Chemistry

Contains Stem Majors

Add Comparison

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,716

growing 1.31%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$38,950

growing 4.04%

Average Wage

$125,510

growing 7.15%

People in Workforce

1.18M

growing 2.09%

Average Employee Age

44.6

declining 0.491%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of Chemistry degree recipients are New York, NY, San Diego, CA, and Atlanta, GA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Chemistry is a bachelors degree.

Physical Sciences

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Chemistry and the types of students that study this field. University of California-San Diego awards the most degrees in Chemistry in the US, but California Institute of Technology and Ripon College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Chemistry.

Tuition costs for Chemistry majors are, on average, $7,716 for in-state public colleges, and $38,950 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Chemistry programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (675 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (13,332 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Chemistry (2023)

University of California-San Diego
325 degrees awarded
University of Wisconsin-Madison
234 degrees awarded
University of Florida
217 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Chemistry, is Public, 4-year or above (13,332 completions in 2023).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Chemistry programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,716

Median In-State Public

$38,950

Median Out of State Private

University of California-San Diego has the most Chemistry degree recipients, with 325 degrees awarded in 2023.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Chemistry.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

California Institute of Technology
8.75%
Ripon College
7.04%
Carleton College
6.82%

Out of all institutions that offer Chemistry programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, California Institute of Technology has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Chemistry, with 8.75%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Chemistry

Los Angeles County, CA
598 degrees awarded
Orange County, CA
525 degrees awarded
San Diego County, CA
494 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Chemistry by year.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physical Sciences graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $125,510 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

The industry that employs the most Physical Sciences majors is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

$125,510

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,865

7.15%

1 Year Growth

± 3.02%

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $125,510 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Physical Sciences majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Physical Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Physical Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common occupations Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Physical Sciences majors working as Geoscientists and hydrologists, except geographers, Astronomers & physicists, and Atmospheric & space scientists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Physical Sciences majors are .

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.18M

2022 Workforce

± 26,545

2.09%

1 Year Growth

± 3.14%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.09%, from 1.15M in 2021 to 1.18M in 2022.

The largest single share of Physical Sciences graduates go on to work as Postsecondary teachers (7.75%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Physical Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Physical Sciences majors, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.18M

2022 Workforce

± 26,545

2.09%

1 Year Growth

± 3.14%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.09%, from 1.15M in 2021 to 1.18M in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Physical Sciences graduates by share is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Physical Sciences.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Physical Sciences majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Physical Sciences majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Physical Sciences in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Physical Sciences is 44.6.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Physical Sciences degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Physical Sciences (9,775 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

44.6

Average Age in 2022

± 0.316 Years

0.491%

1 Year Change

± 1.01%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Physical Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 32 and 30 years old, which represent 2.66% and 2.65% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Chemistry are Bachelors Degree, Research Doctorate, and Masters Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Physical Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (52.6%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Chemistry.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
9,775 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
2,712 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
2,654 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Chemistry for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

N/A
N/A degrees awarded
N/A
N/A degrees awarded
N/A
N/A degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of N/A recipients in Chemistry.

N/A students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Chemistry is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
56,647 degree recipients
China
54,690 degree recipients
Korea
12,244 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Sri Lanka
4.93 times more than expected
China
3.81 times more than expected
USSR
3.75 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Sri Lanka that hold Physical Sciences degrees (4.93 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (56,647 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Chemistry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chemistry majors need many skills, but most especially Science. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chemistry majors need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Equipment Selection, and Repairing.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Chemistry majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Equipment Maintenance is very distinctive for majors, but the Science, Reading Comprehension, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Chemistry

About

Institutions

Institutions

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

Specialized Colleges

Degrees Awarded by County

Employment

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

Highest Paying Locations

Most Common

Most Specialized

Highest Paid

Occupations by Share

Most Common

Highest Paid

Industries by Share

Specialty Locations

Diversity

Workforce Age

Degrees Awarded

Workforce Degrees

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Global Diversity

Skills

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Keep Exploring