With a national median of $172,250 and +7.2% projected job growth through 2035, Physicist offers both strong financial return and stable long-term demand.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a physicist: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Public Health and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
Also known as:
Most physicists take home around $172,250 a year, well above what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $111,720 and $222,760, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Worth weighing against how long the training takes. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Well above average for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Low time pressure. Work pace is typically steady and self-directed.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +7.2%, meaning it is growing at about the same pace as everything else, so expect steady demand. Around 1,300 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
About as fast as average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Physicist professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $172,250 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 5,930 | $207,490 | +20.5% |
| 2 | Illinois | 1,590 | $137,140 | -20.4% |
| 3 | Maryland | 1,200 | $174,390 | +1.2% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 1,150 | $106,410 | -38.2% |
| 5 | New York | 1,140 | $181,970 | +5.6% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a doctoral or professional degree. The 4 programs below are the most common routes in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
The next most common path is a Physics program and the colleges offering it, which suits a different kind of applicant.
Extensive education (usually a master's or doctoral degree) plus years of field experience is required to qualify for most positions.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public Health | 42,551 | $58,808 | 867 |
| 2 | Physics | 13,306 | $76,786 | 955 |
| 3 | Astronomy | 1,573 | $68,333 | 161 |
| 4 | Engineering Physics | 1,047 | $89,154 | 140 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 97 | — | — |
| 2 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO | 96 | — | — |
| 3 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY | 96 | — | — |
| 4 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 94 | $6,128 | $110,066 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 93 | $12,548 | $82,511 |
| 6 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | 93 | $12,470 | $84,943 |
Once you've sized up Physicist, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Physicist pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Strong earnings and growing demand make Physicist a compelling path. The 3 strengths and 1 trade-offs below are drawn from BLS wage data and employment projections.
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Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
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