SalaryExplorer

SOC 19-2099 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Physical Scientists, All Other — Lubbock

Lubbock, TX · 7 metro areas compared

$76,350 /year
$36.71per hour
50jobs in area
−37.7%vs US median

Median pay in Lubbock, TX is $76,350 a year, 37.7% under the national median of $122,570 for this occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $122,57010TH$50,52025TH$64,110MEDIAN$76,35075TH$86,14090TH$141,430

How pay has moved

$82,423$45,988202020212022202320242025$76,350
$56,170 in 2020 to $76,350 in 2025, +35.9% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.6%
Openings per year
2,000
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

17.5% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Lubbock, TX.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay in Lubbock, TX is $76,350 a year, 37.7% under the national median of $122,570 for this occupation. Half of workers earn between $64,110 and $86,140. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $50,520 and the ninetieth at $141,430.

The area has 50 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.3 of every thousand jobs. Dallas leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $133,590. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 84th of 398 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Lubbock, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$50,520−58.8%
25th$64,110−47.7%
Median (50th)$76,350−37.7%
75th$86,140−29.7%
90th$141,430+15.4%
Mean$83,600−31.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Physical Scientists, All Other, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dallas$133,590700
2San Antonio$120,490170
3Waco$97,40050
4Austin$93,440260
5Houston$91,430550
6El Paso$80,88040
7McAllen$71,58050

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Lubbock run 8.7% below the national average, so the median of $76,350 goes as far as $83,625 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 31.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$76,350as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$83,625US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $76,350 a year, 37.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $50,520 to $141,430 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 50 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dallas, at $133,590.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Physical Scientists, All Other in Lubbock, TX?

The median annual wage is $76,350, or $36.71 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $122,570, so pay in Lubbock, TX is 37.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Lubbock, TX earns more than $141,430 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $50,520 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dallas, at $133,590 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 50 jobs in this occupation in Lubbock, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.