Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

19-2032 Materials Scientists

Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and manmade materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications. Include glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.

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)
7,410 5.5 % $34.09 $70,900 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $18.04 $24.23 $33.15 $42.93 $53.05
Annual Wage (2) $37,520 $50,390 $68,950 $89,290 $110,340

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
Scientific research and development services 1,590 $37.16 $77,300 1 7
Architectural and engineering services 890 $27.57 $57,340 2 23
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 510 $33.26 $69,170 3 15
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 440 $30.56 $63,560 4 21
Management of companies and enterprises 350 $35.20 $73,220 5 10

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Federal government (OES designation) 90 $46.59 $96,900 14 1
Other nonferrous metal production 100 $44.91 $93,410 12 2
Industrial machinery manufacturing 90 $43.23 $89,930 15 3
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing (6) $41.96 $87,280 (6) 4
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers mfg. 200 $41.34 $85,990 8 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
Massachusetts 420 $41.74 $86,810 0.013% 33
Georgia 460 $24.37 $50,690 0.012% 150
Connecticut 200 $34.44 $71,630 0.012% 81
Wisconsin 280 $28.11 $58,460 0.010% 90
Pennsylvania 530 $28.57 $59,430 0.010% 110

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Maryland 50 $43.95 $91,420 0.002% 22
Colorado (6) $42.85 $89,120 (6) 19
Texas 600 $42.09 $87,540 0.007% 25
Massachusetts 420 $41.74 $86,810 0.013% 33
New Jersey 320 $40.34 $83,900 0.008% 44

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
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 50 $37.68 $78,380 0.040%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 160 $41.71 $86,760 0.026%
Huntsville, AL MSA 30 $27.72 $57,650 0.017%
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 300 $43.28 $90,020 0.016%
Akron, OH PMSA 50 $35.34 $73,500 0.016%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA (6) $45.02 $93,640 (6)
Dallas, TX PMSA (6) $43.47 $90,420 (6)
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 300 $43.28 $90,020 0.016%
Denver, CO PMSA (6) $42.03 $87,420 (6)
Newark, NJ PMSA 30 $41.79 $86,920 0.003%

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