Occupational Employment and Wages, May 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)
82,600 2.7 % $28.11 $58,460 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.01 $19.19 $25.79 $34.99 $44.76
Annual Wage (2) $31,220 $39,910 $53,650 $72,790 $93,100

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 14,080 $28.40 $59,060 1 23
Scientific research and development services 13,400 $30.69 $63,830 2 8
Architectural and engineering services 11,620 $21.52 $44,760 3 65
Federal government (OES designation) 5,670 $37.33 $77,650 4 3
Basic chemical manufacturing 4,100 $29.07 $60,460 5 15

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Oil and gas extraction 230 $43.97 $91,450 33 1
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 310 $40.96 $85,200 30 2
Federal government (OES designation) 5,670 $37.33 $77,650 4 3
Computer systems design and related services 160 $34.68 $72,130 38 4
Management of companies and enterprises 3,590 $33.74 $70,190 6 5

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 Wage rank within State
Delaware 1,150 $29.84 $62,070 0.285% 71
New Jersey 6,260 $32.23 $67,030 0.162% 110
Maryland 2,790 $35.64 $74,140 0.114% 55
Connecticut 1,850 $30.17 $62,760 0.113% 121
Massachusetts 3,500 $31.81 $66,170 0.110% 101

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Mexico 590 $38.66 $80,420 0.080% 20
District of Columbia 460 $38.52 $80,130 0.077% 44
Maryland 2,790 $35.64 $74,140 0.114% 55
New Jersey 6,260 $32.23 $67,030 0.162% 110
Massachusetts 3,500 $31.81 $66,170 0.110% 101

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 1,110 $30.16 $62,730 0.365%
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA 2,380 $30.72 $63,910 0.359%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 2,230 $30.92 $64,310 0.357%
Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI MSA 460 $30.73 $63,930 0.233%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 360 $34.64 $72,060 0.232%

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 2,590 $40.23 $83,680 0.096%
Corpus Christi, TX MSA 110 $37.86 $78,760 0.070%
Tulsa, OK MSA 180 $36.33 $75,570 0.048%
Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA (6) $35.77 $74,400 (6)
Danbury, CT PMSA 60 $35.49 $73,830 0.067%

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

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

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

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004