Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-2031

Best degree programs for Chemists, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Chemist?

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 18,075 degrees in 2024-25, 93.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemist?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry, Pharmacy, Materials Sciences. Together they graduate about 19,385 people a year.

Q: How much do chemists earn?

The median is $91,240 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $58,460 at the 10th percentile to $160,830 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: Is demand for chemists growing?

BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,191 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 13 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Q: What other job titles do chemists work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemist, Scientist, Research Chemist, Analytical Chemist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2031.

13 college programs and 1,191 schools train Chemists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $91,240 median wage, 82,770 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

13 college programs at 1,191 schools train chemists, graduating 19,385 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Chemistry, General. The job pays a median of $91,240 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

19,385

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$91,240

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+4.9%

About as fast as average

Openings / yr

6,300

new plus replacement

Schools

1,191

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About chemists

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.

Also calledChemistScientistResearch ChemistAnalytical ChemistOil ExpertMix ChemistAstrochemistCoal ChemistFood ChemistSoil ChemistBench ChemistDairy Chemist

Background

A chemist is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms. Chemists carefully measure substance proportions, chemical reaction rates, and other chemical properties. In Commonwealth English, pharmacists are often called chemists.

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

1,168 schools · 11 specializations · 98.7% of pipeline

Grad earnings $42,620

Health Professions And Related Programs

CIP 51.20

Pharmacy

188graduates / yr

29 schools · 1 specialization · 1.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $48,728

6 schools · 1 specialization · 0.1% of pipeline

Grad earnings $72,216

13 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Chemistry, Generalmain feeder CIP 40.0501	18,075	93.2%	1,168	$42,620	$23,900
2	Chemistry, Othermain feeder CIP 40.0599	551	2.8%	58	$42,620	$23,900
3	Forensic Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0510	353	1.8%	30	$42,620	$23,900
4	Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry CIP 51.2004	188	1.0%	29	$48,728	$23,761
5	Polymer Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0507	72	0.4%	7	$42,620	$23,900
6	Chemical Physicsmain feeder CIP 40.0508	42	0.2%	13	$42,620	$23,900
7	Analytical Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0502	38	0.2%	8	$42,620	$23,900
8	Environmental Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0509	19	0.1%	10	$42,620	$23,900
9	Materials Chemistry CIP 40.1002	16	0.1%	6	$72,216	$24,750
10	Organic Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0504	9	0.0%	2	$42,620	$23,900
11	Physical Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0506	9	0.0%	4	$42,620	$23,900
12	Theoretical Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0511	9	0.0%	3	$42,620	$23,900
13	Inorganic Chemistrymain feeder CIP 40.0503	4	0.0%	1	$42,620	$23,900

