Highest Paying Research Scientists

April 18, 2013
By BioSpace.com

Research science covers a vast variety of scientific disciplines. According to Prospect, these disciplines include neurosciences, plant sciences, physiology, pharmacology, cancer studies, microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, biotechnology, and stem cell research. Although these disciplines are heavily influenced by medicine, they are not the same.

Research scientists are responsible for conducting experiments, analyzing information, and writing reports to explain their findings. This information is used by top scientists and medical professionals to come up with some of the world's leading scientific and medical technology. These innovations are responsible for both preserving and changing lives.

Due to the importance of the scientific research community, the salary opportunities are highly competitive and very lucrative. There are career opportunities for research scientists all over the United States, but certain states have more opportunities, while others have better pay.

Salary information
The pay for research scientists vary depending on several factors. These factors include degree obtained, discipline area, type of employment and location of employment. Research scientists that work within research laboratories or within hospitals often make the most money. According to HubPages, a research scientist makes the most money in the field of physics: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wages for a physicist fall around $53.86 per hour. As far as states with the best scientific jobs with the highest pay, Minnesota's physicists appear to come in first, according to BLS 2012 data, with a wage of $83.12 per hour. Medical scientists earn an average of $87,830 a year, and out of all research scientists, archaeologists appear to earn the least, at $55,890.

If you're looking for a job as a research scientist, you may be wondering which states offer the highest pay. If we arrange the top ten states by the highest-paying research occupation, physicist, the BLS numbers pan out roughly like:

• Minnesota - $172,880


• Louisiana - $154,980


• Hawaii - $153,920


• Florida - $149,010


• Rhode Island - $144,200


• Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Indiana, Georgia, and Kansas: between $123, 820 and $172,000

These numbers, for physicists, may not reflect the reality for all research scientists. Everything will depend on the research specialty and proximity to high-paying facilities: physicists working near government facilities tend to earn more, just as medical scientists will earn more working near big hospital hubs than in small businesses in small towns. For medical scientists, the top five states are

• Idaho - $154,990


• Oklahoma - $131,910


• Illinois - $112,260


• Maine - $108,000


• Connecticut - $107,680

It appears that researchers in general tend to make more up north, near government facilities, or in less populated states with presumably less competition, but again, research specialty will drastically alter research scientist salary. Good luck on the research scientist

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