Highest-paying science jobs in Santa Maria

Written by:
February 9, 2023
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Highest-paying science jobs in Santa Maria

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying science jobs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage. Jobs the BLS lists as "life, physical, and social science occupations" were included.

#15. Chemical technicians

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $43,160
- #239 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $55,040
- Employment: 57,690
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($86,340)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($78,000)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($77,020)

#14. Forest and conservation technicians

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $47,060
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $43,420
- Employment: 30,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($68,370)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,570)
--- Corvallis, OR ($62,260)

#13. Biological technicians

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $48,300
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $51,770
- Employment: 76,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($69,050)
--- Boulder, CO ($68,640)
--- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ($65,940)

#12. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $49,760
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,550
- Employment: 34,110
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($79,780)
--- Huntsville, AL ($78,320)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($76,970)

#11. Microbiologists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $75,030
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $87,820
- Employment: 19,430
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Knoxville, TN ($125,380)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($121,530)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($115,340)

#10. Chemists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $75,720
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $89,130
- Employment: 80,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($131,290)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($115,790)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($108,330)

#9. Anthropologists and archeologists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $76,080
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,800
- Employment: 6,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($85,120)
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($84,300)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,990)

#8. Soil and plant scientists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $76,150
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $76,290
- Employment: 15,610
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($111,450)
--- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($109,490)
--- Raleigh, NC ($109,320)

#7. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $90,900
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $81,240
- Employment: 76,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($116,630)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($109,190)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($107,710)

#6. Occupational health and safety specialists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $95,300
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,740
- Employment: 106,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($111,950)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($108,240)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($108,020)

#5. School psychologists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $95,540
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $82,770
- Employment: 57,110
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boulder, CO ($116,280)
--- El Centro, CA ($116,010)
--- Fresno, CA ($115,360)

#4. Clinical and counseling psychologists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $98,460
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190

National
- Annual mean salary: $99,640
- Employment: 58,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($136,630)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($134,200)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($133,060)

#3. Urban and regional planners

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $98,700
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $81,310
- Employment: 38,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boulder, CO ($119,680)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,760)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($112,740)

#2. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $100,010
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $103,550
- Employment: 23,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($161,290)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($156,870)
--- Midland, TX ($156,270)

#1. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
- Annual mean salary: $103,880
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $104,050
- Employment: 108,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Memphis, TN-MS-AR ($176,770)
--- Columbia, SC ($155,570)
--- Danbury, CT ($151,970)

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