SOC 19-2012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Physicists — Virginia
Virginia · 3 metro areas compared
The median wage for Physicists in Virginia is $145,040 per year, 15.8% below the national median of $172,250.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +4.0%
- Openings per year
- 1,700
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
8.7% 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 Virginia.
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
The median wage for Physicists in Virginia is $145,040 per year, 15.8% below the national median of $172,250. Pay ranges from under $97,720 at the tenth percentile to more than $238,570 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $112,570 to $195,190.
The area has 940 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.2 of every thousand jobs. Among the 43 states with published data for this occupation, Virginia ranks 25th by median wage. Richmond leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $218,290. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 38th of 747 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $97,720 | −43.3% |
| 25th | $112,570 | −34.6% |
| Median (50th) | $145,040 | −15.8% |
| 75th | $195,190 | +13.3% |
| 90th | $238,570 | +38.5% |
| Mean | $159,320 | −7.5% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Virginia
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | $218,290 | 40 | |
| 2 | Charlottesville | $148,950 | 50 | |
| 3 | Virginia Beach | $110,930 | 240 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Virginia sit close to the national average, so $145,040 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$145,040as reported by BLSLocal price level
101.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$143,462US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $145,040 a year, 15.8% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $97,720 to $238,570 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 940 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 25th of 43 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Richmond, at $218,290.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Physicists in Virginia?
The median annual wage is $145,040, or $69.73 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 $172,250, so pay in Virginia is 15.8% 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 Virginia earns more than $238,570 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $97,720 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 Richmond, at $218,290 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 940 jobs in this occupation in Virginia. 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.
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