How Much Does a Chemist With a Ph.D. Make?

by Aurelio Locsin, Demand Media

By researching the properties, combinations and reactions of substances, chemists develop new products and processes, ranging from more efficient formulations for exterior paint to better preservatives for canned foods. Some entry-level positions in the profession are available to those with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. However, only those with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral experience can receive high salaries for performing research or teaching.


Chemists with Ph.D.s earned a median annual $98,000, according to the American Chemical Society’s 2010 salary survey. This compared to the median $80,000 per year paid to master’s degree holders and the median $69,800 yearly made by those with bachelor’s degrees. Ph.D.s in industry made the highest median wages of $114,000 per year, followed by those in government at $109,000 annually and those in academia at $71,000 yearly. A bachelor’s degree takes four years of full-time study. A master’s degree takes at least two years beyond that. And, a Ph.D. takes at least four more years, totaling a commitment of 10 years to obtain the full credential.


The ACS survey divided the country into nine regions to illustrate how salaries for Ph.D.s differed by location. The five New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut showed the highest medians of $110,000 per year, compared to $84,000 for master’s degree holders and $73,000 for those with bachelor’s credentials. The region with the lowest pay for Ph.D.s was the West North Central, which included Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas. Median wages here for the highest degree ran $83,200 per year, with $71,000 yearly for a master’s degree and an annual $65,000 for a bachelor’s degree.


The highest paying employment for Ph.D. chemists was in the research and development management, with median pay of $148,200 per year, compared to $122,000 for a master’s and $108,000 for a bachelor’s. The lowest median pay of $90,000 yearly went to basic research, which paid $80,000 for master’s degrees and $58,000 for bachelor’s degrees. In general, the greater the number of employees, the higher the salary was for Ph.D.s, starting at $49,200 per year for employers with 10 or fewer employees, and reaching a maximum of $120,000 per year for businesses with 25,000 or more workers.


Women Ph.D.s working in industry typically earned less, at a median $106,000 per year, than their male counterparts, who made a median annual $117,000, except during the first 14 years of their careers. Up to the ninth year after earning their bachelor’s degrees, women earned more at a median $89,000 yearly compared to men, who made $86,000 per year. By the 10th to 14th year, the difference shrank considerably, with women earning a median $95,200 per year and men receiving a median annual $95,000. By the 15th through 19th years, men started earning more, at a median $105,000 per year compared to women’s $100,000 yearly. Women would never regain the lead even at the 40th year of experience or beyond, which paid them a median $106,000 annually compared to the median yearly $117,000 earned by men.

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