Astronomers & physicists

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

14.4k

Average Age

46.3

Average Salary

$120,109

Average Male Salary

$123,393

Average Female Salary

$104,768

About

Astronomers & physicists are most often employed by the Scientific research & development services industry. The average yearly wage for Astronomers & physicists was $120,109 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Astronomers & physicists are Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA, North Central New Mexico PUMA, NM, and Pasadena City PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Astronomers & physicists are North Central New Mexico PUMA, NM, Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA, and Pasadena City PUMA, CA.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Life, physical, & social science occupations

Employment and salary information for the Astronomers & physicists workforce. Astronomers & physicists workforce in 2021 was 14,449 people, of which 17.6% were women and 82.4% were men. Astronomers & physicists are paid most in Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in North Central New Mexico PUMA, NM.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

11,901

Male Workforce

± 2.68k

2,548

Female Workforce

± 1.24k

The Astronomers & physicists workforce in 2021 was 14,449 people (17.6% women and 82.4% men). This implies an average annual growth of 23.1% between 2014 (11,737) and 2021 (14,449).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Astronomers & physicists.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were South Carolina ($163,305), Texas ($149,027), and Massachusetts ($142,613).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$120,109

AVERAGE WAGE

#23 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Astronomers & physicists earned an average of $120,109, $60,513 more than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Astronomers & physicists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.298

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Astronomers & physicists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.298, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Astronomers & physicists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Astronomers & physicists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Astronomers & physicists and on wages for those in the field. Scientific research & development services is the industry that employs the most Astronomers & physicists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Astronomers & physicists, by average wage, is Administration of environmental quality & housing programs ($196,491).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

14.4k

2021 Workforce

± 2,951

7.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 27.4%

This graphic shows the share of Astronomers & physicists employed by various industries. Scientific research & development services employs the largest share of Astronomers & physicists at 55.1%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 33.7% and National security & international affairs with 11.2%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Astronomers & physicists in the US. The workforce of Astronomers & physicists in 2021 was 14,449 people, with 17.6% woman, and 82.4% men. The average age of male Astronomers & physicists in the workforce is 47.6 and of female Astronomers & physicists is 40.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Astronomers & physicists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Astronomers & physicists in 2021 was 14,449 people, with 17.6% woman, and 82.4% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 35 to 39 years (1,953 people), 60 to 64 years (1,913 people), and 30 to 34 years (1,874 people). Among them they concentrated 41.7% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 5.81% of Astronomers & physicists workers were Hispanic and 94.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Spaniard (56.7%) and Mexican (43.3)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 79.9% of the Astronomers & physicists workforce were White, of which 15.8% were women and 84.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (10.9%) and Two or More Races (5.19%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Astronomers & physicists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Astronomers & physicists is Physical Sciences but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Physical Sciences.

Among the necessary skills for Astronomers & physicists, Science stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Astronomers & physicists need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Astronomers & physicists in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Physical Sciences (8,322 people), Engineering (2,112 people), and Biology (1,058 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Astronomers & physicists workers were Graduate Degree (10,893 people), Bachelors Degree (3,556 people), and false (0 people).

The graphic shows the Astronomers & physicists workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Astronomers & physicists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Astronomers & physicists need many skills, but most especially Science, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics.