Highest-paying science jobs in Washington, D.C.

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February 9, 2023
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Highest-paying science jobs in Washington, D.C.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying science jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage. Jobs the BLS lists as "life, physical, and social science occupations" were included.

#30. Anthropologists and archeologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $73,550
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,800
- Employment: 6,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($85,120)
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($84,300)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,990)

#29. Soil and plant scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $79,580
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 430

National
- Annual mean salary: $76,290
- Employment: 15,610
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($111,450)
--- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($109,490)
--- Raleigh, NC ($109,320)

#28. Forensic science technicians

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $85,380
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,850
- Employment: 17,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,600)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($96,980)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($96,410)

#27. Foresters

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $86,950
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $67,710
- Employment: 9,500
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($96,820)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($96,220)
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($90,320)

#26. Occupational health and safety specialists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $90,270
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,550

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,740
- Employment: 106,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($111,950)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($108,240)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($108,020)

#25. Survey researchers

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $90,860
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,120

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,690
- Employment: 8,850
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($90,860)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($88,580)
--- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY ($86,230)

#24. Conservation scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $90,880
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 420

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,230
- Employment: 22,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($108,670)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($106,200)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($101,900)

#23. Urban and regional planners

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $94,720
- #17 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,060

National
- Annual mean salary: $81,310
- Employment: 38,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boulder, CO ($119,680)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,760)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($112,740)

#22. Animal scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $95,360
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $80,390
- Employment: 2,790
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($98,830)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($95,360)
--- Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN ($81,970)

#21. Food scientists and technologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $95,770
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $84,150
- Employment: 13,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kansas City, MO-KS ($138,600)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,970)
--- Wichita, KS ($102,100)

#20. Sociologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $96,460
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $96,260
- Employment: 2,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC ($129,870)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($117,170)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,760)

#19. Materials scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $97,370
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

National
- Annual mean salary: $104,790
- Employment: 6,690
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($142,410)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($135,480)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($133,380)

#18. School psychologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $98,160
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,120

National
- Annual mean salary: $82,770
- Employment: 57,110
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boulder, CO ($116,280)
--- El Centro, CA ($116,010)
--- Fresno, CA ($115,360)

#17. Zoologists and wildlife biologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $100,350
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

National
- Annual mean salary: $70,300
- Employment: 15,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($109,570)
--- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS ($106,800)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($100,350)

#16. Geographers

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $100,570
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

National
- Annual mean salary: $86,740
- Employment: 1,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($100,570)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($89,690)
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($78,050)

#15. Historians

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $101,240
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380

National
- Annual mean salary: $72,130
- Employment: 2,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($101,240)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($89,840)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($86,780)

#14. Microbiologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $107,390
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,710

National
- Annual mean salary: $87,820
- Employment: 19,430
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Knoxville, TN ($125,380)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($121,530)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($115,340)

#13. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $107,530
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,650

National
- Annual mean salary: $81,240
- Employment: 76,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($116,630)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($109,190)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($107,710)

#12. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $109,850
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 480

National
- Annual mean salary: $103,550
- Employment: 23,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($161,290)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($156,870)
--- Midland, TX ($156,270)

#11. Atmospheric and space scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $111,510
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 590

National
- Annual mean salary: $96,880
- Employment: 8,520
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($118,860)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($118,420)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($114,860)

#10. Clinical and counseling psychologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $111,920
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,140

National
- Annual mean salary: $99,640
- Employment: 58,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($136,630)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($134,200)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($133,060)

#9. Epidemiologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $116,830
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $86,740
- Employment: 8,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($145,410)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($139,240)
--- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY ($124,460)

#8. Biochemists and biophysicists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $120,180
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $113,460
- Employment: 35,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($135,070)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($133,520)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($133,390)

#7. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $125,390
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,620

National
- Annual mean salary: $104,050
- Employment: 108,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Memphis, TN-MS-AR ($176,770)
--- Columbia, SC ($155,570)
--- Danbury, CT ($151,970)

#6. Political scientists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $129,130
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,040

National
- Annual mean salary: $120,430
- Employment: 5,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($151,830)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($129,130)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)

#5. Chemists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $131,290
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,830

National
- Annual mean salary: $89,130
- Employment: 80,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($131,290)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($115,790)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($108,330)

#4. Astronomers

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $136,250
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 370

National
- Annual mean salary: $139,410
- Employment: 1,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($145,820)
--- Boulder, CO ($139,090)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($136,250)

#3. Hydrologists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $136,920
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

National
- Annual mean salary: $94,780
- Employment: 6,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($148,150)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($136,920)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($125,470)

#2. Economists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $137,320
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 5,520

National
- Annual mean salary: $120,830
- Employment: 15,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($162,870)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($161,320)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($156,360)

#1. Physicists

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Annual mean salary: $137,960
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,930

National
- Annual mean salary: $151,580
- Employment: 20,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($199,830)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($195,300)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($188,250)

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