Salary report · 2026 to date
Science & Lab jobs in United States advertised a median of $107K a year in 2026 (middle half $74K–$143K), from 298 job postings on JobRipe. Figures come only from pay ranges employers published; estimates are never counted.
Number of postings by yearly midpoint. The first and last bands also hold the lowest and highest 5%.
Every row rests on at least 5 postings; groups with fewer are left out.
| Level | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $65K – $124K | $104K | $50.12 | 22 |
| Mid level | $67K – $138K | $103K | $49.49 | 202 |
| Senior | $100K – $148K | $141K | $67.73 | 37 |
| Staff/Principal | $170K – $270K | $194K | $93.05 | 8 |
| Manager | $89K – $150K | $125K | $59.90 | 26 |
| Workplace | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site | $68K – $139K | $104K |
JobRipe, "What Science & Lab jobs pay in the United States, 2026", https://jobripe.com/salary-reports/2026/us/science_lab (24 October 2026).
Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Questions about the data: support@jobripe.com
The median advertised pay is $107K a year (about $51.54 an hour), from 298 job postings on JobRipe that published a pay range between 12 January 2026 and 23 October 2026. Half of them fall between $74K and $143K.
One in ten postings advertised $177K a year or more; one in ten advertised $53K or less.
By median advertised pay, among cities with enough postings: San Francisco $260K; Washington $138K; Atlanta $119K; Location Negotiable After Selection $114K.
| $50.12 |
| 247 |
| Remote | $108K – $156K | $132K | $63.55 | 48 |
| City | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $107K – $166K | $138K | $66.14 | 13 |
| Atlanta | $109K – $129K | $119K | $57.28 | 8 |
| Location Negotiable After Selection | $100K – $160K | $114K | $54.90 | 6 |
| San Francisco | $244K – $312K | $260K | $125 | 5 |
| Company | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | $41K – $59K | $50K | $23.80 | 30 |
| Veterans Health Administration | $75K – $136K | $105K | $50.27 | 29 |
| UT Austin | $104K – $139K | $139K | $66.83 | 13 |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | $81K – $97K | $86K | $41.31 | 11 |
| HSHS | $63K – $77K | $63K | $30.39 | 11 |
| Geological Survey | $122K – $170K | $124K | $59.53 | 9 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $170K – $183K | $178K | $85.80 | 8 |
| Military Treatment Facilities under DHA | $71K – $102K | $84K | $40.17 | 8 |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | $109K – $129K | $129K | $62.23 | 7 |
| Lifelancer | $145K – $145K | $145K | $69.71 | 6 |
| Allina Health | $60K – $93K | $78K | $37.49 | 6 |
| Montefiore | $61K – $90K | $70K | $33.53 | 6 |
| Novartis | $137K – $155K | $141K | $67.79 | 5 |
| National Park Service | $65K – $77K | $71K | $34.01 | 5 |
| SGS | $51K – $61K | $58K | $28.00 | 5 |
| Company size | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-size | $48K – $133K | $112K | $53.73 | 5 |
| Large | $54K – $124K | $71K | $34.00 | 111 |
| Enterprise | $170K – $273K | $222K | $107 | 8 |
| Industry | Middle half (yearly) | Median | ≈ hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | $63K – $139K | $95K | $45.57 | 47 |
| Education | $47K – $86K | $57K | $27.46 | 47 |
| Hardware | $58K – $142K | $81K | $39.07 | 12 |
| Ai | $222K – $308K | $279K | $134 | 6 |
Median advertised pay is $132K for remote postings (48) and $104K for on-site ones (247). Remote and on-site roles also differ in seniority and employer, so this is not a like-for-like comparison.