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| Table 53. Median annual salaries of full-time employed doctoral scientists and engineers, by field of doctorate and years since doctorate: 2010 |
| (Dollars) |
| Field | All full-time employed | ≤ 5 | 6–10 | 11–15 | 16–20 | 21–25 | > 25 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | Median salary | SE | |
| All fields | 100,000 | 500 | 70,000 | 1,000 | 89,000 | 1,500 | 102,000 | 1,500 | 108,000 | 2,000 | 115,000 | 2,000 | 124,000 | 2,500 |
| Science | 95,000 | 1,000 | 64,000 | 1,500 | 82,000 | 1,500 | 97,000 | 1,500 | 100,000 | 2,000 | 108,000 | 1,500 | 120,000 | 500 |
| Biological/ agricultural/ environmental life sciences | 91,000 | 2,000 | 54,000 | 1,500 | 80,000 | 1,500 | 95,000 | 2,500 | 104,000 | 2,500 | 115,000 | 4,500 | 127,000 | 3,500 |
| Agricultural/ food sciences | 90,000 | 2,000 | 70,000 | 3,500 | 73,000 | 4,000 | 85,000 | 4,000 | 95,000 | 5,500 | 103,000 | 5,000 | 110,000 | 8,500 |
| Biochemistry/ biophysics | 99,000 | 500 | 52,000 | 4,000 | 75,000 | 5,500 | 100,000 | 4,000 | 107,000 | 4,500 | 108,000 | 6,500 | 140,000 | 4,500 |
| Cell/ molecular biology | 89,000 | 4,000 | 48,000 | 2,000 | 80,000 | 7,000 | 98,000 | 3,500 | 110,000 | 7,000 | 138,000 | 8,500 | 154,000 | 10,500 |
| Environmental life sciences | 80,000 | 1,500 | 59,000 | 4,000 | 72,000 | 3,000 | 87,000 | 8,000 | 90,000 | 7,000 | 99,000 | 2,000 | 109,000 | 7,500 |
| Microbiology | 98,000 | 5,500 | 55,000 | 5,000 | 88,000 | 5,000 | 92,000 | 7,500 | 100,000 | 9,000 | 115,000 | 10,500 | 133,000 | 9,500 |
| Zoology | 84,000 | 2,500 | 49,000 | 3,000 | 71,000 | 2,000 | 81,000 | 5,500 | 89,000 | 11,000 | 89,000 | 7,000 | 99,000 | 5,500 |
| Other biological sciences | 92,000 | 2,500 | 55,000 | 1,500 | 80,000 | 4,000 | 97,000 | 3,000 | 107,000 | 7,000 | 124,000 | 2,000 | 130,000 | 6,000 |
| Computer/ information sciences | 115,000 | 3,500 | 97,000 | 3,500 | 103,000 | 6,500 | 130,000 | 5,000 | 130,000 | 7,500 | 130,000 | 2,000 | 146,000 | 3,500 |
| Mathematics/ statistics | 97,000 | 2,500 | 70,000 | 3,500 | 80,000 | 3,000 | 100,000 | 4,500 | 100,000 | 2,500 | 100,000 | 5,000 | 119,000 | 4,000 |
| Physical sciences | 102,000 | 1,500 | 67,000 | 2,000 | 90,000 | 3,500 | 106,000 | 2,500 | 110,000 | 4,000 | 116,000 | 4,500 | 129,000 | 3,000 |
| Astronomy/ astrophysics | 95,000 | 6,000 | 55,000 | 4,000 | 76,000 | 8,500 | 90,000 | 5,500 | 118,000 | 20,500 | 139,000 | 17,500 | 129,000 | 9,500 |
| Chemistry, except biochemistry | 102,000 | 2,000 | 67,000 | 2,500 | 96,000 | 3,000 | 106,000 | 3,500 | 112,000 | 5,500 | 116,000 | 5,500 | 120,000 | 4,000 |
| Earth/ atmospheric/ ocean sciencesa | 92,000 | 2,000 | 69,000 | 3,000 | 73,000 | 2,500 | 93,000 | 5,000 | 92,000 | 5,500 | 103,000 | 7,000 | 130,000 | 7,000 |
