Occupation salary profile

Physicists

SOC 19-2012 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Excludes “Biochemists and Biophysicists” (19-1021).

National median · BLS
$172,250
▲ +3.58% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$89,845
▲ +6.84% YoY · 882 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$171,180
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
20,430
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 Physicists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 882 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$82,110$67,000
25th$111,720$74,575
Median (50th)$172,250$89,845
75th$222,760$138,245
90th — top pay$274,110$193,906
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $89,845 for Physicists — 47.8% below the BLS national median of $172,250.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Physicists

BLS projects employment of physicists to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
23,200 → 24,800
+1,700 jobs
Projected change
+7.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,300
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
7% of workers (2025)
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 $89,845
Change vs prior year +6.84%
After inflation (CPI-U) +3.6%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 469 53.2% $68,058 $78,125 $89,100
Level II 167 18.9% $104,642 $129,687 $170,000
Level III 94 10.7% $132,140 $153,570 $189,456
Level IV 52 5.9% $183,812 $210,000 $235,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Physicists

The 18 most-filed job titles inside SOC 19-2012, from 882 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 Scientist 69 7.82% $80,974 $106,920 $186,059 +6.92%
Medical Physicist 51 5.78% $120,000 $200,000 $225,000 +78.25%
Postdoctoral Research Associate 47 5.33% $61,900 $67,018 $84,438 +0.03%
Postdoctoral Associate 47 5.33% $67,018 $71,000 $76,448 +4.37%
Research Staff Physics 35 3.97% $128,080 $137,922 $148,025 +0.88%
Research Associate 33 3.74% $70,720 $78,125 $80,000 +1.2%
Research Associate Physics 32 3.63% $83,130 $83,170 $84,096 —
Postdoctoral Fellow 26 2.95% $66,368 $69,902 $72,500 -0.5%
Postdoctoral Scholar 22 2.49% $71,798 $74,353 $77,166 +7.67%
Scientist generic 15 1.7% $100,862 $153,088 $163,706 +19.51%
Physicist 13 1.47% $135,000 $204,764 $212,629 +47.38%
Assistant Research Scientist 13 1.47% $77,000 $89,124 $100,000 -3.46%
Associate Scientist 12 1.36% $99,362 $108,681 $122,375 +13.45%
Assistant Professor 12 1.36% $144,095 $175,000 $200,810 +7.56%
Post Doctoral Research Associate 12 1.36% $61,212 $64,336 $67,018 +2.32%
Postdoctoral Research Scholar 11 1.25% $66,759 $68,000 $77,500 +8.15%
Postdoctoral Scholar Employee 11 1.25% $76,708 $78,500 $79,958 +5.48%
Postdoctoral Researcher 10 1.13% $66,664 $67,018 $75,866 -2.42%

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 Physicists

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
  • Science4.9
  • Critical Thinking4.6
  • Active Learning4.5
  • Mathematics4.5
  • Reading Comprehension4.5
  • Speaking4.5
  • Complex Problem Solving4.4
  • Writing4.4
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Learning Strategies4.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Physics4.9
  • Mathematics4.9
  • Computers and Electronics4.1
  • Engineering and Technology4.0
  • English Language3.9
  • Education and Training3.3
  • Chemistry3.0
  • Design2.9
Software and technology used
Eclipse IDEPythonAdobe PhotoshopAmazon Web Services AWS softwareAnsible softwareAutodesk AutoCADCC++Extensible markup language XMLGitJavaScriptLinuxMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Azure softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Visual Basic

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 physicists do

  • Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
  • Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
  • Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
  • Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
  • Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
  • Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena.
  • Write research proposals to receive funding.
  • Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
Also called
AstrophysicistHealth PhysicistResearch PhysicistScientistBiophysics ScientistMedical Physicist
More job titles for this occupation (20)
AerophysicistAtmospheric PhysicistCloud PhysicistComputational PhysicistCondensed Matter PhysicistDiagnostic Medical PhysicistElectrodynamicistExperimental PhysicistFluid DynamicistMathematical PhysicistMolecular PhysicistNuclear PhysicistPlasma PhysicistQuantum PhysicistRadiation Control Health PhysicistRadiation PhysicistSpace PhysicistTheoretical PhysicistThermodynamic PhysicistThermodynamicist

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.