Side-by-side distribution
Environmental Scientist
$80,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 52.9%
- Live roles
- 34
Physicist
$168,450
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 26.3%
- Live roles
- 38
Highest-paying jobs
Computational Ecologist
Environmental Scientist Project Manager
Senior Environmental Scientist III
Senior Environmental Health & Safety Consultant - Certified Industrial Hygienist
Scientist III (CTS / RLF Expert - Ecologist)
Environmental Health & Safety Consultant
Environmental Health & Safety Consultant
Environmental Health & Safety Consultant
Environmental Scientist/Industrial Hygienist
Environmental Engineer, Scientist, or Geologist II
Highest-paying jobs
Therapeutic Medical Physicist
Staff Quantum Physicist
Staff Quantum Sensor Physicist
Quantum Physicist (Quantum Computing)
Computational Physicist
Divertor Plasma Physicist (Scientist/Sr. Scientist/Manager)
PhD Physicist
Optical Physicist
Senior Physicist, Quantum Memory R&D
Quantum Physicist, Integrated Photonics
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Apex Companies
|
$71,750 | 6 |
|
Triumvirate Environmental
|
$80,000 | 3 |
|
Kpaonline
|
$72,500 | 3 |
| TE True Environmental | $70,000 | 3 |
|
OXMAN
|
$177,500 | 1 |
|
Resource Environmental Solutions LLC
|
$91,800 | 1 |
LaBella Associates
|
$62,400 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Infleqtion
|
$211,000 | 3 |
|
Thea Energy
|
$138,750 | 2 |
| MU MultiCare | $242,684 | 1 |
|
Fuse
|
$175,000 | 1 |
|
Atomcomputing
|
$172,500 | 1 |
|
micro1
|
$166,400 | 1 |
|
Dodmg
|
$158,325 | 1 |
|
IonQ
|
$154,418 | 1 |
Environmental Scientist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $70,000 | 4 |
Physicist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $211,000 | 3 |
Environmental Scientist vs Physicist: which pays more?
The median for Environmental Scientist is $80,000 per year (typically $63,500–$91,800), versus $168,450 for Physicist ($157,706–$174,375). That puts Physicist about 111% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Environmental Scientist 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.