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1 / 42#42. Agricultural technicians
- Median annual wage: $43,360
- Median hourly wage: $20.85
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying science jobs for people in Chicago
For decades, the United States has funneled more money into research and development than any other country in the world. In 2023, this accounted for 37% of the world's scientific funding, creating a promising outlook for those pursuing a science-based career. In February 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected an impressive 12.8% growth in science-related jobs by 2033.
However, that may have been overly optimistic: The Trump administration made significant cuts to staffing and grant funding in early 2025, which have created an enormous amount of job uncertainty in the sciences. And 2026 may not be any better, as the White House-proposed budget aims to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation by 40% and 55%, respectively.
These cuts have shut down numerous research programs, creating more competition for the scientific jobs that do remain. That's a big part of the reason that new openings are drying up—in the first part of 2025, job postings were down 18%. Some researchers are even leaving the U.S., drawn to promises of academic freedom in places like Canada, Australia, and Europe.
The situation may seem dire, but it's important to note that recent events don't mean the end of scientific careers in the U.S. Many good jobs still exist, both in the public and private sectors. Of course, jobs in the sciences do require advanced education. While physicists, biochemists, and other medical scientists need to have a doctorate, other popular career fields don't require quite as much. An associate's degree is suitable for many technician roles. Other sectors, like food science, meteorology, environmental science, geology, and zoology, look for bachelor's degrees, and epidemiologists typically need a master's degree.
Think you have what it takes for a challenging and lucrative career in the sciences? Stacker used BLS data to find the highest-paying science jobs in Chicago. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 42#41. Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians
- Median annual wage: $46,880
- Median hourly wage: $22.54
- Total employment: 100 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 42#40. Forest and conservation technicians
- Median annual wage: $47,500
- Median hourly wage: $22.84
- Total employment: 350 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 42#39. Biological technicians
- Median annual wage: $51,950
- Median hourly wage: $24.98
- Total employment: 1,100 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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5 / 42#38. Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $58,880
- Median hourly wage: $28.31
- Total employment: 660 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 42#37. Animal scientists
- Median annual wage: $59,900
- Median hourly wage: $28.80
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 42#36. Life scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $59,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.81
- Total employment: 120 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 42#35. Anthropologists and archeologists
- Median annual wage: $62,190
- Median hourly wage: $29.90
- Total employment: Not available
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9 / 42#34. Chemical technicians
- Median annual wage: $62,520
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 1,210 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 42#33. Soil and plant scientists
- Median annual wage: $63,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.62
- Total employment: 320 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 42#32. Social science research assistants
- Median annual wage: $64,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.96
- Total employment: 180 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ART STOCK CREATIVE // Shutterstock
12 / 42#31. Food science technicians
- Median annual wage: $64,760
- Median hourly wage: $31.14
- Total employment: 320 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
photodiem // Shutterstock
13 / 42#30. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health
- Median annual wage: $64,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.14
- Total employment: 540 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
14 / 42#29. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $66,210
- Median hourly wage: $31.83
- Total employment: 1,350 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Deemerwha studio // Shutterstock
15 / 42#28. Conservation scientists
- Median annual wage: $66,730
- Median hourly wage: $32.08
- Total employment: 360 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 42#27. Biochemists and biophysicists
- Median annual wage: $67,100
- Median hourly wage: $32.26
- Total employment: 210 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
angellodeco // Shutterstock
17 / 42#26. Microbiologists
- Median annual wage: $74,560
- Median hourly wage: $35.85
- Total employment: 670 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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18 / 42#25. Zoologists and wildlife biologists
- Median annual wage: $77,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.39
- Total employment: 130 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 42#24. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $78,560
- Median hourly wage: $37.77
- Total employment: 3,760 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 42#23. Nuclear technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.87
- Total employment: 480 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 42#22. Foresters
- Median annual wage: $78,860
- Median hourly wage: $37.91
- Total employment: 110 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 42#21. School psychologists
- Median annual wage: $80,600
- Median hourly wage: $38.75
- Total employment: 2,800 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 42#20. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $80,970
- Median hourly wage: $38.93
- Total employment: 760 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 42#19. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $89,640
- Median hourly wage: $43.09
- Total employment: 710 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chad McDermott // Shutterstock
25 / 42#18. Urban and regional planners
- Median annual wage: $93,290
- Median hourly wage: $44.85
- Total employment: 730 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 42#17. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $95,360
- Median hourly wage: $45.85
- Total employment: 160 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 42#16. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $96,410
- Median hourly wage: $46.35
- Total employment: 870 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 42#15. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $98,240
- Median hourly wage: $47.23
- Total employment: 2,980 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Desizned // Shutterstock
29 / 42#14. Political scientists
- Median annual wage: $98,300
- Median hourly wage: $47.26
- Total employment: 90 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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30 / 42#13. Survey researchers
- Median annual wage: $98,510
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 240 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 42#12. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $98,780
- Median hourly wage: $47.49
- Total employment: 1,810 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
science photo // Shutterstock
32 / 42#11. Food scientists and technologists
- Median annual wage: $99,320
- Median hourly wage: $47.75
- Total employment: 570 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
33 / 42#10. Forensic science technicians
- Median annual wage: $99,670
- Median hourly wage: $47.92
- Total employment: 270 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 42#9. Epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $100,200
- Median hourly wage: $48.17
- Total employment: 180 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aslysun // Shutterstock
35 / 42#8. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $100,720
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 2,810 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 42#7. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,580
- Median hourly wage: $48.84
- Total employment: 430 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 42#6. Atmospheric and space scientists
- Median annual wage: $119,270
- Median hourly wage: $57.34
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 42#5. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $122,950
- Median hourly wage: $59.11
- Total employment: 410 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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39 / 42#4. Economists
- Median annual wage: $123,140
- Median hourly wage: $59.20
- Total employment: 470 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
H_Ko // Shutterstock
40 / 42#3. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $130,440
- Median hourly wage: $62.71
- Total employment: 360 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 42#2. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $131,260
- Median hourly wage: $63.11
- Total employment: 1,580 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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42 / 42#1. Sociologists
- Median annual wage: $134,730
- Median hourly wage: $64.78
- Total employment: Not available
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 291 metros.
