High paying science jobs in Rhode Island

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Rhode Island. 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 Rhode Island run 2.3% above the national average (2024), so a Rhode Island salary is worth about 0.98× 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 Rhode Island.

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

Find science jobs in Rhode Island

OccupationMedian, Rhode Island · Employed

1Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$107,490
Doctoral or professional degree
$54,500 – $144,700420
2Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$103,370
Doctoral or professional degree
$66,370 – $218,940670
3Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$101,740
Bachelor's degree
$66,800 – $149,350200
4Chemists$101,660
Bachelor's degree
$70,210 – $146,830150
5Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$100,730
Bachelor's degree
$66,420 – $139,050330
6School Psychologists$94,900
Master's degree
$59,640 – $107,360210
7Urban and Regional Planners$90,210
Master's degree
$59,990 – $115,160160
8Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$69,630
Associate's degree
$49,660 – $110,030210
9Chemical Technicians$61,680
Associate's degree
$38,060 – $102,540190
10Social Science Research Assistants$51,420
Bachelor's degree
$41,990 – $99,720220

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

#	Occupation	MedianRhode Island	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$107,490	$54,500 – $144,700	420
2	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$103,370	$66,370 – $218,940	670
3	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$101,740	$66,800 – $149,350	200
4	ChemistsBachelor's degree	$101,660	$70,210 – $146,830	150
5	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$100,730	$66,420 – $139,050	330
6	School PsychologistsMaster's degree	$94,900	$59,640 – $107,360	210
7	Urban and Regional PlannersMaster's degree	$90,210	$59,990 – $115,160	160
8	Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All OtherAssociate's degree	$69,630	$49,660 – $110,030	210
9	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$61,680	$38,060 – $102,540	190
10	Social Science Research AssistantsBachelor's degree	$51,420	$41,990 – $99,720	220

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

Metro areas in Rhode Island

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

Providence-Warwick

By field in Rhode Island

Without a degree

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

High paying science jobs in Rhode Island

More for Rhode Island

Metro areas in Rhode Island

By field in Rhode Island

Without a degree

High paying science jobs in each state