Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

SOC 19-1042 • View wages by state

The median annual wage for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is $132,398, based on BLS OEWS 2023 data. The mean annual wage is $148,405, and an estimated 152,230 workers are employed in this occupation nationally. Between 2020 and 2023, pay rose +10.3% while consumer prices rose 17.7% — a real change of -6.4% (pay did not keep up with inflation). BLS projects employment will grow 8.7% between 2024 and 2034.

Wage Trend & Inflation Adjustment

How the national median wage for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists has moved across BLS OEWS release years, and what each year's wage is worth in 2023 dollars after adjusting for CPI inflation. "Real" change strips out inflation — the truest measure of whether pay is actually rising.

National median wage trend for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, nominal and inflation-adjusted, BLS OEWS.
Year Median (nominal) In 2023 $ (real) Employment
2023 $100,890 $100,890 136,620
2022 $99,930 $104,044 110,550
2021 $95,310 $107,175 108,550
2020 $91,510 $107,736 126,110

Nominal change

+10.3%

Inflation (CPI)

+17.7%

Real change

-6.4%

Job Outlook (2024–2034 BLS projection)

The BLS Employment Projections program estimates how each occupation's employment will change over the coming decade, and how many job openings to expect each year (from both growth and the need to replace workers who leave).

Projected Growth

+8.7%

Much faster than average

Employment 2024

165,300

Projected 2034

179,600

Annual Openings

9,600

Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.

Highest-Paying Areas (2023)

Where Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earn the most, and how each area's median compares to the national median of $132,398. A positive premium means the area pays above the national rate.

Highest-paying areas for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, BLS OEWS 2023.
Area Median Annual vs National Employment
California $128,320 -3.1% 22,520
Massachusetts $127,310 -3.8% 17,570
New Jersey $126,070 -4.8% 4,490
Connecticut $125,200 -5.4% 2,570
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area $120,730 -8.8% 60
District of Columbia $114,260 -13.7% 600
South Carolina $110,310 -16.7% 500
Pennsylvania $105,200 -20.5% 4,360
Oklahoma $104,830 -20.8% 580
Alaska nonmetropolitan area $104,810 -20.8% 30
Full wages-by-state breakdown →

Wage Distribution (National, 2023)

10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages from BLS OEWS — the full spread, not just an average.

10th Pct

$72,818

25th Pct

$99,298

Median

$132,398

75th Pct

$172,117

90th Pct

$218,456

H-1B Employer Filings

Employer-certified wages from DOL H-1B LCA filings — competitive market benchmark, not approved visas.

The average H-1B median wage for this occupation is $69,17247.8% below the OEWS national median of $132,398. H-1B certified wages trail the broader market median for this role.
H-1B employer filings for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, DOL LCA data.
Employer State Filings Median Wage
National Institutes of Health, HHS MD 51 $93,394
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center NY 48 $75,000
Washington University MO 40 $61,500
University of Michigan MI 40 $57,300
The University of Alabama at Birmingham AL 38 $60,000
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NY 34 $90,000
UT Southwestern Medical Center TX 32 $65,000
The Leland Stanford, Jr University CA 32 $75,000
Johns Hopkins University MD 32 $65,092
University of Pittsburgh PA 30 $57,542
University of California, Los Angeles CA 30 $71,500
TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PA 30 $69,000
Weill Cornell Medical College NY 29 $72,767
Columbia University NY 26 $69,447
NYU Grossman School of Medicine NY 25 $67,531
General Hospital Corporation MA 24 $71,556
The University of Virginia VA 23 $60,000
Baylor College of Medicine TX 21 $56,880
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center OH 18 $78,627
Case Western Reserve University OH 18 $66,300

Source: DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification, H-1B LCA data.

Related Occupations in Life, Physical & Social Science

Other occupations in the same SOC major group, ranked by national median wage.

All Life, Physical & Social Science occupations →
Wages by State Compare with another occupation All H-1B Employers