Physicists

Median salary

$172,250

Average salary

$171,180

Employment

20,430

Projected growth

4% growth

Annual openings

1,700

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Physicists Do

Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 8.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Physicsimportance 4.9/5
Mathematicsimportance 4.8/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.4/5
English Languageimportance 3.7/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
Chemistryimportance 3.2/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.9/5
Spend Time Sitting4.6/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.1/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Architectural and Civil Drafters95% skill match
Database Administrators95% skill match
Database Architects93% skill match
Mechanical Drafters93% skill match
Computer and Information Research Scientists93% skill match
Social Science Research Assistants92% skill match
Web Developers92% skill match
Computer Programmers91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
Instructingimportance 3.6/5
Programmingimportance 3.4/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.4/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 3.4/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
Persuasionimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Adobe Audition
Aptech Systems GAUSS
CERN Physics Analysis Workstation PAW
CERN ROOT
COMSOL Multiphysics
Canu
Criss Software XRF11
Database application software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Intellectual Curiosity
Innovation
Attention to Detail
Achievement Orientation
Dependability
Integrity
Tolerance for Ambiguity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

InvestigativeHigh
RealisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
ArtisticLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where physicists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Boulder, CO33.89× national avg
2Lansing-East Lansing, MI8.11× national avg
3Albuquerque, NM6.17× national avg
4Huntsville, AL5.18× national avg
5Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV3.69× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Biochemists and BiophysicistsLateral Move
Computer and Information Research ScientistsCareer Change
Aerospace EngineersCareer Change
Database ArchitectsCareer Change

See the full career path from Physicists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.