JobAfterNext

Chemists

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

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$91,240
Employment, U.S.82,770
Median hourly wage$43.87
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$58,460$69,460$91,240$125,550$160,830
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama700$97,8300.62
Alaska60$106,0100.35
Arizona870$81,7300.50
Arkansas380$75,5700.55
California9,820$97,8601.01
Colorado1,790$101,9801.17
Connecticut1,170$98,1401.30
Delaware1,200$129,8604.65
District of Columbia280$149,8600.74
Florida1,490$82,7400.28
Georgia1,260$92,7500.48
Hawaii140$84,1500.42
Idaho320$78,0000.71
Illinois3,040$85,2300.94
Indiana2,480$78,7701.46
Iowa570$86,1000.69
Kansas690$82,8200.90
Kentucky530$84,0900.50
Louisiana740$103,8900.72
Maine140$64,4400.41
Maryland2,480$140,6701.69
Massachusetts3,430$125,0001.77
Michigan3,490$97,4401.49
Minnesota1,680$99,2801.07
Mississippi200$80,0600.33
Missouri1,640$82,8001.05
Montana300$61,8901.10
Nebraska350$74,8900.64
Nevada280$81,1700.34
New Hampshire300$100,0500.84
New Jersey5,280$84,4502.31
New Mexico280$126,9600.61
New York4,230$90,6000.82
North Carolina4,530$82,6201.72
North Dakota160$97,3300.69
Ohio4,010$85,2701.36
Oklahoma630$74,9600.70
Oregon730$104,5900.70
Pennsylvania6,800$77,0902.11
Rhode Island150$101,6600.55
South Carolina770$79,6700.63
South Dakota170$67,4400.70
Tennessee960$87,9300.55
Texas5,130$99,6400.68
Utah910$80,7700.98
Vermont80$86,1200.47
Virginia1,640$96,6500.75
Washington2,280$97,4201.21
West Virginia180$85,5600.49
Wisconsin1,920$78,7301.22
Wyoming80$102,0000.53

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Chemical Technicians30.966
2Nanosystems Engineers50.961
3Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians40.955
4Food Scientists and Technologists40.955
5Microbiologists40.954
6Quality Control Analysts30.953
7Biochemists and Biophysicists50.952
8Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians40.951
9Hydrologists40.951
10Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health40.950

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Chemists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Chemical TechniciansOperation and Control0.880.966
MicrobiologistsTime Management0.760.954
Materials ScientistsOperations Analysis1.000.947
Fuel Cell EngineersSystems Analysis0.870.947
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development ManagersPersuasion1.000.946
Materials EngineersOperations Analysis1.240.946
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthNegotiation1.000.940
Validation EngineersOperations Analysis1.120.938
Petroleum EngineersSocial Perceptiveness0.870.938
Industrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansTechnology Design2.250.923