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	251	Chemistry, General	88%	—	61%
2	University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	234	Chemistry, General	93%	—	11%
3	University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	229	Chemistry, General	86%	—	27%
4	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	222	Chemistry, General	91%	—	24%
5	Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	193	Chemistry, General	83%	—	50%
6	University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	192	Chemistry, General	87%	—	29%
7	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	191	Chemistry, General	90%	—	45%
8	University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	172	Chemistry, General	96%	—	17%
9	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 3 feeder programs	171	Chemistry, General	93%	—	16%
10	University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	165	Chemistry, General	93%	—	9%
11	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs	163	Chemistry, General	85%	—	42%
12	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	156	Chemistry, General	84%	—	57%
13	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	155	Chemistry, General	91%	—	15%
14	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	153	Chemistry, General	89%	—	27%
15	University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	153	Chemistry, General	96%	$13,333	4%
16	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 2 feeder programs	145	Chemistry, General	85%	—	80%
17	Emory University Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	139	Chemistry, General	91%	$20,586	11%
18	Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	138	Chemistry, General	65%	—	85%
19	Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	126	Chemistry, General	98%	$15,013	4%
20	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs	124	Chemistry, General	85%	—	39%
21	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	121	Forensic Chemistry	68%	—	90%
22	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	112	Chemistry, General	76%	—	49%
23	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	108	Chemistry, General	88%	$29,023	9%
24	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 3 feeder programs	104	Chemistry, General	86%	—	42%
25	Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs	102	Chemistry, General	58%	—	81%
26	Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	80%	—	78%
27	Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	98%	$13,729	5%
28	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	97%	$22,055	5%
29	Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	96	Chemistry, General	95%	$17,613	9%
30	University of Oregon Eugene, OR Public · 1 feeder programs	94	Chemistry, General	72%	—	88%
31	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	94	Chemistry, General	86%	—	55%
32	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs	92	Chemistry, General	53%	—	55%
33	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	92	Chemistry, General	83%	—	33%
34	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	92	Chemistry, General	85%	—	58%
35	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs	90	Chemistry, General	73%	—	77%
36	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	83	Chemistry, General	77%	—	43%
37	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	82	Chemistry, General	86%	—	24%
38	University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	82	Chemistry, General	76%	—	76%
39	Yale University New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	82	Chemistry, General	96%	$27,025	4%
40	University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	55%	—	72%
41	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	75%	—	77%
42	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	63%	—	93%
43	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	79	Forensic Chemistry	60%	—	82%
44	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	77	Chemistry, General	96%	$15,315	4%
45	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	77	Chemistry, General	57%	—	54%
46	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	77	Chemistry, General	74%	—	55%
47	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	77	Chemistry, General	85%	—	42%
48	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	76	Chemistry, General	94%	$11,888	6%
49	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	74	Chemistry, General	86%	—	61%
50	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 2 feeder programs	74	Chemistry, General	75%	—	84%

What chemists earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$91,240

Mean annual

$100,450

Median hourly

$43.87/hr

People employed

82,770

What the range looks like

10th pct$58,460Median$91,24090th pct$160,830

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$144,680median

2,490 jobs

Bay City, MI

$132,480median

250 jobs

Lexington Park, MD

$131,810median

60 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$127,790median

2,180 jobs

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

$127,290median

2,960 jobs

Midland, TX

$131,860median

70 jobs

Albuquerque, NM

$126,960median

180 jobs

Lake Charles, LA

$128,330median

180 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+4.9%

About as fast as average

Openings per year

6,300

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

4,300

86,800 → 91,000

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
California	$97,860	9,820	1.01×	132	2,820
Texas	$99,640	5,130	0.68×	73	1,194
New York	$90,600	4,230	0.82×	76	1,153
Ohio	$85,270	4,010	1.36×	48	939
Pennsylvania	$77,090	6,800	2.11×	80	876
Massachusetts	$125,000	3,430	1.77×	40	857
Illinois	$85,230	3,040	0.94×	39	762
Florida	$82,740	1,490	0.28×	25	710
North Carolina	$82,620	4,530	1.72×	35	708
Virginia	$96,650	1,640	0.75×	31	625
Georgia	$92,750	1,260	0.48×	28	607
Indiana	$78,770	2,480	1.46×	33	576
Michigan	$97,440	3,490	1.49×	32	569
New Jersey	$84,450	5,280	2.31×	27	428
Wisconsin	$78,730	1,920	1.22×	23	417
Minnesota	$99,280	1,680	1.07×	31	410
Missouri	$82,800	1,640	1.05×	29	403
Tennessee	$87,930	960	0.55×	28	362
Maryland	$140,670	2,480	1.69×	19	324
Colorado	$101,980	1,790	1.17×	20	305
Connecticut	$98,140	1,170	1.30×	15	295
Washington	$97,420	2,280	1.21×	15	263
Arizona	$81,730	870	0.50×	13	260
Alabama	$97,830	700	0.62×	18	249
Kentucky	$84,090	530	0.50×	19	249
Oregon	$104,590	730	0.70×	14	248
South Carolina	$79,670	770	0.63×	22	245
Louisiana	$103,890	740	0.72×	16	217
Iowa	$86,100	570	0.69×	23	209
Oklahoma	$74,960	630	0.70×	17	193
Utah	$80,770	910	0.98×	10	175
Kansas	$82,820	690	0.90×	15	162
Arkansas	$75,570	380	0.55×	14	152
Mississippi	$80,060	200	0.33×	17	150
Nebraska	$74,890	350	0.64×	12	117
District of Columbia	$149,860	280	0.74×	7	97
West Virginia	$85,560	180	0.49×	10	97
Idaho	$78,000	320	0.71×	10	79
Montana	$61,890	300	1.10×	6	78
New Mexico	$126,960	280	0.61×	8	73
Rhode Island	$101,660	150	0.55×	6	73
New Hampshire	$100,050	300	0.84×	5	65
South Dakota	$67,440	170	0.70×	6	61
Delawarelimited	$129,860	1,200	4.65×	2	60
Maine	$64,440	140	0.41×	5	53
Nevadamoderate	$81,170	280	0.34×	3	52
Vermontmoderate	$86,120	80	0.47×	4	50
North Dakota	$97,330	160	0.69×	6	45
Hawaiimoderate	$84,150	140	0.42×	3	28
Wyominglimited	$102,000	80	0.53×	2	26
Alaskalimited	$106,010	60	0.35×	2	5

