The salary statistics of physicists in the industry sector of manufacturing are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare physicist salaries in different industries within the manufacturing sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $78,940 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $91,890 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $116,110 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $153,110 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $193,430 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for physicists in the industry sector of manufacturing. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) physicists is $193,430. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $116,110. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid physicists is $78,940.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of physicists in the industry sector of manufacturing from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $116,110 | -4.46% | 14.92% |
| 2017 | $121,290 | 7.45% | - |
| 2016 | $112,250 | 7.89% | - |
| 2015 | $103,390 | 3.10% | - |
| 2014 | $100,180 | -4.15% | - |
| 2013 | $104,340 | 5.32% | - |
| 2012 | $98,790 | - | - |
The average salaries of physicists in seven industries in the manufacturing sector are shown below. We note that within this industry sector, the salaries vary among different industries. The highest paying industry for physicist occupations is the transportation equipment manufacturing industry with an annual salary $151,720. The lowest paying industry is the other fabricated metal product manufacturing industry (annual salary $91,580). For detailed physicist salary information in a particular industry, use the links provided below.
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].