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Chemists, excluding software Chemists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
Python10 of 203.5x
GAEA Technologies WinSieve3 of 2046.2x
The MathWorks MATLAB8 of 203.3x
Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST3 of 2023.1x
Dassault Systemes Abaqus3 of 2019.8x
Structure query language SQL4 of 208.8x
Database software9 of 202.5x
HEC-RAS3 of 2015.4x
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN4 of 206.2x
Wolfram Research Mathematica4 of 206.2x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
ScienceEssential skill 4.12 5.12
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.00 5.00
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.25
SpeakingEssential skill 3.88 4.12
WritingEssential skill 3.75 4.62
MathematicsEssential skill 3.75 4.50
Active ListeningEssential skill 3.75 4.00
Active LearningEssential skill 3.62 4.25
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.62 4.12
MonitoringEssential skill 3.50 3.88
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.25 3.50
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 3.25 3.38
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.12 3.38
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.12 3.25
InstructingTransferable skill 3.00 3.50
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.00 3.12
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.00 3.00
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 3.00 2.88
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 2.75
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 2.88 2.62
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.75 3.00
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 2.75 2.50
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 2.50 2.88
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 2.50 2.50
PersuasionTransferable skill 2.50 2.38
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.50 2.38
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.25 2.25
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 2.25 2.12
NegotiationTransferable skill 2.12 2.00
RepairingTransferable skill 2.12 2.00
ProgrammingTransferable skill 2.12 1.88
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.50
Technology DesignTransferable skill 1.62 1.00
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Chemistry 4.92 5.98
English Language 4.01 4.12
Mathematics 3.79 4.55
Production and Processing 3.46 3.60
Computers and Electronics 3.39 4.31
Administration and Management 3.39 3.49
Administrative 3.34 4.23
Physics 3.15 3.72
Engineering and Technology 2.98 3.39
Mechanical 2.70 2.73
Education and Training 2.69 3.87
Law and Government 2.64 3.23
Public Safety and Security 2.59 2.72
Customer and Personal Service 2.57 2.46
Biology 2.42 2.97
Design 2.08 2.33
Transportation 2.05 2.00
Personnel and Human Resources 2.00 1.92
Economics and Accounting 2.00 1.35
Psychology 1.94 2.29
Sales and Marketing 1.81 1.50
Communications and Media 1.78 2.01
Foreign Language 1.65 1.68
Philosophy and Theology 1.62 1.17
Geography 1.59 1.49
Sociology and Anthropology 1.47 1.02
Medicine and Dentistry 1.45 0.66
History and Archeology 1.39 0.79
Telecommunications 1.37 0.57
Food Production 1.35not rated
Building and Construction 1.32not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.22not rated
Fine Arts 1.14not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Expression 4.00 5.00
Deductive Reasoning 4.00 4.88
Inductive Reasoning 4.00 4.88
Oral Comprehension 4.00 4.88
Written Comprehension 4.00 4.88
Written Expression 4.00 4.88
Category Flexibility 3.88 4.38
Information Ordering 3.88 4.25
Problem Sensitivity 3.88 4.12
Near Vision 3.88 4.00
Mathematical Reasoning 3.75 4.12
Number Facility 3.62 4.12
Flexibility of Closure 3.38 3.50
Speech Recognition 3.25 3.50
Fluency of Ideas 3.12 3.62
Speech Clarity 3.12 3.62
Visual Color Discrimination 3.12 3.50
Perceptual Speed 3.12 3.00
Visualization 3.00 3.50
Originality 3.00 3.38
Finger Dexterity 3.00 3.25
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.00 3.00
Selective Attention 3.00 3.00
Memorization 2.75 2.88
Manual Dexterity 2.75 2.62
Time Sharing 2.75 2.38
Control Precision 2.62 2.88
Far Vision 2.62 2.88
Speed of Closure 2.62 2.88
Trunk Strength 2.25 2.25
Multilimb Coordination 2.25 2.12
Hearing Sensitivity 2.12 2.25
Auditory Attention 2.00 2.25
Depth Perception 2.00 2.00
Reaction Time 1.88 1.38
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.88 1.12
Response Orientation 1.75 1.38
Static Strength 1.75 1.38
Extent Flexibility 1.75 0.88
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.62 0.75
Rate Control 1.62 0.62
Stamina 1.62 0.62
Gross Body Coordination 1.38 0.50
Dynamic Strength 1.38 0.38
Explosive Strength 1.25not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 72
  • ChemSW Laboratory Document Control System LDCS
  • ChemSW Mass Spec Tools
  • ChemSW Molecular Modeling Pro
  • ChemSW Uncertainty Pro
  • Chemical kinetics software
  • Conversion tools software
  • CrystalMaker
  • Crystallography software
  • Density functional theory DFT software
  • Digital imaging software
  • Gas chromatograph GS software
  • Gaussian software
  • Graphics software
  • Hypercube HyperChem
  • ItemTracker
  • JDA Arthur KnowledgeBase database
  • LabTrack Electronic Lab Notebook
  • Laboratory information management system LIMS
  • Logger software
  • MSI Insight/Discover
  • Minitab
  • Modeling software
  • MolDraw
  • Molecular simulation software
  • Molsearch Pro
  • Multi-functional calculators
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • NeoOffice
  • Network Science IR Mentor Pro
  • Organic synthesis planning software
  • Q-Chem
  • SAS JMP
  • SciQuest PE TurboChrom
  • Siemens SHELXTL
  • Statistical software
  • Surface modeling software
  • Synthematix StructureSearch
  • UBI Biotracker
  • Vogel Scientific Software Group CALACO
  • Waters Empower Chromatography Data Software
  • Waters Millennium32
  • Wavefunction Spartan

Where it concentrates

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Bay City, MI25013.84$132,480
Midland, MI24011.92$105,710
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC1,1406.24$81,580
Boulder, CO5004.84$105,590
Bloomington, IN1904.78$77,080
Wilmington, NC4003.97$78,130
Trenton-Princeton, NJ4803.73$81,500
Lima, OH1003.61$72,570
Madison, WI7803.58$78,730
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI2303.56$105,220

More metros, other thresholds