The salary statistics of astronomers and physicists in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare astronomers and physicist salaries in different industries within the federal, state, and local government sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $72,460 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $91,690 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $117,510 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $148,960 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $164,210 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for astronomers and physicists in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) astronomers and physicists is $164,210. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $117,510. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid astronomers and physicists is $72,460.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of astronomers and physicists in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $117,510 | 1.26% | 7.05% |
| 2017 | $116,030 | 1.74% | - |
| 2016 | $114,010 | 2.61% | - |
| 2015 | $111,030 | -0.43% | - |
| 2014 | $111,510 | 1.52% | - |
| 2013 | $109,810 | 0.54% | - |
| 2012 | $109,220 | - | - |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].