Occupation salary profile

Chemists

SOC 19-2031 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge. Excludes “Biochemists and Biophysicists” (19-1021) and “Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers” (19-2042).

National median · BLS

$91,240

▲ +8.43% YoY

H-1B sponsor median

$88,044

▲ +2.58% YoY · 1,955 LCAs

Average salary · BLS

$100,450

Mean annual wage

U.S. employment

82,770

Jobs (BLS)

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Pay range for Chemists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 1,955 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	$58,460	$62,500
25th	$69,460	$69,228
Median (50th)	$91,240	$88,044
75th	$125,550	$114,700
90th — top pay	$160,830	$140,868

H-1B sponsors pay a median of $88,044 for Chemists — 3.5% below the BLS national median of $91,240.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Chemists

BLS projects employment of chemists to grow 6.4% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 5,900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035

84,900 → 90,300

+5,500 jobs

Projected change

+6.4%

All occupations: +3.5%

Openings per year

5,900

Average, 2025–2035

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

No related experience required

Self-employed: 0.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4): Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

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 $88,044

Change vs prior year +2.58%

After inflation (CPI-U) -0.53%

Wage level	LCAs	Share	P25	Median	P75
Level I	592	30.3%	$62,174	$65,000	$72,000
Level II	536	27.4%	$77,282	$85,266	$97,916
Level III	388	19.8%	$93,369	$106,248	$125,000
Level IV	375	19.2%	$114,131	$130,000	$153,240

