Salaries 2000: Summary Report

This report provides a summary of the lastest salary data for physicists and related scientists. It is based on a biennial survey of a sample of U.S.-resident members of the AIP Member Societies conducted by the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics (AIP). For the past 20 years, this report series has documented the salary, employment and demographic characteristics of the U.S. members of AIP’s ten Member Societies. This year, the trends include:

The median annual salary for full-time employed society members with PhDs rose to $78,000, with master’s degrees $63,800 and bachelor’s degrees $60,000.

Respondents working in industry, medical services, university affiliated research institutes and universities with 9-10 month contracts reported median salaries 5-14% higher than the median levels in 1998. Larger increases occurred among society members in their early or late careers than among those in mid-careers.

The highest median salaries were reported by society members with PhDs employed in hospitals or medical services, at $100,000. Those working at 4-year colleges with 9-10 month contracts have continued to earn the lowest median salary at $50,000.

Among those employed in industry, PhDs in the Pacific states earn the highest median salary, $98,000. Among PhDs working in academe, those in the East South Central and West North Central states report the lowest median annual salary, $55,000.

Members with postdoctorate appointments at universities and observatories who earned their PhDs within the past two years reported a median salary of $36,000.

The unemployment rate (0.6%) among society members with PhDs is the lowest in the past decade. Part-time employment comprises approximately 3% of the PhD workforce.

Female society members who earned their PhDs within the last 10 years report average salaries comparable to their male colleagues with similar experience. Among PhDs working in government in their early careers, men reported salaries substantially higher than those reported by women. Among late career PhDs working in universities with 9-10 month contracts, women reported salaries substantially higher than those reported by men.

Table 1. 2000 salaries by major employment sector, PhDs. (a)

Employment Sector		Median
Employment Sector		Salary	Age
University (b)	9-10 Month Salary	$68,000	49
University (b)	11-12 Month Salary	$77,000	49
4 Year College	9-10 Month Salary	$50,000	47
Industry/Self-Employed		$90,200	48
Government		$88,700	51
FFR&DC (c)		$96,000	49
Nonprofit		$80,000	47
Hospital/Medical Services (b)		$100,000	50
UARI (c)		$75,700	46

(a) Postdoctorates not included.
(b) Professors working in medical schools are included in hospitals/medical services.
(c) FFR&DCs are Federally Funded Research and Development Centers; UARIs are University Affiliated Research Institutes.

Table 2. 2000 university salaries by selected academic rank and salary base, PhDs. (a)

Academic Rank		Median Salary	Median Age
Professor	9-10 Month Salary	$81,000	57
Professor	11-12 Month Salary	$108,000	59
Associate	9-10 Month Salary	$60,000	43
Associate	11-12 Month Salary	$80,000	46
Assistant	9-10 Month Salary	$49,000	37
Assistant	11-12 Month Salary	$58,300	38
Research Associate (11-12 Month)	Postdoctorates 0-2 years from PhD	$36,000	32
	Postdoctorates 3-4 years from PhD	$36,000	33
	Other Research Staff	$56,000	43

(a) University affiliated research institutes not included.

Methodology

The sample for this survey included a random selection of over a sixth of all U.S.-resident members of the AIP Member Societies as of December 1999. Nearly 15,200 members received questionnaires that were mailed out in May 2000.
The questionnaires asked for information on demographics, educational attainment and employment. Members who did not respond to the initial mailing were sent a second questionnaire in June 2000. Those still not responding received a third questionnaire in July 2000. Over 9,350 respondents completed and returned their questionnaires for a response rate of 62%.

Content of the Full Report

The Membership Sample Survey series monitors the conditions affecting the salaries of the members of the AIP Member Societies. The degree level and years of experience of individuals, and the sector of the economy in which they are employed, have a great impact on these salaries. Geographic region and work activity also influence salaries to a lesser degree.

The majority of AIP Member Society members hold PhDs. Therefore, this report contains more detail on doctorates than other degree levels. Analyses in this report show the salary structures across the employment sectors of universities, industry, and government. This report devotes a section to the effects of academic rank and salary base among those in academe, the predominant employment sector among respondents. The high representation of the industrial sector among all degree levels prompts a section about lower level degrees in industry. Completing the report is a section that compares the salaries, unemployment rates and part-time employment rates of female and male society members. All salary analyses are based upon full-time employed society members unless otherwise specified. Comparisons with data from previous years do not show actual change of individuals, but merely suggest it.

The full report is available for $15 per single copy, $10 each for multiple copies. To order online, go to our publications order form or please call (301) 209-3070 with your credit card information ready. We accept AMEX, VISA or Mastercard. Or please mail checks payable to:

American Institute of Physics
Statistical Research Center
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3843
Attention to: Megan Henly

Please also visit our world-wide-website at: www.aip.org/statistics.

Other Sources for physics salary information

State Level Information A list of state labor departments that collect data on the technological workforce in their states. View List

AAPM Salary Survey Survey of members of the American Association for Physicists in Medicine. For more information, contact Julius Dollison at jdolliso@aip.org

1999 Initial Employment Report: Follow-Up of 1998 Physics Degree Recipients. Report of starting salary information for all degree levels. View Report

Earth & Space Science PhDs, Class of 2000 Survey sponsored by the American Geological Institute and the American Geophysical Union. Report shows intial salaries for recent PhDs in the geosciences. View Report

Maintaining Momentum: High School Physics for a New Millennium Salary Data on Physicists and Teachers working in high schools. For more information, contact Mark McFarling at mmcfarli@aip.org

Latest Employment Data Page

Education & Employment Trends

Publication Order Form

Click on Logo to Return to AIP Home Page
© American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3843
Email: aipinfo@aip.org Phone: 301-209-3100; Fax: 301-209-0843