The salary statistics of materials scientists in the industry sector of manufacturing are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare materials scientist salaries in different industries within the manufacturing sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $55,980 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $75,140 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $102,840 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $129,930 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $159,280 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for materials scientists 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) materials scientists is $159,280. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $102,840. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid materials scientists is $55,980.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of materials scientists in the industry sector of manufacturing from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $102,840 | -0.24% | 14.22% |
| 2017 | $103,090 | 2.39% | - |
| 2016 | $100,630 | 8.02% | - |
| 2015 | $92,560 | -2.75% | - |
| 2014 | $95,110 | 6.08% | - |
| 2013 | $89,330 | 1.24% | - |
| 2012 | $88,220 | - | - |
The average salaries of materials scientists in eleven 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 materials scientist occupations is the resin, synthetic rubber, and artificial synthetic fibers and filaments manufacturing industry with an annual salary $114,200. The lowest paying industry is the other chemical product and preparation manufacturing industry (annual salary $77,660). For detailed materials scientist 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].