Astronomers & physicists

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2019 Workforce

14.6k

Average Age

49.7

Average Salary

$121,304

Average Male Salary

$123,264

Average Female Salary

$105,749

About

Astronomers & physicists are most often employed by the Scientific research & development services industry. The average yearly wage for Astronomers & physicists was $121,304 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Astronomers & physicists by wage are Computer & information systems managers, Sales managers, and Software developers.

Astronomers & physicists are part of the Life, physical, & social science occupations, along with Agricultural & food scientists, Biological scientists, Conservation scientists & foresters, Medical scientists, & life scientists, all other, Astronomers & physicists, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Astronomers & physicists are Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA and Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Astronomers & physicists are Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA and Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Life, physical, & social science occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Astronomers & physicists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Scientific research & development services is the industry that employs the most Astronomers & physicists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Astronomers & physicists, by average wage, is Scientific research & development services. Astronomers & physicists are paid most in Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$121,304

AVERAGE SALARY

± $13,218

In 2019, Astronomers & physicists earned an average of $121,304, $65,780 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Computer & information systems managers make somewhat more than Astronomers & physicists while Software developers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Astronomers & physicists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.357

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Astronomers & physicists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.357, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Astronomers & physicists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Astronomers & physicists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Astronomers & physicists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Astronomers & physicists.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Astronomers & physicists, by number of employees, are Scientific research & development services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, National security & international affairs, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Administration of economic programs & space research, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Astronomers & physicists, by average wage, are Scientific research & development services, National security & international affairs, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Industries by Share

14.6k

2019 Workforce

± 2,962

41.4%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 22.4%

The number of people employed as Astronomers & physicists has been growing at a rate of 41.4%, from 10,294 people in 2018 to 14,553 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Astronomers & physicists employed by various industries. Scientific research & development services employs the largest share of Astronomers & physicists at 28.8%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 28.1% and National security & international affairs with 6.64%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Astronomers & physicists in the US. The average age of male Astronomers & physicists in the workforce is 50.5 and of female Astronomers & physicists is 43.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Astronomers & physicists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

12.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,791

1.63k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 991

88.8% of Astronomers & physicists are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Astronomers & physicists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Astronomers & physicists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

85.6% of Astronomers & physicists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.64% of Astronomers & physicists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Astronomers & physicists.

Age by Sex

50.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 3.34

43.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 6.54

The median age of Astronomers & physicists is 49.7, and Male employees are generally 7.19 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Astronomers & physicists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Astronomers & physicists is Physical Sciences but a relatively high number of Astronomers & physicists hold a major in Physical Sciences.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Astronomers & physicists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Astronomers & physicists need many skills, but most especially Science, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Astronomers & physicists need more than the average amount of Science, Programming, and Technology Design.