Side-by-side distribution
Chemist
$95,400
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53.6%
- Live roles
- 28
Postdoc
$93,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 65.9%
- Live roles
- 44
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
Postdoctoral Researcher, Real-Time Generative AI for Automotive XR
Postdoctoral Researcher, CAD Generation Machine Learning
ML Postdoc Researcher - Healthcare AI Innovation
ML Postdoc Researcher - LLMs & Generative AI
Quantum Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow - Quantum Applications
Postdoctoral Fellow - Applied Machine Learning in Quantum Systems
Postdoctoral Researcher - Multifunctional Materials Development
Quantum Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow - QEC
Industrial Postdoc - Molecular Biology (mNGS Project)
Quantum Physics Postdoctoral Researcher
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 |
|---|---|---|
Biohub
|
$93,000 | 7 |
Calico
|
$95,000 | 5 |
Arc Institute
|
$80,000 | 5 |
|
QuEra Computing, Inc.
|
$115,000 | 3 |
|
Tri
|
$185,250 | 2 |
|
Truveta
|
$114,400 | 2 |
|
Technergetics
|
$95,500 | 1 |
|
Clear Labs
|
$94,619 | 1 |
Chemist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $142,500 | 3 |
Postdoc salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $115,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $95,000 | 5 |
| New York | $93,000 | 4 |
| Chicago | $84,150 | 3 |
Chemist vs Postdoc: which pays more?
The median for Chemist is $95,400 per year (typically $67,125–$133,934), versus $93,000 for Postdoc ($84,150–$95,500). That puts Chemist about 3% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chemist 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.