Career
Physicists
Study how matter and energy behave.
$172,250
Median pay
+7.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,300
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
- Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
- Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
- Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
- Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $172,250 a year and 1,300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Public HealthSee the degree →
- PhysicsSee the degree →
- Engineering Physics/Applied PhysicsCIP 14.1201
- AstrophysicsCIP 40.0202
- Physics, GeneralCIP 40.0801
- Atomic/Molecular PhysicsCIP 40.0802
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Mathematicians$126,710 · +0.6%
- Astronomers$128,820 · +7.8%
- Physics Teachers, Postsecondary$100,310 · +2.4%
- Data Scientists$120,230 · +34.6%
- Biochemists and Biophysicists$127,410 · +12.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.