Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

19-2031 Chemists

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

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
81,750 2.5 % $28.82 $59,940 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.51 $19.76 $26.42 $35.80 $45.85
Annual Wage (2) $32,270 $41,110 $54,960 $74,460 $95,360

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 14,680 $29.47 $61,290
Scientific research and development services 11,880 $31.29 $65,080
Architectural and engineering services 10,040 $22.23 $46,240
Federal government (OES designation) 5,690 $37.64 $78,300
Basic chemical manufacturing 4,070 $28.89 $60,090

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 400 $48.87 $101,640
Federal government (OES designation) 5,690 $37.64 $78,300
Agricultural chemical manufacturing 820 $36.47 $75,850
Management of companies and enterprises 3,780 $34.56 $71,890
Plastics product manufacturing 310 $31.79 $66,130

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Delaware 1,210 $31.59 $65,700 0.300%
New Jersey 6,130 $32.16 $66,900 0.158%
Maryland 3,150 $35.43 $73,680 0.129%
Massachusetts 3,530 $32.03 $66,610 0.113%
North Carolina 4,060 $29.40 $61,140 0.110%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 500 $38.36 $79,780 0.084%
Maryland 3,150 $35.43 $73,680 0.129%
Minnesota 1,540 $32.69 $68,000 0.059%
New Jersey 6,130 $32.16 $66,900 0.158%
Massachusetts 3,530 $32.03 $66,610 0.113%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA 1,180 $31.80 $66,140 0.387%
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA 2,330 $30.67 $63,780 0.349%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 520 $32.48 $67,550 0.339%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 2,070 $30.44 $63,320 0.332%
Pine Bluff, AR MSA 110 $33.59 $69,860 0.323%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 2,770 $40.38 $83,990 0.102%
Corpus Christi, TX MSA 120 $40.08 $83,370 0.075%
Louisville, KY-IN MSA 320 $38.52 $80,120 0.060%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 330 $35.79 $74,450 0.166%
Panama City, FL MSA 40 $35.31 $73,430 0.064%

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005