| Physics | 110,000 | 1,000 | 72,000 | 3,000 | 95,000 | 7,000 | 114,000 | 7,000 | 119,000 | 1,500 | 118,000 | 6,500 | 140,000 | 7,500 |
| Psychology | 86,000 | 1,500 | 65,000 | 1,000 | 80,000 | 2,000 | 83,000 | 4,000 | 89,000 | 2,500 | 100,000 | 500 | 104,000 | 1,500 |
| Social sciences | 90,000 | 1,000 | 66,000 | 1,500 | 77,000 | 2,500 | 87,000 | 3,500 | 94,000 | 2,500 | 100,000 | 2,000 | 115,000 | 5,000 |
| Economics | 119,000 | 2,500 | 91,000 | 3,000 | 109,000 | 10,000 | 125,000 | 6,500 | 122,000 | 6,500 | 133,000 | 8,000 | 134,000 | 7,000 |
| Political sciences | 85,000 | 2,500 | 70,000 | 4,500 | 72,000 | 2,500 | 84,000 | 4,500 | 94,000 | 5,000 | 83,000 | 8,000 | 117,000 | 12,500 |
| Sociology | 82,000 | 4,000 | 60,000 | 2,000 | 72,000 | 2,000 | 79,000 | 7,000 | 85,000 | 4,500 | 90,000 | 2,500 | 104,000 | 5,500 |
| Other social sciences | 77,000 | 2,000 | 58,000 | 1,500 | 70,000 | 2,000 | 78,000 | 4,000 | 84,000 | 2,500 | 93,000 | 5,500 | 104,000 | 4,000 |
| Engineering | 115,000 | 1,000 | 90,000 | 500 | 104,000 | 1,000 | 124,000 | 1,000 | 129,000 | 3,500 | 136,000 | 4,000 | 137,000 | 4,000 |
| Aerospace/ aeronautical/ astronautical engineering | 120,000 | 5,500 | 94,000 | 9,000 | 100,000 | 9,000 | 134,000 | 8,500 | 118,000 | 8,500 | 143,000 | 5,500 | 144,000 | 7,500 |
| Chemical engineering | 119,000 | 1,000 | 92,000 | 2,500 | 99,000 | 3,000 | 124,000 | 5,000 | 136,000 | 4,000 | 136,000 | 8,000 | 142,000 | 8,000 |
| Civil engineering | 102,000 | 3,500 | 78,000 | 5,500 | 94,000 | 3,000 | 104,000 | 6,500 | 118,000 | 4,500 | 125,000 | 6,500 | 131,000 | 9,000 |
| Electrical/ computer engineering | 120,000 | 1,000 | 100,000 | 500 | 116,000 | 3,500 | 135,000 | 2,500 | 140,000 | 3,000 | 145,000 | 3,000 | 133,000 | 8,500 |
| Materials/ metallurgical engineering | 110,000 | 2,000 | 83,000 | 4,500 | 104,000 | 4,500 | 115,000 | 6,500 | 119,000 | 4,500 | 135,000 | 6,000 | 139,000 | 13,000 |
| Mechanical engineering | 105,000 | 3,500 | 84,000 | 1,500 | 100,000 | 3,500 | 117,000 | 5,500 | 119,000 | 4,000 | 129,000 | 9,000 | 139,000 | 6,000 |
| Other engineering | 110,000 | 2,000 | 85,000 | 2,500 | 100,000 | 3,000 | 120,000 | 2,500 | 122,000 | 4,500 | 129,000 | 7,500 | 130,000 | 6,000 |
| Health | 93,000 | 2,000 | 78,000 | 1,500 | 90,000 | 2,000 | 95,000 | 5,000 | 100,000 | 5,000 | 113,000 | 5,500 | 126,000 | 5,500 |
| SE = standard error. a Includes other physical sciences. |
| NOTE: Median annual salaries are for the principal job and are rounded to the nearest $1,000. Standard errors are rounded up to the nearest 500. |
| SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2010. |
| Data from survey cycle 2010, as of August 21, 2013. |
