% $76,500 $80,000 $85,678 +0.87%
Postdoctoral Research Associate 87 1.96% $62,652 $63,120 $66,975 +0.46%
Research Assistant Professor 78 1.76% $75,000 $81,442 $105,000 +0.55%
Postdoctoral Researcher 76 1.71% $64,356 $67,572 $70,000 +3.96%
Investigator 57 1.29% $75,000 $85,000 $100,000 -8.6%
Associate Scientist 52 1.17% $81,528 $85,000 $97,657 +2.84%
Researcher generic 49 1.11% $60,000 $64,380 $68,182 +5.53%
Postdoctoral Associate/Fellow 44 0.99% $62,232 $65,746 $66,825 +4.36%
Research Investigator 40 0.9% $73,740 $80,000 $100,040 -14.46%
Assistant Project Scientist 39 0.88% $78,000 $83,235 $85,900 +5.83%
Assistant Research Scientist 37 0.83% $68,506 $71,532 $81,200 +2.19%
Principal Scientist 37 0.83% $126,006 $157,000 $177,000 +2.95%
Post Doctoral Fellow 32 0.72% $61,323 $63,325 $65,506 +3.8%
Research Scholar 29 0.65% $70,000 $70,146 $79,200 +0.21%
Assistant Research Professor 25 0.56% $73,000 $78,979 $82,329 -5.7%
Research Assistant 23 0.52% $56,368 $70,000 $82,000 +18.29%
Postdoctoral Research Scientist 22 0.5% $72,337 $74,748 $76,464 +3.67%
Clinical Fellow 22 0.5% $90,374 $94,116 $102,779 +7.76%
Post-Doctoral Associate 20 0.45% $61,008 $63,984 $67,106 +3.39%
Associate Staff Scientist 18 0.41% $67,766 $70,532 $74,916 +6.57%
Postdoctoral Scholar Employee 17 0.38% $65,640 $70,640 $74,425 -2.97%
Research Associate Scientist 17 0.38% $61,318 $74,672 $74,672 +3.37%
Assistant Academic Research Scientist 17 0.38% $67,000 $68,182 $69,680 +0.27%
Postdoctoral Research Scholar 16 0.36% $64,124 $66,732 $67,824 +6.02%
Assistant Professor of Research 16 0.36% $70,000 $84,000 $90,221 -2.97%
Basic Life Research Scientist 15 0.34% $82,990 $86,000 $90,275 +7.5%
Research Specialist 14 0.32% $72,407 $76,358 $83,834 +24.23%
Research Instructor 14 0.32% $67,987 $71,388 $75,621 +1.22%
Clinical Research Associate 13 0.29% $63,000 $68,784 $94,827 —
Researcher/Scientist 12 0.27% $64,943 $69,216 $72,000 +4.08%
Staff Research Associate 11 0.25% $75,502 $77,805 $84,736 +19.2%
Assistant Scientist 11 0.25% $67,000 $74,000 $107,191 -1.33%
Post Doctoral Scholar 11 0.25% $62,064 $64,356 $65,810 -6.73%
Clinical Research Fellow 11 0.25% $64,058 $64,058 $65,343 +0%
Acting Instructor 11 0.25% $76,758 $87,564 $92,388 +3.01%
Postdoctoral Scientist 10 0.23% $56,202 $59,851 $82,054 -4.08%
Associate Consultant 10 0.23% $121,188 $134,000 $142,500 +13.8%
Investigator, Instructor 10 0.23% $81,882 $85,000 $92,170 +10.04%
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow 10 0.23% $73,377 $77,622 $80,172 +8.14%

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 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

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
  • Writing4.3
  • Active Learning4.1
  • Science4.1
  • Speaking4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Systems Analysis3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Biology4.7
  • English Language4.1
  • Medicine and Dentistry3.7
  • Chemistry3.4
  • Mathematics3.2
  • Computers and Electronics3.0
  • Education and Training2.9
  • Administration and Management2.8
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareRAdobe PhotoshopESRI ArcGIS softwareIBM SPSS StatisticsLinuxMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft WordPythonSASThe MathWorks MATLABUNIXBioArray Software Environment BASEDatabase softwareFileMaker Pro

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 medical scientists, except epidemiologists do

  • Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
  • Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
  • Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  • Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.
  • Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
  • Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians.
  • Write and publish articles in scientific journals.
  • Write applications for research grants.
Also called
Clinical Research ScientistResearch ScientistScientistStudy DirectorClinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist)Clinical PharmacologistMedical ResearcherPhysician ScientistResearcherToxicologist
More job titles for this occupation (30)
AnatomistCancer ResearcherChemotherapistClinical AnalystClinical Research AnalystClinical Research SpecialistClinical ResearcherClinical ScientistCytologistEndocrinologistGerontologistHistologistHistopathologistImmunochemistLaboratory Scientist (Lab Scientist)Medical Health ResearcherMedical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Lab Scientist)Medical PhysicistMedical Research ScientistMedical Science Liaison (MSL)Medical ScientistNeurophysiologistNeuroscientistOncology Medical Science Liaison (Oncology MSL)ParasitologistPharmaceutical BotanistPharmacognosistPharmacologistResearch SpecialistSerologist

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.