High paying science jobs in Pennsylvania

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania run 2.4% below the national average (2024), so a Pennsylvania salary is worth about 1.02× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Pennsylvania.

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

Find science jobs in Pennsylvania

OccupationMedian, Pennsylvania · Employed

1Biochemists and Biophysicists$134,090
Doctoral or professional degree
$82,890 – $172,8202,750
2Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$99,190
Doctoral or professional degree
$61,490 – $214,69012,630
3Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$91,870
Doctoral or professional degree
$61,340 – $175,4103,140
4Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$87,050
Bachelor's degree
$60,270 – $132,2504,890
5School Psychologists$82,190
Master's degree
$62,550 – $118,4402,600
6Chemists$77,090
Bachelor's degree
$49,800 – $144,8606,800
7Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$76,110
Bachelor's degree
$50,660 – $125,5203,020
8Chemical Technicians$59,420
Associate's degree
$41,090 – $85,8902,710
9Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$57,680
Associate's degree
$41,810 – $92,8102,630
10Biological Technicians$54,950
Bachelor's degree
$43,270 – $80,5302,820

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

#	Occupation	MedianPennsylvania	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Biochemists and BiophysicistsDoctoral or professional degree	$134,090	$82,890 – $172,820	2,750
2	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$99,190	$61,490 – $214,690	12,630
3	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$91,870	$61,340 – $175,410	3,140
4	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$87,050	$60,270 – $132,250	4,890
5	School PsychologistsMaster's degree	$82,190	$62,550 – $118,440	2,600
6	ChemistsBachelor's degree	$77,090	$49,800 – $144,860	6,800
7	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$76,110	$50,660 – $125,520	3,020
8	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$59,420	$41,090 – $85,890	2,710
9	Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All OtherAssociate's degree	$57,680	$41,810 – $92,810	2,630
10	Biological TechniciansBachelor's degree	$54,950	$43,270 – $80,530	2,820

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Pennsylvania

Without a degree

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

High paying science jobs in Pennsylvania

More for Pennsylvania

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

By field in Pennsylvania

Without a degree

High paying science jobs in each state