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
Conduct quality control tests.
Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.
Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests.
Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.

Skills

Science4.1
Critical Thinking4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Speaking3.9
Writing3.8
Active Listening3.8
Mathematics3.8
Active Learning3.6

Knowledge areas

Chemistry4.9
English Language4.0
Mathematics3.8
Production and Processing3.5
Computers and Electronics3.4
Administration and Management3.4

Abilities

Oral Comprehension4.0
Written Comprehension4.0
Inductive Reasoning4.0
Deductive Reasoning4.0
Oral Expression4.0
Written Expression4.0

Core activities

Documenting/Recording Information4.4
Analyzing Data or Information4.2
Getting Information4.1
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.1
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.1
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.0

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

ChotC++hotExtensible markup language XMLhotHypertext markup language HTMLhotMicrosoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft VisiohotMicrosoft Visual Basichot

How to get in

How to become a Chemist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 14 majors mapped to Chemists13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

40.0501Chemistry, General
40.0502Analytical Chemistry
40.0503Inorganic Chemistry
40.0504Organic Chemistry
40.0506Physical Chemistry
40.0507Polymer Chemistry
40.0508Chemical Physics
40.0509Environmental Chemistry
40.0510Forensic Chemistry
40.0511Theoretical Chemistry
40.0512Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics(no graduates reported)
40.0599Chemistry, Other
40.1002Materials Chemistry
51.2004Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

17-2041

Chemical Engineers

$125,04021,070 jobs+2.6%

19-1021

Biochemists and Biophysicists

$127,41033,830 jobs+5.8%

19-1022

Microbiologists

$87,99018,940 jobs+4.1%

19-2032

Materials Scientists

$117,7908,470 jobs+4.9%

17-2131

Materials Engineers

$112,86022,770 jobs+5.7%

17-2031

Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers

$109,37023,480 jobs+5.2%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Chemist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 18,075 degrees in 2024-25, 93.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry, Pharmacy, Materials Sciences. Together they graduate about 19,385 people a year.

How much do chemists earn?+

The median is $91,240 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $58,460 at the 10th percentile to $160,830 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for chemists growing?+

BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

1,191 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 13 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do chemists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemist, Scientist, Research Chemist, Analytical Chemist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2031.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Chemists by stateCalifornia Texas New York Ohio Pennsylvania Massachusetts Illinois Florida North Carolina Virginia Georgia Indiana

Programs that lead hereChemistry Pharmacy Materials Sciences

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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