Highest-paying science jobs in Philadelphia

Written by:
February 9, 2023
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock

Highest-paying science jobs in Philadelphia

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying science jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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. Biological technicians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $59,390
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,250

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)

#29. Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $59,840
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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. Conservation scientists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $61,710
- #136 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330

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)

#27. Chemical technicians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $65,790
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,300

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)

#26. Occupational health and safety technicians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $67,380
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#25. Zoologists and wildlife biologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $71,230
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#24. Animal scientists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $71,730
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $80,390
- Employment: 2,790
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($98,830)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($95,360)
--- Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN ($81,970)

#23. Urban and regional planners

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $72,030
- #122 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680

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)

#22. Anthropologists and archeologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $72,220
- #14 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)

#21. Microbiologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $72,340
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 520

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)

#20. Soil and plant scientists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $74,410
- #33 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)

#19. Historians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $75,070
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $72,130
- Employment: 2,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($101,240)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($89,840)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($86,780)

#18. Survey researchers

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $77,110
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,690
- Employment: 8,850
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($90,860)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($88,580)
--- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY ($86,230)

#17. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $81,350
- #75 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,230

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)

#16. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $82,780
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380

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)

#15. Occupational health and safety specialists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $84,060
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,010

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)

#14. School psychologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $85,340
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,250

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)

#13. Food scientists and technologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $87,090
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#12. Clinical and counseling psychologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $87,880
- #140 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,010

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)

#11. Foresters

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $90,320
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#10. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $99,880
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,410

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)

#9. Hydrologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $101,360
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#8. Chemists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $101,750
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,130

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)

#7. Atmospheric and space scientists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $103,780
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

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)

#6. Materials scientists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $104,720
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 370

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)

#5. Nuclear technicians

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $106,790
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

National
- Annual mean salary: $95,200
- Employment: 5,360
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($106,790)
--- Monroe, MI ($105,220)
--- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC ($102,270)

#4. Biochemists and biophysicists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $109,070
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,440

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)

#3. Economists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $115,170
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230

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)

#2. Epidemiologists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $118,240
- #5 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)

#1. Physicists

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Annual mean salary: $199,830
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240

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)

Trending Now