The average annual salary of life, physical, and social science occupations is shown in Table 1. Table 2 compares the median salaries across all life, physical, and social science occupations in the United States. The life, physical, and social science occupations salary statistics are from the national compensation survey published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $39,490 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $51,460 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $74,330 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $102,850 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $135,240 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for life, physical, and social science occupations. The salary is shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) life, physical, and social science occupations is $135,240. The median annual salary is $74,330. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $39,490.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of life, physical, and social science occupations from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $74,330 | 2.14% | 19.14% |
| 2021 | $72,740 | 4.10% | - |
| 2020 | $69,760 | 2.29% | - |
| 2019 | $68,160 | 3.07% | - |
| 2018 | $66,070 | 2.36% | - |
| 2017 | $64,510 | 1.81% | - |
| 2016 | $63,340 | 1.86% | - |
| 2015 | $62,160 | 1.14% | - |
| 2014 | $61,450 | 0.96% | - |
| 2013 | $60,860 | 1.25% | - |
| 2012 | $60,100 | - | - |
Table 2 shows the median annual wage for each Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations in the United States. Note that the median annual salaries vary considerably among life, physical, and social science professions, ranging from $37,180 to $142,850. The highest-paid life, physical, and social science occupations are physicists with a median annual salary of $142,850. The lowest-paid life, physical, and social science occupations in the United States are forest and conservation technicians with a median annual salary of $37,180. For more salary information about a specific life, physical, and social science profession, use the links in the table.