Chemists
SOC 19-2031 · 2024-2034
Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $100,599per year
- Projected openings
- 7,770
- Projected change
- +7.9%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Writing
- Mathematics
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $136,407 | 560 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $120,502 | 960 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $112,948 | 390 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $101,280 | 990 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $99,949 | 70 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $99,944 | 50 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $94,685 | 60 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $93,124 | 150 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $90,998 | 340 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $89,159 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $86,464 | 1,340 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $85,810 | 280 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $85,451 | 40 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $83,386 | 70 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $82,801 | 70 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $82,020 | 50 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $81,457 | 820 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $81,291 | 150 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $79,555 | 20 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $71,368 | 70 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Engineers | Not reported | 1,130 | 0% |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | $143,487 | 3,050 | +11.8% |
| Microbiologists | $111,568 | 2,400 | +11.1% |
| Materials Scientists | $181,986 | 840 | +9.1% |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | $131,902 | 1,870 | +10.7% |
| Materials Engineers | $132,066 | 2,060 | +10% |