Highest-paying science jobs in Richmond

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

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying science jobs in Richmond, VA 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.

#23. Forest and conservation technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $36,910
- #159 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#22. Biological technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $40,950
- #173 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 350

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)

#21. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $44,320
- #130 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210

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)

#20. Social science research assistants

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $47,300
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#19. Occupational health and safety technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $52,570
- #83 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)

#18. Chemical technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $52,710
- #102 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

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)

#17. Historians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $58,130
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#16. Microbiologists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $61,690
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#15. Forensic science technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $62,320
- #39 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)

#14. Conservation scientists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $66,290
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#13. Zoologists and wildlife biologists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $67,330
- #69 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)

#12. Epidemiologists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $68,580
- #40 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)

#11. Foresters

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $68,790
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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. Urban and regional planners

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $70,210
- #134 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

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. Occupational health and safety specialists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $72,460
- #258 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

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)

#8. School psychologists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $72,750
- #151 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#7. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $76,390
- #115 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680

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. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $81,250
- #70 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#5. Chemists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $85,660
- #75 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

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)

#4. Nuclear technicians

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $94,130
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#3. Clinical and counseling psychologists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $101,240
- #80 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

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)

#2. Economists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $117,530
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#1. Biochemists and biophysicists

Richmond, VA
- Annual mean salary: $131,460
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230

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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