Side-by-side distribution
Physicist
$168,450
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 25.6%
- Live roles
- 39
Postdoc
$95,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 55.3%
- Live roles
- 38
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Quantum Sensor Physicist
Staff Quantum 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
Computational Plasma Physicist – Transport Modeling
Highest-paying jobs
Physics Expert (PhD / Postdoc)
Physics Expert (Postdoc / Junior professor)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Real-Time Generative AI for Automotive XR
Quantum Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow - QEC
Quantum Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow - Quantum Applications
Postdoctoral Researcher - Multifunctional Materials Development
Postdoctoral Fellow - Applied Machine Learning in Quantum Systems
Industrial Postdoc - Molecular Biology (mNGS Project)
Postdoctoral Fellow, MARA (Modeling, Abstraction and Reasoning Agents)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Open Call
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Infleqtion
|
$211,000 | 3 |
|
Thea Energy
|
$138,750 | 2 |
|
Fuse
|
$175,000 | 1 |
|
Atomcomputing
|
$172,500 | 1 |
|
micro1
|
$166,400 | 1 |
|
Dodmg
|
$158,325 | 1 |
|
IonQ
|
$154,418 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Arc Institute
|
$80,000 | 6 |
|
QuEra Computing, Inc.
|
$115,000 | 3 |
Calico
|
$95,000 | 3 |
|
micro1
|
$275,600 | 2 |
| BR Basis Research Institute | $100,000 | 2 |
|
Tri
|
$185,250 | 1 |
|
Clear Labs
|
$94,619 | 1 |
|
Elve Inc
|
$92,500 | 1 |
Physicist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $211,000 | 3 |
Postdoc salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $115,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $95,000 | 3 |
Physicist vs Postdoc: which pays more?
The median for Physicist is $168,450 per year (typically $157,706–$174,375), versus $95,000 for Postdoc ($80,000–$115,000). That puts Physicist about 77% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Physicist and Postdoc 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.