DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 19,200 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 83,250 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Chemists
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington, DE | $104,728 | +64.8% | 95 | 18 |
| NORTH CHICAGO, IL | $103,000 | +62.1% | 45 | 2 |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,000 | +62.1% | 23 | 12 |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | $101,850 | +60.3% | 32 | 4 |
| South San Francisco, CA | $100,235 | +57.8% | 67 | 27 |
| Mountain View, CA | $99,996 | +57.4% | 11 | 7 |
| MARLBOROUGH, MA | $98,779 | +55.5% | 35 | 11 |
| Redwood City, CA | $97,500 | +53.5% | 27 | 10 |
| Andover, MA | $97,200 | +53% | 12 | 6 |
| St. Paul, MN | $95,590 | +50.5% | 18 | 2 |
| Groton, CT | $94,973 | +49.5% | 14 | 1 |
| Foster City, CA | $93,600 | +47.3% | 29 | 4 |
| Kingsport, TN | $93,026 | +46.4% | 16 | 1 |
| Midland, MI | $91,315 | +43.7% | 64 | 4 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $90,797 | +42.9% | 77 | 16 |
| Freeport, TX | $90,624 | +42.6% | 37 | 1 |
| Collegeville, PA | $90,624 | +42.6% | 13 | 4 |
| Denville, NE | $90,600 | +42.6% | 20 | 3 |
| Fenton, MO | $90,500 | +42.4% | 14 | 5 |
| Tarrytown, NY | $89,990 | +41.6% | 15 | 3 |
| Lake Forest, IL | $89,429 | +40.8% | 12 | 7 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $88,035 | +38.6% | 30 | 17 |
| South Plainfield, NE | $88,000 | +38.5% | 10 | 5 |
| BRIDGETON, MO | $87,950 | +38.4% | 14 | 2 |
| New Castle, DE | $87,500 | +37.7% | 29 | 4 |
| Allison Park, PA | $87,000 | +36.9% | 15 | 1 |
| Round Lake, IL | $86,526 | +36.2% | 10 | 5 |
| San Jose, CA | $86,000 | +35.4% | 29 | 18 |
| Baytown, TX | $85,808 | +35.1% | 18 | 3 |
| Livermore, CA | $85,700 | +34.9% | 28 | 7 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $90,000 | -28.3% | 173 |
| Idaho | $84,100 | +41.4% | 16 |
| District of Columbia | $82,641 | -46.1% | 16 |
| New Mexico | $76,800 | -42.8% | 62 |
| West Virginia | $75,000 | -30.6% | 46 |
| Nebraska | $75,000 | +10.5% | 893 |
| Massachusetts | $72,593 | -42.8% | 998 |
| Connecticut | $71,771 | -18.8% | 190 |
| Arizona | $68,432 | -13.7% | 55 |
| California | $68,000 | -29.9% | 1,650 |
| Wisconsin | $67,912 | -9.5% | 147 |
| Ohio | $67,000 | -16.6% | 343 |
| Minnesota | $65,957 | -19.6% | 107 |
| Indiana | $64,000 | -15.7% | 246 |
| Kentucky | $63,500 | -20.4% | 68 |
| New Jersey | $62,500 | -26.5% | 2,191 |
| Washington | $62,000 | -33.2% | 222 |
| Illinois | $61,840 | -36.4% | 636 |
| Michigan | $61,443 | -24.5% | 456 |
| South Dakota | $61,006 | -5.4% | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,030 | -5.4% | 747 |
| New Hampshire | $59,800 | -26.9% | 25 |
| Georgia | $59,780 | -37% | 150 |
| Virginia | $59,696 | -40.2% | 93 |
| Maryland | $59,250 | -55.1% | 262 |
| Wyoming | $58,999 | -23% | 18 |
| Florida | $58,950 | -21.3% | 378 |
| North Carolina | $58,275 | -25.7% | 262 |
| Rhode Island | $57,933 | -40.5% | 40 |
| Missouri | $57,000 | -30.3% | 189 |
| Utah | $56,971 | -26.3% | 89 |
| South Carolina | $56,888 | -27% | 64 |
| New York | $56,675 | -32.3% | 1,310 |
| Tennessee | $55,716 | -14.7% | 139 |
| Hawaii | $55,430 | -33.4% | 8 |
| Iowa | $55,164 | -32.6% | 81 |
| Colorado | $55,081 | -43.4% | 106 |
| Alabama | $54,000 | -43.8% | 70 |
| Texas | $52,712 | -47.9% | 778 |
| Louisiana | $51,000 | -53.3% | 45 |
| Arkansas | $50,461 | -29% | 25 |
| Kansas | $50,274 | -24.2% | 80 |
| Oregon | $50,000 | -40.6% | 67 |
| Maine | $48,000 | -18.3% | 8 |
| Mississippi | $44,685 | -42.9% | 20 |
| Vermont | $44,120 | -45.8% | 7 |
| Nevada | $43,992 | -39.6% | 33 |
| North Dakota | $42,649 | -46.3% | 7 |
| Oklahoma | $40,373 | -49.5% | 48 |
| Montana | $40,000 | -33.4% | 11 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Chemists positions, 30% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 55% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| InvaGen Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Bachelor's | $50,500 |
| SCIEGEN PHARMACEUTICALS INC | Bachelor's | $52,000 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | Master's | $71,573 |
| Ascent Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Master's | $50,000 |
| Novel Laboratories Inc. | Master's | $61,402 |
| Pharmaceutics International, Inc. | Master's | $57,907 |
| Bactolac Pharmaceutical Inc. | Bachelor's | $57,000 |
| Akorn Inc. | Not specified | $78,000 |
| The Dow Chemical Company | Doctorate | $90,624 |
| BATTELLE | Not specified | $58,250 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Chemists is Mining, Quarrying, Oil and Gas at $95,836. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $49,555.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 19,200 DOL filings, the median salary for a Chemists is $63,535, ranging from $50,357 to $80,000.
The 90th percentile salary is $154,430 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, Wilmington, DE offers the highest median at $104,728.
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Chemists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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