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What US chemists make, according to the 2019 ACS salary survey

Acs’s reintroduced salary survey shows that unemployment is flat and salaries overall are slightly up since 2016, by andrea widener, october 30, 2019 | a version of this story appeared in volume 97, issue 43.

Credit: C&EN/Shutterstock

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Salary Survey 2019

Salary breakdown by demographics

Salary breakdown by region, unemployment, why is there a 2-year gap in acs’s salary data, who took the survey.

Click here to see the most recent salary survey results

The ACS salary survey returned in 2019 after a 2-year hiatus . Survey responses from 2019 are from 5,121 ACS members in April and reflect the median salary for full-time US employees. Survey data from prior years reflect the median salary for full-time US employees who said their work specialty is chemistry.

Salaries varied widely depending on where respondents worked. Some people with a master's degree made less than those with a bachelor's degree

West North Central

West South Central

East North Central

East South Central

South Atlantic

Middle Atlantic

New England

Unemployment for ACS members was flat since 2016

In 2016, the American Chemical Society decided to revamp its popular salary survey.

Response rates had fallen from around 40% in the 1980s to 18%, consistent with national trends toward lower survey responses. Additionally, the society was concerned that the data collected—which are published in C&EN and power the ACS Salary Calculator —did not properly reflect the ACS community. Older members were more likely to respond than younger, more diverse members. (ACS publishes C&EN.)

“It was a little rigid and out of date,” says Frank Romano, chair of ACS’s Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA), which oversees the survey.

So the society planned to switch from a once-a-year survey to a more continual and modular survey method. Every quarter it would send out a survey to a small, representative sample of ACS members. This change would allow ACS to ask questions about current topics of interest, such as elections or the economy, in addition to traditional salary-survey questions.

After several months of planning, ACS tried the modular method starting in 2017. Unfortunately, that survey had an even lower response rate—so low that analysts could not confidently use the data, says Steven Meyers, the director of membership for ACS.

No one is sure why the response rate was so low. It could be that the survey requests came from a vendor rather than directly from ACS, Romano says. Or it could be that members were not prepared for a survey at a different time of year.

After trying for a year, ACS decided to return to its traditional once-a-year survey technique. When relaunched in April 2019, around 7% of members responded to the survey, enough to ensure the data are reliable.

In addition, the society hired a survey statistician to determine whether the results reflect the larger ACS community, and this time, they did, Meyers says. Going forward, the society will continue to check that its data are statistically sound.

The confidence in the current data set allowed for the return of the salary data to C&EN and the return of the Salary Calculator, which should be available in November.

CEPA has heard from many members who are eager to get the most up-to-date information on salaries, CEPA member Eric Bruton says. The data “give us a better understanding of where our industry lies as a whole, and that is very valuable to people as we manage our careers,” he says.

In 2019 the society returned to basically the same questions it sent in 2016, but in the future it hopes to be able to gather more information while keeping the survey at a reasonable length. “That would show that ACS is just being current and really helping its members with information that they are looking for,” Romano says.

These are the ACS members who took the 2019 survey

A small percentage identified themselves as disabled, you might also like....

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How much money can you make with a chemistry degree?

A high salary does not necessarily mean high satisfaction.

After graduation, chemistry graduates typically earn high salaries compared to the national average. Top earners make $ 98,155 , while the bottom 20% make close r to $ 36,370 . The median grad salary is $ 59,749 .

Chemistry graduate salaries over time

The typical early career salary for someone with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry is $ 38,822 , and within five years of graduation, this average salary goes up to $ 45,400 .

This chart maps the average workforce wage by years of experience:

Wage ($USD)

Years of work experience.

Pro tip Still unsure if a degree in chemistry is your calling? Read our comprehensive guide on choosing a career

Discover what you’ll learn—and what you can do after you graduate.

• Tuition & Costs
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How much will I earn if I have a career in chemistry?

• The 2023 What Do Graduates Do report showed that the average salary for chemistry graduates six months after graduation was £25,593. Chemistry graduates had the highest levels of full-time employment (55%), although this was comparable for all science subjects (physics, biology, sports science).
• The Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2023 Pay & Reward survey showed a median salary of £50,000 for member-respondents. Early career members earned a median salary of £37,586. These results are based on the responses of 4,833 members of the Royal Society of Chemistry who completed the 2023 Pay and Reward Survey.
• Nearly 36% of all chemistry graduates in 2022/23 became science professionals or associate professionals and technicians with the top five jobs including: chemical scientist, laboratory technicians, secondary teachers, management consultants and business analysts, and Chartered and certified accountants. 21.5% went onto further study to gain a master’s, PhD or postgraduate diploma or certificate (such as PGCE). Science graduates are in demand in sectors that seek to solve some of the biggest challenges that we face, such as human healthcare and environmental degradation, as we seek a sustainable future.
• The contribution (direct, indirect and induced) of chemistry-using professionals to UK GDP was estimated to be £87 billion in 2019.
• There are estimated to have been 275,000 chemistry-using jobs in the UK in 2019, with a further 425,000 jobs supported by this workforce throughout the UK economy. See  Chemistry’s Contribution: Workforce trends and economic impact

Salaries depend on a large number of factors, including qualifications required, location, experience, size and type of the organisation.

