National Salary Info » Life Scientists

Highest Paying Industries for Life Scientists

The top 100 highest paying industries for life scientists (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $121,770, psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals - state government owned is the highest paying industry for life scientists. It is followed by drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers industry (average annual salary $102,220). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of life scientists in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Life Scientists

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$121,770	$77,230	170
2	Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers	$102,220	$53,080	2,510
3	Computer Systems Design and Related Services	$98,950	$55,200	250
4	Natural Gas Distribution	$98,520	$71,120	50
5	Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$97,020	$58,360	180
6	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$94,070	$56,430	100
7	Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers	$90,060	$47,420	150
8	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$89,610	$43,830	290
9	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$88,160	$49,910	6,030
10	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	$87,880	$40,210	16,430
11	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	$87,760	$53,820	830
12	Chemical Manufacturing	$86,430	$40,640	18,070
13	Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$86,400	$41,020	310
14	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$86,320	$50,570	80
15	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$86,040	$46,430	74,240
16	Scientific Research and Development Services	$85,950	$46,460	75,340
17	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$85,940	$51,770	680
18	Finance and Insurance	$85,750	$49,620	90
19	Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers	$85,750	$48,960	710
20	Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods	$85,040	$48,690	260
21	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$84,520	$49,100	70
22	Insurance Carriers	$84,360	$49,590	70
23	Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	$84,360	$48,380	1,000
24	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	$84,180	$48,040	1,000
25	Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing	$83,990	$45,430	560
26	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$82,060	$44,210	89,160
27	Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities	$81,240	$48,390	1,110
28	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$81,070	$55,830	1,260
29	Hospitals - Local government owned	$81,070	$55,830	1,260
30	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$80,970	$46,630	1,920
31	Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	$80,830	$46,280	4,950
32	Tobacco Manufacturing	$80,810	$60,740	60
33	Wholesale Trade	$79,890	$43,900	5,990
34	Utilities	$78,810	$51,210	440
35	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$78,480	$47,720	190
36	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	$78,380	$43,500	5,020
37	Warehousing and Storage	$77,930	$56,260	n/a
38	Transportation and Warehousing	$77,750	$47,230	110
39	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$77,220	$41,580	10,280
40	Water, Sewage and Other Systems	$77,200	$45,520	50
41	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	$76,050	$50,490	340
42	Engineering Services	$75,920	$43,620	1,420
43	Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing	$75,750	$57,110	60
44	Federal government, including USPS	$75,720	$51,430	33,950
45	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$75,720	$51,430	33,950
46	Manufacturing	$75,230	$38,260	28,750
47	Health Care and Social Assistance	$74,640	$42,100	28,820
48	Temporary Help Services	$74,550	$39,530	2,870
49	Offices of Physicians	$74,500	$38,450	4,030
50	Hospitals - Privately owned	$74,150	$42,080	14,660
51	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$74,070	$42,060	15,020
52	Employment Services	$73,830	$39,420	3,060
53	Mining	$73,690	$62,160	80
54	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$73,500	$42,360	18,430
55	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$73,400	$41,590	12,610
56	Outpatient Care Centers	$73,040	$42,610	850
57	Converted Paper Product Manufacturing	$72,820	$51,760	40
58	Basic Chemical Manufacturing	$72,780	$45,230	870
59	Machinery Manufacturing	$72,720	$50,960	40
60	Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	$71,980	$39,580	150
61	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$71,470	$40,870	1,150
62	Information	$70,520	$31,960	120
63	Administrative and Support Services	$70,230	$36,950	3,490
64	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$70,180	$36,920	3,500
65	Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores	$70,170	$49,330	80
66	Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers	$70,170	$49,330	80
67	Lumber and Other Construction Materials Merchant Wholesalers	$69,990	$40,060	40
68	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$69,320	$43,140	3,120
69	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	$67,550	$42,740	280
70	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$65,720	$39,830	64,690
71	Federal, State, and Local Government	$65,720	$39,830	64,690
72	Paper Manufacturing	$65,620	$44,630	160
73	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	$65,500	$37,660	340
74	Logging	$64,750	$39,340	330
75	Forestry and Logging	$64,750	$39,340	330
76	Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	$64,720	$41,170	1,770
77	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	$64,170	$34,960	1,000
78	Support Activities for Animal Production	$63,950	$41,640	280
79	Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry	$63,790	$31,420	660
80	Support Activities for Crop Production	$63,740	$28,210	390
81	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	$63,730	$36,120	3,830
82	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	$63,290	$43,580	130
83	Other Food Manufacturing	$63,260	$35,690	2,120
84	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$63,030	$39,420	103,120
85	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$62,540	$37,000	9,370
86	Beverage Manufacturing	$62,490	$36,080	280
87	Animal Food Manufacturing	$61,810	$29,450	500
88	Retail Trade	$61,450	$35,880	240
89	Hospitals - State government owned	$61,380	$41,630	2,520
90	Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing	$61,230	$34,810	180
91	Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses	$61,130	$44,070	30
92	Wood Product Manufacturing	$60,050	$39,860	790
93	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$59,850	$36,020	11,880
94	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	$59,760	$36,600	620
95	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Local government owned	$59,660	$42,010	960
96	Educational Services - Local government owned	$59,440	$41,890	1,030
97	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$59,400	$36,310	3,020
98	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$59,400	$36,310	3,020
99	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$59,250	$40,540	30
100	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$59,130	$40,800	10,530