H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Chemists

The 27 most-filed job titles inside SOC 19-2031, from 1,955 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
Scientist generic	173	8.85%	$80,293	$105,847	$128,939	+5.85%
Scientist · full pay range (173 LCAs) P10$65,333 P25$80,293 Median$105,847 P75$128,939 P90$147,890 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$65,33331 LCAs Level II$96,35044 LCAs Level III$121,50058 LCAs Level IV$135,51837 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Scientist56 LCAs · median $126,970 Scientist I20 LCAs · median $80,000 Scientist II19 LCAs · median $93,600 Senior Scientist I10 LCAs · median $110,900 Scientist III10 LCAs · median $77,022 Senior Scientist II9 LCAs · median $122,600 Scientist across all occupations →
Chemist	149	7.62%	$65,000	$78,598	$94,000	+2.74%
Chemist · full pay range (149 LCAs) P10$61,830 P25$65,000 Median$78,598 P75$94,000 P90$110,600 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$65,00065 LCAs Level II$83,37550 LCAs Level III$100,14918 LCAs Level IV$114,48315 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Chemist20 LCAs · median $91,728 Chemist II18 LCAs · median $77,299 Chemist I5 LCAs · median $56,014 Chemist across all occupations →
Research Scientist	79	4.04%	$76,553	$87,110	$108,717	-6.93%
Research Scientist · full pay range (79 LCAs) P10$69,824 P25$76,553 Median$87,110 P75$108,717 P90$136,636 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$76,00015 LCAs Level II$79,00024 LCAs Level III$88,00023 LCAs Level IV$127,34316 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Research Scientist9 LCAs · median $132,047 Research Scientist across all occupations →
QC Chemist	61	3.12%	$62,500	$67,000	$80,000	-2.9%
QC Chemist · full pay range (61 LCAs) P10$62,500 P25$62,500 Median$67,000 P75$80,000 P90$90,000 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$62,50039 LCAs Level II$81,09118 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) QC Chemist I7 LCAs · median $70,000 QC Chemist III6 LCAs · median $87,091 QC Chemist across all occupations →
Associate Scientist	54	2.76%	$70,666	$84,500	$97,458	+23.54%
Associate Scientist · full pay range (54 LCAs) P10$63,086 P25$70,666 Median$84,500 P75$97,458 P90$108,051 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$67,69224 LCAs Level II$96,48526 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Associate Scientist10 LCAs · median $99,150 Associate Scientist I5 LCAs · median $63,086 Associate Scientist across all occupations →
Research Associate	50	2.56%	$65,998	$79,450	$90,147	+7.01%
Research Associate · full pay range (50 LCAs) P10$57,950 P25$65,998 Median$79,450 P75$90,147 P90$101,096 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$71,00026 LCAs Level II$98,2736 LCAs Level III$82,00010 LCAs Level IV$101,0465 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Research Associate7 LCAs · median $90,000 Research Associate across all occupations →
Quality Control Chemist	48	2.46%	$63,775	$65,000	$77,891	-3.22%
Quality Control Chemist · full pay range (48 LCAs) P10$63,096 P25$63,775 Median$65,000 P75$77,891 P90$99,386 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$64,11532 LCAs Level II$88,28510 LCAs Level III$98,8015 LCAs Quality Control Chemist across all occupations →
Postdoctoral Research Associate	47	2.4%	$59,036	$65,000	$70,018	+0%
Postdoctoral Research Associate · full pay range (47 LCAs) P10$53,641 P25$59,036 Median$65,000 P75$70,018 P90$83,355 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$63,12041 LCAs Postdoctoral Research Associate across all occupations →
Analytical Chemist	43	2.2%	$63,100	$75,600	$88,855	-13.21%
Analytical Chemist · full pay range (43 LCAs) P10$62,500 P25$63,100 Median$75,600 P75$88,855 P90$110,345 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$63,10022 LCAs Level II$82,19512 LCAs Level III$110,0477 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Analytical Chemist6 LCAs · median $106,500 Analytical Chemist across all occupations →
Principal Scientist	40	2.05%	$110,430	$120,000	$145,352	-13.07%
Principal Scientist · full pay range (40 LCAs) P10$97,150 P25$110,430 Median$120,000 P75$145,352 P90$154,969 Median by H-1B wage level Level III$112,50010 LCAs Level IV$137,98428 LCAs Principal Scientist across all occupations →
Analytical Scientist	34	1.74%	$80,868	$99,987	$116,902	+4.42%
Analytical Scientist · full pay range (34 LCAs) P10$65,898 P25$80,868 Median$99,987 P75$116,902 P90$129,470 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$91,49515 LCAs Level III$115,0007 LCAs Level IV$123,2688 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Analytical Scientist6 LCAs · median $117,880 Analytical Scientist I5 LCAs · median $78,853 Analytical Scientist across all occupations →
Postdoctoral Scholar	31	1.59%	$62,919	$65,520	$67,466	+5.68%
Postdoctoral Scholar · full pay range (31 LCAs) P10$61,008 P25$62,919 Median$65,520 P75$67,466 P90$75,000 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$65,52026 LCAs Postdoctoral Scholar across all occupations →
Research Chemist	23	1.18%	$81,223	$93,683	$105,812	+1.34%
Research Chemist · full pay range (23 LCAs) P10$67,600 P25$81,223 Median$93,683 P75$105,812 P90$119,879 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$76,2236 LCAs Level II$89,00010 LCAs
Quality Assurance Chemist	23	1.18%	$66,075	$69,000	$84,638	-23.55%
Quality Assurance Chemist · full pay range (23 LCAs) P10$63,350 P25$66,075 Median$69,000 P75$84,638 P90$106,060 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$64,5009 LCAs Level II$70,00011 LCAs
Postdoctoral Associate	23	1.18%	$61,504	$64,500	$71,900	+4.03%
Postdoctoral Associate · full pay range (23 LCAs) P10$54,400 P25$61,504 Median$64,500 P75$71,900 P90$79,780 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$64,58514 LCAs Level II$60,0005 LCAs Postdoctoral Associate across all occupations →
Postdoctoral Fellow	22	1.13%	$55,914	$62,652	$65,584	+0.43%
Postdoctoral Fellow · full pay range (22 LCAs) P10$52,898 P25$55,914 Median$62,652 P75$65,584 P90$70,206 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$62,26820 LCAs Postdoctoral Fellow across all occupations →
Pharmaceutical Chemist	20	1.02%	$63,500	$65,000	$65,000	+0%
Pharmaceutical Chemist · full pay range (20 LCAs) P10$63,500 P25$63,500 Median$65,000 P75$65,000 P90$70,772 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$65,00019 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Pharmaceutical Chemist - Quality Control17 LCAs · median $65,000
Process Development Scientist	15	0.77%	$129,950	$132,000	$133,669	—
Process Development Scientist · full pay range (15 LCAs) P10$125,182 P25$129,950 Median$132,000 P75$133,669 P90$141,242 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$130,0007 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Process Development Senior Scientist13 LCAs · median $132,786
Formulation Scientist	15	0.77%	$85,225	$90,000	$107,864	+5.88%
Formulation Scientist · full pay range (15 LCAs) P10$69,920 P25$85,225 Median$90,000 P75$107,864 P90$121,578 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$89,0007 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Formulation Scientist5 LCAs · median $99,362
Scientist, Chemistry	15	0.77%	$114,850	$124,201	$141,558	+4.01%
Scientist, Chemistry · full pay range (15 LCAs) P10$114,280 P25$114,850 Median$124,201 P75$141,558 P90$155,374 Median by H-1B wage level Level III$122,5489 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Senior Scientist, Chemistry9 LCAs · median $127,393
Research Investigator	14	0.72%	$90,000	$125,000	$133,750	+25%
Research Investigator · full pay range (14 LCAs) P10$71,600 P25$90,000 Median$125,000 P75$133,750 P90$145,000 Median by H-1B wage level Level III$80,0005 LCAs Level IV$145,0005 LCAs Research Investigator across all occupations →
Production Chemist	13	0.66%	$69,000	$77,970	$89,440	+0.22%
Production Chemist · full pay range (13 LCAs) P10$69,000 P25$69,000 Median$77,970 P75$89,440 P90$115,000 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$80,98512 LCAs
Research Associate Chemistry	13	0.66%	$84,000	$84,200	$85,000	—
Research Associate Chemistry · full pay range (13 LCAs) P10$82,000 P25$84,000 Median$84,200 P75$85,000 P90$87,020 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$84,20013 LCAs
R&D Chemist	12	0.61%	$84,400	$89,000	$100,750	-17.37%
R&D Chemist · full pay range (12 LCAs) P10$80,440 P25$84,400 Median$89,000 P75$100,750 P90$109,300 Median by H-1B wage level Level II$87,5006 LCAs
Formulation Chemist	11	0.56%	$65,614	$69,000	$94,638	-14.02%
Formulation Chemist · full pay range (11 LCAs) P10$63,100 P25$65,614 Median$69,000 P75$94,638 P90$95,275 Median by H-1B wage level Level I$64,2305 LCAs
Advisor, Chemistry	11	0.56%	$132,000	$154,337	$168,057	—
Advisor, Chemistry · full pay range (11 LCAs) P10$132,000 P25$132,000 Median$154,337 P75$168,057 P90$174,097 Median by H-1B wage level Level IV$154,33711 LCAs Exact titles filed (5+ LCAs) Advisor - Chemistry6 LCAs · median $132,000 Senior Advisor - Chemistry5 LCAs · median $168,057
Staff Scientist	10	0.51%	$81,205	$112,330	$142,210	-2.45%
Staff Scientist · full pay range (10 LCAs) P10$60,212 P25$81,205 Median$112,330 P75$142,210 P90$150,810 Staff Scientist across all occupations →

