Career
Chemists
Study substances and create new ones.
$91,240
Median pay
+6.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
5,900
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
- Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
- Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
- Conduct quality control tests.
- Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
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?
“Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $91,240 a year and 5,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- ChemistrySee the degree →
- Chemistry, GeneralCIP 40.0501
- Analytical ChemistryCIP 40.0502
- Inorganic ChemistryCIP 40.0503
- Organic ChemistryCIP 40.0504
- Physical ChemistryCIP 40.0506
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Chemical Engineers$125,040 · +4.7%
- Biochemists and Biophysicists$127,410 · +12.3%
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Microbiologists$87,990 · +6.2%
- Materials Scientists$117,790 · +8.3%
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.