Side-by-side distribution
Chemist
$95,400
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53.6%
- Live roles
- 28
Physicist
$138,747
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.3%
- Live roles
- 35
Highest-paying jobs
Medicinal Chemist
Senior Materials Chemist
9.2. Senior R&D Chemist
Computational Chemist, Senior Scientist II / Principal Scientist I
Senior Computational Chemist, Drug Discovery (UK)
Analytical Chemist, R&D
Soft Products Formulation Chemist
Soft Products Formulation Chemist
Analytical Chemist
Analytical Chemist
Highest-paying jobs
Quantum Physicist
Experimental Physicist
Health Physicist
Experimental Physicist
Atomic Physicist
Divertor Plasma 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 |
|
Inductive Bio
|
$230,000 | 1 |
|
Helion
|
$218,000 | 1 |
|
Phoenix Tailings
|
$150,000 | 1 |
| SC Schrödinger | $142,500 | 1 |
| SA SandboxAQ | $108,235 | 1 |
|
Hims & Hers
|
$97,500 | 1 |
|
Harry's
|
$95,400 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Thea Energy
|
$130,000 | 3 |
|
Pacific Fusion
|
$161,250 | 2 |
|
Acceleron Fusion
|
$130,000 | 2 |
|
IonQ
|
$129,946 | 2 |
|
Infleqtion
|
$170,500 | 1 |
|
Helion
|
$158,000 | 1 |
| LO Logiqal | $152,500 | 1 |
Chemist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $142,500 | 3 |
Chemist vs Physicist: which pays more?
The median for Chemist is $95,400 per year (typically $67,125–$133,934), versus $138,747 for Physicist ($130,000–$153,875). That puts Physicist about 45% 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.