Side-by-side distribution
Chemist
$95,200
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.2%
- Live roles
- 24
Physicist
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.3%
- Live roles
- 39
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Materials Chemist
Computational Chemist, Senior Scientist II / Principal Scientist I
Chemist
Analytical Chemist, R&D
Soft Products Formulation Chemist
Soft Products Formulation Chemist
9.1. R&D Analytical Chemist
Analytical Chemist
Analytical Chemist
Product Safety Chemist (Part-Time)
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Quantum Sensor Physicist
Staff Quantum Physicist
Quantum Physicist
Divertor Plasma Physicist (Scientist/Sr. Scientist/Manager)
Clinical Affairs Specialist - Physicist / Dosimetrist
Health Physicist
Senior Physicist - Resilience Engineering & Operations
Experimental Physicist (Accelerator)
Accelerator Physicist
Simulation Physicist - Ion Transport and Waveform Design
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
PBI-Gordon Corporation
|
$70,200 | 2 |
|
Helion
|
$218,000 | 1 |
| SC Schrödinger | $142,500 | 1 |
|
Hims & Hers
|
$97,500 | 1 |
|
Harry's
|
$95,400 | 1 |
|
Mammoth Brands
|
$95,400 | 1 |
|
Neuralink
|
$95,000 | 1 |
|
Phoenix Tailings
|
$80,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Infleqtion
|
$211,000 | 3 |
|
Thea Energy
|
$130,000 | 3 |
|
Acceleron Fusion
|
$130,000 | 2 |
|
IonQ
|
$129,946 | 2 |
|
Helion
|
$158,000 | 1 |
|
Radformation
|
$155,000 | 1 |
Physicist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $211,000 | 3 |
Chemist vs Physicist: which pays more?
The median for Chemist is $95,200 per year (typically $69,525–$108,750), versus $155,000 for Physicist ($130,000–$170,500). That puts Physicist about 63% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chemist and Physicist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.