How much does a Chemist make?

The average salary for a Chemist is $74,191 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 8422 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Chemist employees in United States.

The highest salary for a Chemist in United States is $96,204 per year.

The lowest salary for a Chemist in United States is $57,521 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Chemist or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Chemist.

Chemists are generally paid salaries on par with those of other Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) researchers. Chemists can improve their earnings through promotion and securing new grants, which generally occur after repeated publication in top scientific and medical journals. The subfields of nanotechnology for medicinal and environmental safety are both growing especially quickly, so prospective chemists who develop expertise in these areas may command higher salaries than their peers in other specialties.

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Many factors influence salary, and five to seven years of experience, membership in a professional organization, and participation in research projects can qualify a chemist's annual earnings as good overall. According to Glassdoor ratings, 64% of chemists feel positively about their pay.

Salary as a chemist changes based on experience, membership in professional organizations, and attaining a master's or doctorate degree. Overall, chemist salary ranges between $45,766.22 and $121,114.30, with the average professional bringing home $66,687.79. After years working in the field, you can progress in your career as a principal chemist, a senior-level role that offers higher pay and potentially better benefits.

To earn more money from your chemist career, consider a master's or doctorate degree. While you can score jobs with a bachelor's degree, completing postgraduate education broadens your horizons and gives you diverse opportunities to teach, pursue research projects, and join research-oriented teams. Improve your most marketable skills, including procedures, analytical methods, lab equipment, handling test results, developing projects, and working with materials in addition to high-level chemistry knowledge. Demonstrate what you bring to the table through research projects and teaching; both look excellent on a resume and will score you higher earnings down the road. Joining a professional organization, such as the American Chemical Society, is another wise choice.

How do you negotiate a higher salary in your chemist job? By demonstrating your value. Whether you've received your first job offer or your 50th, chemists vary widely in their levels of knowledge, experience, and research. Having just one extra research opportunity, internship, or part-time role on your resume provides more negotiating power compared to similar candidates at the same level. If the organization has a budget for new hires, your extra experience could score you the raise. Negotiate in the 10-15% range, demonstrating with evidence why you deserve the extra money. Tackled a research project? Helped develop a successful product? Show off what you've accomplished to build your own case.