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

Top H-1B sponsors for Chemists

Employers with the most certified LCAs for this occupation nationwide. Browse all sponsors →

Employer	Certified LCAs	Median	Profile

Chemists salaries by state

BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.

State	Median	Jobs	Cost-adjusted	Profile

Chemists salaries by metro area

Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.

Metro area	Median	Jobs	Cost-adjusted	Profile

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Chemists

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
Critical Thinking4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Speaking3.9
Active Listening3.8
Mathematics3.8
Writing3.8
Active Learning3.6
Complex Problem Solving3.6
Monitoring3.5

Top knowledge areas

Chemistry4.9
English Language4.0
Mathematics3.8
Production and Processing3.5
Administration and Management3.4
Computers and Electronics3.4
Administrative3.3
Physics3.1

Software and technology used

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointCC++Extensible markup language XMLHypertext markup language HTMLMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft WordOracle JavaRSAP softwareStructured query language SQLAccelrys Cerius2Accelrys DeCipherAdvanced Chemistry Development ACD/1D nuclear magnetic resonance NMR processor

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 chemists do

Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
Conduct quality control tests.
Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.
Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests.
Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.

Also called

Analytical ChemistChemistResearch ChemistScientistAir Quality ChemistChemical Lab Scientist (Chemical Laboratory Scientist)Forensic ChemistProduct Development ChemistQC Chemist (Quality Control Chemist)R and D Chemist (Research and Development Chemist)

More job titles for this occupation (52)

Agricultural ChemistAnalytical ScientistAssay Development ScientistAstrochemistBench ChemistBench ScientistCeramic ChemistCereal ChemistChemical AnalystChemistry ScientistCoal ChemistControl ChemistCosmetic ChemistDairy ChemistElectrochemistEnvironmental Field ChemistField ChemistFood ChemistFood Processing ChemistFormulary ChemistFormulation ChemistFormulation ScientistGas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Analyst (GCMS Analyst)Industrial ChemistInorganic ChemistLab Chemist (Laboratory Chemist)Lab Pack Chemist (Laboratory Pack Chemist)Medical ChemistMetal AnalystMix ChemistNuclear ChemistNutritional ChemistOil ExpertOrganic ChemistPatent ChemistPesticide ChemistPharmaceutical AnalystPharmaceutical ChemistPharmaceutical ScientistPhysical ChemistPhysiological ChemistProcess ChemistProcess Development ScientistProduction ChemistQC Scientist (Quality Control Scientist)Research ScientistRubber ChemistSanitary ChemistSoil ChemistTextile ChemistWater ChemistWet Chemistry Analyst

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.

Similar jobs and how they pay

Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Chemists, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $91,240.

Occupation	Median	vs this job	Job growth
Chemical Engineers 17-2041	$125,040	+37%	+4.7%
Biochemists and Biophysicists 19-1021	$127,410	+39.6%	+12.3%
Microbiologists 19-1022	$87,990	-3.6%	+6.2%
Materials Scientists 19-2032	$117,790	+29.1%	+8.3%
Materials Engineers 17-2131	$112,860	+23.7%	+7.5%
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers 17-2031	$109,370	+19.9%	+7.6%
Food Scientists and Technologists 19-1012	$88,720	-2.8%	+6.2%
Industrial Engineers 17-2112	$102,440	+12.3%	+12.4%

Job growth is the BLS projected change in employment, 2025–2035.