Typical Starting Salaries for Physics PhDs

Credit: AIP Statistics, aip.org/statistics

Data represents only US-educated PhDs who remained in the US after earning their degrees. The full starting salary range is represented by the lines extending to each side of the box. The box represents th middle 50% (25th to 75th percentile) of the salaries. The vertical line within the box represents the median starting salary for the sector. Government Lab includes federally funded research and development centers, e.g., Los Alamos National Laboratory. UARI is university affiliated research institute. The data for PhDs holding potentially permanent positions in academia include salaries based on 9-10 and 11-12 month commitments and have not been adjusted. Data are based on respondents holding potentially permanent positions in the private sector (214) and in universities and 4-year colleges (30), postdocs in government labs (78) and universities and UARIs (257), and "other temporary positions" in universities and 4-year colleges (24).