Highest-paying science jobs in Portland, Oregon

Written by:
February 9, 2023
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Highest-paying science jobs in Portland, Oregon

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying science jobs in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 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.

#30. Forest and conservation technicians

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $52,070
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#29. Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $52,800
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,080
- Employment: 9,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Tulsa, OK ($89,210)
--- Anchorage, AK ($88,050)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($86,860)

#28. Social science research assistants

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $55,570
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,430
- Employment: 28,690
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($88,730)
--- Columbia, SC ($77,760)
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($70,570)

#27. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $56,660
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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)

#26. Hydrologic technicians

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $66,360
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,760
- Employment: 3,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($126,900)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($108,260)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($86,310)

#25. Occupational health and safety technicians

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $67,800
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $57,560
- Employment: 21,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Evansville, IN-KY ($77,880)
--- Anchorage, AK ($77,690)
--- Oklahoma City, OK ($77,100)

#24. Chemists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $68,920
- #208 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530

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)

#23. Microbiologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $70,210
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#22. Conservation scientists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $76,090
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,230
- Employment: 22,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($108,670)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($106,200)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($101,900)

#21. Zoologists and wildlife biologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $77,440
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410

National
- Annual mean salary: $70,300
- Employment: 15,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($109,570)
--- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS ($106,800)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($100,350)

#20. Anthropologists and archeologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $79,380
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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)

#19. Food scientists and technologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $83,790
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

National
- Annual mean salary: $84,150
- Employment: 13,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kansas City, MO-KS ($138,600)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,970)
--- Wichita, KS ($102,100)

#18. Foresters

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $84,050
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $67,710
- Employment: 9,500
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($96,820)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($96,220)
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($90,320)

#17. Epidemiologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $85,540
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $86,740
- Employment: 8,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($145,410)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($139,240)
--- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY ($124,460)

#16. Soil and plant scientists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $85,750
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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)

#15. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $86,370
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 710

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)

#14. Occupational health and safety specialists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $86,620
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 890

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)

#13. Forensic science technicians

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $87,030
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,850
- Employment: 17,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,600)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($96,980)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($96,410)

#12. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $90,510
- #78 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,400

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)

#11. School psychologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $92,800
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400

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)

#10. Urban and regional planners

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $93,500
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630

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)

#9. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $96,550
- #36 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330

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)

#8. Hydrologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $96,960
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $94,780
- Employment: 6,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($148,150)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($136,920)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($125,470)

#7. Materials scientists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $99,760
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $104,790
- Employment: 6,690
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($142,410)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($135,480)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($133,380)

#6. Economists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $112,080
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

National
- Annual mean salary: $120,830
- Employment: 15,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($162,870)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($161,320)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($156,360)

#5. Atmospheric and space scientists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $114,860
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $96,880
- Employment: 8,520
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($118,860)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($118,420)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($114,860)

#4. Industrial-organizational psychologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $115,960
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $113,320
- Employment: 610
- Metros with highest average pay: data not available

#3. Physicists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $125,420
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $151,580
- Employment: 20,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($199,830)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($195,300)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($188,250)

#2. Clinical and counseling psychologists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $133,060
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530

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)

#1. Biochemists and biophysicists

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Annual mean salary: $133,520
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $113,460
- Employment: 35,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($135,070)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($133,520)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($133,390)

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