High paying science jobs in Madison, WI

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Madison, WI. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single science job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Madison, WI run 2.7% below the national average (2024), so a Madison, WI salary is worth about 1.03× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find science jobs in Madison, WI

OccupationMedian, Madison, WI · Employed

1Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$107,480
Doctoral or professional degree
$79,940 – $170,370250
2Biochemists and Biophysicists$106,480
Doctoral or professional degree
$85,730 – $158,820150
3Urban and Regional Planners$103,940
Master's degree
$62,380 – $131,450140
4Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$88,830
Bachelor's degree
$56,220 – $109,250140
5Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$86,650
Bachelor's degree
$64,990 – $130,720340
6Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$85,570
Doctoral or professional degree
$62,850 – $133,7701,920
7Conservation Scientists$85,110
Bachelor's degree
$50,750 – $105,100260
8Psychologists, All Other$85,100
Master's degree
$52,800 – $154,260210
9Animal Scientists$84,310
Bachelor's degree
$57,400 – $170,450220
10School Psychologists$83,550
Master's degree
$70,880 – $122,270150
11Chemists$78,730
Bachelor's degree
$52,020 – $109,450780
12Biological Scientists, All Other$77,550
Bachelor's degree
$62,390 – $108,890440
13Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$76,520
Bachelor's degree
$52,600 – $125,970230
14Soil and Plant Scientists$73,510
Bachelor's degree
$53,760 – $98,070220
15Microbiologists$67,940
Bachelor's degree
$53,390 – $109,040270
16Chemical Technicians$60,720
Associate's degree
$45,940 – $83,570270
17Biological Technicians$51,750
Bachelor's degree
$43,940 – $75,5201,310
18Agricultural Technicians$47,030
Associate's degree
$40,340 – $65,760250
19Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$46,540
Associate's degree
$39,730 – $71,930180

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianMadison, WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$107,480	$79,940 – $170,370	250
2	Biochemists and BiophysicistsDoctoral or professional degree	$106,480	$85,730 – $158,820	150
3	Urban and Regional PlannersMaster's degree	$103,940	$62,380 – $131,450	140
4	Social Scientists and Related Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$88,830	$56,220 – $109,250	140
5	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$86,650	$64,990 – $130,720	340
6	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$85,570	$62,850 – $133,770	1,920
7	Conservation ScientistsBachelor's degree	$85,110	$50,750 – $105,100	260
8	Psychologists, All OtherMaster's degree	$85,100	$52,800 – $154,260	210
9	Animal ScientistsBachelor's degree	$84,310	$57,400 – $170,450	220
10	School PsychologistsMaster's degree	$83,550	$70,880 – $122,270	150
11	ChemistsBachelor's degree	$78,730	$52,020 – $109,450	780
12	Biological Scientists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$77,550	$62,390 – $108,890	440
13	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$76,520	$52,600 – $125,970	230
14	Soil and Plant ScientistsBachelor's degree	$73,510	$53,760 – $98,070	220
15	MicrobiologistsBachelor's degree	$67,940	$53,390 – $109,040	270
16	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$60,720	$45,940 – $83,570	270
17	Biological TechniciansBachelor's degree	$51,750	$43,940 – $75,520	1,310
18	Agricultural TechniciansAssociate's degree	$47,030	$40,340 – $65,760	250
19	Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All OtherAssociate's degree	$46,540	$39,730 – $71,930	180

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Madison, WI. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Madison, WI

Other metro areas in WI

By field in Madison, WI

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Madison, WI to rank honestly.

High paying science jobs in Madison, WI

More for Madison, WI

Other metro areas in WI

By field in Madison, WI

Without a degree

High paying science jobs in each state