Astronomers & physicists

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

19.9k

Average Age

45.5

Average Salary

$138,801

Average Male Salary

$144,787

Average Female Salary

$116,013

About

Astronomers & physicists are most often employed by the Scientific research & development services industry. The average yearly wage for Astronomers & physicists was $138,801 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Astronomers & physicists are Hawaii County PUMA, HI, Los Angeles County (Central)--Pasadena City PUMA, CA, and Middlesex County (East)--Cambridge PUMA, MA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Astronomers & physicists are Hawaii County PUMA, HI, Carbon & Lehigh (North) Counties PUMA, PA, and North Central New Mexico PUMA, NM.

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

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Astronomers & physicists workforce. Astronomers & physicists workforce in 2024 was 19,882 people, of which 20.8% were women and 79.2% were men.

Astronomers & physicists are paid most in Middlesex County (West Central) PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in Hawaii County PUMA, HI.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

15,746

Male Workforce

± 3.08k

4,136

Female Workforce

± 1.58k

The Astronomers & physicists workforce in 2024 was 19,882 people (20.8% women and 79.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of 69.4% between 2014 (11,737) and 2024 (19,882).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Kentucky ($263,126), South Carolina ($229,476), and New Hampshire ($210,275).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$138,801

AVERAGE WAGE

#27 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Astronomers & physicists earned an average of $138,801, $68,923 more than the average national salary of $69,878

In 2024, Astronomers & physicists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.312, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. 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 Aircraft & parts manufacturing ($230,323).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

19.9k

2024 Workforce

± 3,462

6.14%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 23.6%

This graphic shows the share of Astronomers & physicists employed by various industries. Scientific research & development services employs the largest share of Astronomers & physicists at 48.2%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 27.5% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 15%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Astronomers & physicists in the US. The workforce of Astronomers & physicists in 2024 was 19,882 people, with 20.8% woman, and 79.2% men. The average age of male Astronomers & physicists in the workforce is 46.6 and of female Astronomers & physicists is 41.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Astronomers & physicists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Astronomers & physicists in 2024 was 19,882 people, with 20.8% woman, and 79.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 35 to 39 years (2,906 people), 30 to 34 years (2,796 people), and 25 to 29 years (2,352 people). Among them they concentrated 41.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 7.51% of Astronomers & physicists workers were Hispanic and 92.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (51.9%), Spaniard (27.6)%, and Puerto Rican (12.1)%

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

Races

In 2024, 71.9% of the Astronomers & physicists workforce were White, of which 19.1% were women and 80.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (15.9%) and Two or More Races (8.3%).

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 2024 were Physical Sciences.

Among the necessary skills for Astronomers & physicists, Reading Comprehension 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 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Physical Sciences (11,044 people), Engineering (2,564 people), and Biology (1,493 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 (14,951 people), Bachelors Degree (4,931 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 Reading Comprehension, Science, Writing.