The average annual salary for chemists in the U.S. is about $30,000 more than the average salary for ... [+] all occupations in the country.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, there are currently 95,800 chemist and materials scientist jobs in the United States, with chemists comprising 84,560 of them, according to the BLSs Occupational Employment Statistics. This popular science career is projected to grow by 4% from 2018 to 2018, which is about as fast as the average rate for all occupations in the U.S.

Using occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we've analyzed and compiled an overview of the average chemist salary by state in the U.S. Read on for a full breakdown of where chemists make the most money, and where they're making the least.

The national average annual wage of a chemist is $83,850, according to the BLS, which is over $30,000 more than the average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. However, that average salary is for the U.S. overall, which hides significant differences depending on geography, such as the state you reside in.

Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for chemists:

Maryland easily takes the No. 1 spot, boasting an average chemist salary of $116,060, up 7.2% from 2013, when it was $108,290. In fact, Maryland is the only state where chemists have earned more than $100,000 on average every year from 2013 to 2018. Meanwhile, No. 3 Virginia has seen impressive growth in chemist salaries. The average chemist salary there increased by 22.1%, from $80,800 in 2013 to $98,670 in 2018.

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The bottom-10 states where chemists make the least money tend to be ones less densely populated, and often laying in the U.S. South, Midwest or the Mountain states of the West. Check them out below, with No. 1 being the lowest-paying state:

For some of these states, the prospects for chemists is actually looking better, despite current below-average salaries. For instance, in South Dakota, the average chemist salary has risen by 16.6% over the last five years, from $53,640 in 2013 to $62,550 in 2018. In West Virginia too, chemist salaries have experienced healthy growth (17.5%) since 2013.

Below youll find the average annual wage for chemists in all 50 states from 2013 to 2018. The state with the greatest growth in chemist salaries is Hawaii. From $59,420 in 2013, the average chemist salary grew by 28.7%, reaching $76,480 in 2018. Texas comes in second in this regard, with wages growing 27.9% from 2013 to 2018.

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Heres How Much Money Chemists Make In Every State - Forbes