Useful websites to find out more about chemistry jobs and salaries

• Chemistry World Jobs
• Payscale.com

Updated December 2023

What chemical scientists earned in 2023

The median salary increased from the 2021 results, but pay disparities remain.

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PhD Chemistry Jobs, Scope, Salary in India

Jobs after PhD in Chemistry are available in both the public sector and the private sector for the graduates. PhD Chemistry scope is very abundant. The graduates can work in the field of Education, College, Research, Nutrition, and Teaching.

Career Prospects and Job Scope for PhD in Chemistry

A career after PhD in Chemistry is adequate enough. PhD Chemistry salary in India depends on the respective specialization and demand. PhD in Chemistry scope job opportunities are diversified into different sectors. PhD in Chemistry courses are offered by many institutes and colleges and thus aspirants have the scope and opportunity to live in different places. The most common jobs for PhD chemistry that hire graduates are:

• Project manager
• Education Developer

Areas of Recruitment for PhD in Chemistry

PhD Chemistry jobs are available in numerous job roles. Students spent an incredible deal of time learning in a laboratory, and have great knowledge that is used in the course. Therefore, after the completion of the course, college students now have all of the abilities to have a stable PhD Chemistry Salary in India. Some of the areas of recruitment for graduates are:

• Research Associate
• Synthetic Organic Chemist
• Analytical Chemistry Associate
• Chemistry Project Assistant
• Organic Chemistry Professor

Salary Packages for PhD in ChemistryGraduates

There are various industries that hire PhD graduates in India. PhD in Chemistry salary in India is very ample and well enough to sustain and live. The average salary of a graduate according to Glassdoor is INR 15-20 LPA.

The PhD in Chemistry graduate salary in India is:

Source: Glassdoor

PhD Chemistry Salary Abroad

Graduates of the programme can choose from a variety of jobs that come with competitive pay and benefits from multinational corporations. These offers range from lodging advantages to travel outside of the pay package. Several of the roles and responsibilities, as well as the compensation packages, are listed below:

Source: Payscale

Career Scope of PhD Chemistry 

After completing the PhD Chemistry programme, candidates can choose from a range of professions. Students have the option of finding employment or continuing their education after finishing the course. The scope of the PhD Chemistry programme is rapidly growing and will most likely keep growing in the near future. PhD Chemistry graduates are qualified to work in a variety of fields in both the public and private sectors.

Career Options after PhD Chemistry

An advanced degree in Chemistry opens up a wide range of opportunities and career paths. Students have the option of working or continuing their education. It all depends on the student's goals for the future, including whether they want to pursue employment or more education. Students have the capacity to choose based on their interests and knowledge. Some of the most popular post-Ph.D. career options in education include the ones listed below:

• Project Manager: Project managers (PMs) are in charge of organising, planning, and directing the completion of particular projects for an organisation while making sure that these projects are completed on time, within budget, and within the intended scope.
• Research Scientist: Research scientists are in charge of planning, carrying out, and analysing data from carefully monitored laboratory investigations, experiments, and trials.
• Research Associate: A research associate gathers, arranges, and synthesises data for decision-makers in the company's sales and trading function at an investment bank, asset management company, or other financial services company.
• Quality Control Analyst: To ensure that the final product of a manufacturing process satisfies predetermined quality or safety standards, quality control (QC) analysts inspect or test it. The conclusion of this quality Chemistryck guarantees that the finished item is secure for distribution or sale.

Government Jobs for PhD in ChemistryGraduates

Government jobs scope lies withinside the reality that it is as ample as private jobs for the field. Salary after PhD in Chemistry in India ranges from INR 15- 20 LPA [Source: Glassdoor]. Government jobs after PhD in Chemistry are:

Private Jobs for PhD in Chemistry Graduates

Career options after PhD in Chemistry are as good in the private sector than government jobs. The average earnings for the private jobs for PhD in Chemistry according to Glassdoor is INR 6 LPA. Fresher jobs salaries after PhD in Chemistry in India are:

Source: Naukri

Job Opportunities Abroad for PhD in Chemistry Graduates

The jobs after PhD in Chemistry are not just available in India but are also available abroad. Graduates can pass for higher education to grow their possibilities of having a job abroad. They can find jobs in areas like Researcher, Professor, and so on.

Top Companies For Graduates 

Here is the list below of the top recruiters that hire graduates:

• Aditya Birla
• Jaypee Group
• TATA Chemicals
• United Phosphate Limited

 Best Countries For Graduates 

Below is the list of top countries offering job opportunities to graduates:

• New Zealand
• The Caribbean

Various Career Designations Abroad for Graduates

Job profiles that attract graduates to work abroad:

• Project Manager

Famous PhD in Chemistry Graduates

PhD in Chemistry courses are for those aspirants who are passionate about Chemistry and want to take it up professionally. The course offers a degree-based education that helps them set up a career in various areas of the field. Famous people in these subjects around the world are:

• Dmitri Mendeleev
• John Dalton
• Marie Curie
• Har Gobind Khorana

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