Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations in Illinois, May 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. BLS sorts every occupation into one of 22 major groups; this is the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations group in Illinois. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in Illinois
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 19-0000 |
| Employment | 42,610 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 7.026 |
| Location quotient | 0.75 |
| Mean annual wage | $87,400 |
| Median annual wage | $78,430 |
| Mean hourly wage | $42.02 |
| Median hourly wage | $37.71 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $43,240 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $58,820 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $105,790 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $142,060 |
Detailed occupations in this group in Illinois
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in Illinois, sorted by employment. Rows where BLS publishes no employment estimate (**) come last. Click a column heading to sort. A cell that reads “not published annually” or “not published hourly” means BLS publishes that row on the other basis only. A cell showing * or # is BLS’s own footnote symbol, explained below the table. Each row is that occupation’s own BLS record for Illinois.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 4,810 | $78,430 | $91,900 | $48,540 | $157,530 | $37.71 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 3,470 | $97,470 | $106,360 | $44,150 | $170,450 | $46.86 |
| School Psychologists | 3,440 | $80,220 | $85,660 | $59,290 | $119,250 | $38.57 |
| Chemists | 3,250 | $97,170 | $99,960 | $59,820 | $154,280 | $46.72 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 2,280 | $96,570 | $96,220 | $60,090 | $131,880 | $46.43 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | 1,910 | $66,000 | $70,680 | $46,120 | $102,240 | $31.73 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 1,740 | $30,690 | $46,970 | $30,690 | $86,490 | $14.75 |
| Physicists | 1,660 | $131,260 | $130,060 | $78,410 | $207,880 | $63.11 |
| Biological Technicians | 1,450 | $49,710 | $55,260 | $35,730 | $81,420 | $23.9 |
| Chemical Technicians | 1,410 | $61,830 | $68,170 | $47,260 | $100,480 | $29.73 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 1,330 | $89,010 | $97,670 | $52,790 | $164,990 | $42.79 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | 1,190 | $80,140 | $85,550 | $49,990 | $125,010 | $38.53 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 1,090 | $78,600 | $84,120 | $51,070 | $123,970 | $37.79 |
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | 960 | $45,570 | $47,650 | $26,390 | $70,530 | $21.91 |
| Psychologists, All Other | 960 | $81,270 | $92,810 | $32,830 | $162,330 | $39.07 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | 930 | $54,720 | $57,480 | $34,710 | $79,730 | $26.31 |
| Nuclear Technicians | 870 | $102,810 | $95,780 | $62,930 | $120,370 | $49.43 |
| Microbiologists | 840 | $74,350 | $81,310 | $51,430 | $123,480 | $35.74 |
| Conservation Scientists | 730 | $72,550 | $74,990 | $39,540 | $113,030 | $34.88 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 720 | $80,030 | $95,300 | $61,960 | $144,590 | $38.48 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 650 | $94,520 | $99,820 | $65,770 | $134,680 | $45.44 |
| Economists | 590 | $112,790 | $128,330 | $66,930 | $225,440 | $54.23 |
| Physical Scientists, All Other | 560 | $108,630 | $111,720 | $50,260 | $163,700 | $52.23 |
| Materials Scientists | 470 | $120,320 | $121,090 | $79,980 | $168,810 | $57.85 |
| Agricultural Technicians | 420 | $41,580 | $48,220 | $29,120 | $74,220 | $19.99 |
| Food Science Technicians | 390 | $63,730 | $68,670 | $46,550 | $95,210 | $30.64 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | 380 | $117,590 | $106,120 | $57,590 | $147,370 | $56.53 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 320 | * | * | * | * | * |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 320 | $85,420 | $93,810 | $62,770 | $133,590 | $41.07 |
| Survey Researchers | 250 | $92,520 | $95,220 | $39,300 | $166,130 | $44.48 |
| Life Scientists, All Other | 230 | $54,170 | $62,040 | $47,990 | $82,950 | $26.04 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 230 | $54,720 | $58,720 | $35,360 | $82,460 | $26.31 |
| Epidemiologists | 190 | $99,220 | $94,300 | $62,110 | $131,480 | $47.7 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | 170 | $57,770 | $61,680 | $47,270 | $85,590 | $27.78 |
| Foresters | 170 | $75,160 | $77,880 | $50,890 | $111,340 | $36.14 |
| Animal Scientists | 160 | $60,590 | $67,660 | $49,090 | $96,560 | $29.13 |
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | 160 | $78,620 | $80,240 | $48,680 | $108,120 | $37.8 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 150 | $80,570 | $95,440 | $57,490 | $166,030 | $38.74 |
| Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians | 130 | $46,880 | $51,080 | $37,460 | $77,600 | $22.54 |
| Political Scientists | 110 | $98,300 | $100,690 | $71,990 | $136,970 | $47.26 |
| Hydrologists | 90 | $79,790 | $91,650 | $56,530 | $130,830 | $38.36 |
| Geographers | 50 | $91,270 | $91,770 | $59,900 | $126,050 | $43.88 |
| Historians | 30 | $92,020 | $97,660 | $49,940 | $137,750 | $44.24 |
| Hydrologic Technicians | ** | $50,600 | $58,740 | $49,000 | $83,890 | $24.33 |
| Sociologists | ** | $134,730 | $138,640 | $71,180 | $219,640 | $64.77 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | ** | $60,970 | $64,310 | $41,990 | $92,930 | $29.31 |
Symbols (BLS wording, workbook sheet Field Descriptions sheet): ** indicates that an employment estimate is not available · * indicates that a wage estimate is not available · # indicates a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. A wage shown as a symbol is not zero and not a blank: BLS publishes no number there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. Record: state_M2024_dl.xlsx!AREA=17&OCC_CODE=19-0000. the group row is AREA 17 / OCC_CODE 19-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 17 / OCC_CODE 19-xxxx. Reference period: May 2024. Fetched October 2026 from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zip.
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