Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations in Virginia, 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 Virginia. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in Virginia
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 19-0000 |
| Employment | 44,310 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 10.901 |
| Location quotient | 1.16 |
| Mean annual wage | $100,250 |
| Median annual wage | $82,850 |
| Mean hourly wage | $48.2 |
| Median hourly wage | $39.83 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $47,880 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $61,990 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $125,820 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $173,180 |
Detailed occupations in this group in Virginia
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in Virginia, 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 Virginia.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 4,660 | $95,080 | $123,100 | $61,990 | $192,510 | $45.71 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 4,390 | $144,320 | $146,370 | $85,820 | $212,160 | $69.39 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 3,820 | $81,690 | $86,980 | $51,520 | $127,440 | $39.28 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | 2,930 | $61,470 | $64,560 | $40,030 | $98,450 | $29.56 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 2,700 | $78,140 | $86,910 | $56,310 | $128,940 | $37.57 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 1,950 | $83,370 | $94,040 | $60,800 | $134,750 | $40.08 |
| Biological Technicians | 1,950 | $49,250 | $53,530 | $37,900 | $70,400 | $23.68 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | 1,710 | $81,750 | $89,380 | $59,230 | $126,030 | $39.3 |
| Physical Scientists, All Other | 1,560 | $128,040 | $132,380 | $61,990 | $194,500 | $61.56 |
| Chemists | 1,340 | $99,810 | $104,720 | $57,780 | $159,330 | $47.99 |
| Physicists | 1,260 | $164,180 | $163,990 | $99,920 | # | $78.93 |
| School Psychologists | 1,170 | $81,030 | $88,930 | $56,700 | $127,760 | $38.96 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 1,150 | $49,130 | $53,210 | $35,890 | $72,960 | $23.62 |
| Chemical Technicians | 1,070 | $50,660 | $55,890 | $36,870 | $80,930 | $24.36 |
| Economists | 970 | $148,010 | $149,770 | $79,100 | $218,880 | $71.16 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | 810 | $59,340 | $59,800 | $36,500 | $81,980 | $28.53 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | 740 | $62,860 | $73,340 | $46,900 | $107,210 | $30.22 |
| Conservation Scientists | 720 | $67,200 | $81,550 | $40,130 | $135,060 | $32.31 |
| Political Scientists | 660 | $163,950 | $154,860 | $87,320 | $191,880 | $78.82 |
| Psychologists, All Other | 510 | $125,630 | $121,130 | $50,170 | $167,630 | $60.4 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 510 | $50,160 | $53,360 | $36,920 | $71,060 | $24.11 |
| Life Scientists, All Other | 460 | $96,970 | $95,450 | $59,960 | $129,670 | $46.62 |
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | 370 | $66,550 | $71,720 | $47,810 | $102,860 | $32 |
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | 350 | $43,330 | $49,860 | $35,630 | $73,920 | $20.83 |
| Foresters | 350 | $69,250 | $73,170 | $46,510 | $99,600 | $33.29 |
| Nuclear Technicians | 320 | $106,270 | $103,960 | $71,340 | $135,200 | $51.09 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 310 | $94,160 | $104,600 | $51,860 | $166,470 | $45.27 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | 260 | $66,410 | $70,110 | $41,810 | $102,500 | $31.93 |
| Epidemiologists | 240 | $84,490 | $95,940 | $59,960 | $147,260 | $40.62 |
| Food Science Technicians | 240 | $59,110 | $59,140 | $46,270 | $76,690 | $28.42 |
| Agricultural Technicians | 230 | $38,100 | $43,570 | $29,750 | $63,220 | $18.32 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 220 | $71,030 | $79,760 | $48,280 | $116,350 | $34.15 |
| Historians | 180 | $94,060 | $103,230 | $61,150 | $157,980 | $45.22 |
| Materials Scientists | 160 | $118,820 | $117,890 | $60,370 | $174,840 | $57.13 |
| Microbiologists | 160 | $88,080 | $99,870 | $48,350 | $171,910 | $42.34 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 150 | $111,920 | $124,270 | $51,500 | $191,880 | $53.81 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 130 | $109,230 | $114,360 | $63,120 | $165,610 | $52.51 |
| Survey Researchers | 130 | $54,550 | $63,970 | $38,510 | $99,640 | $26.23 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 80 | $82,120 | $87,760 | $62,480 | $126,260 | $39.48 |
| Hydrologic Technicians | 40 | $51,150 | $58,250 | $39,560 | $89,460 | $24.59 |
| Hydrologists | 40 | $125,900 | $114,410 | $60,180 | $149,410 | $60.53 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | ** | $87,110 | $105,480 | $60,120 | $201,760 | $41.88 |
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=51&OCC_CODE=19-0000. the group row is AREA 51 / OCC_CODE 19-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 51 / 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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