Physicists Salary
The median pay for a physicists in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $107,340/year ($51.61/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $75K at the entry level to $285K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.07), that's roughly $109,452 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,852/month, or 25.8% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $107K get you in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos’s Regional Price Parity (98.07). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About physicists
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What this looks like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Pay for physicists in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos runs about 38% below the U.S. median of $172K. Rent runs $1,852/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 26.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.07) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for physicists in metros near Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $200K | $203K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $194K | $205K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $157K | $152K |
| Albuquerque | $165K | $173K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Entry-level physicists (10th percentile) start around $75K. Mid-career wages sit at $107K. Top earners bring in $285K or more, a $209K spread from bottom to top.
Physicists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Physicists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $225K | +31% | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $214K | +24% | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | $211K | +22% | 230 |
| California | $207K | +20% | 5,930 |
| Oregon | $200K | +16% | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $200K | +16% | 40 |
| Texas | $184K | +7% | 580 |
| New York | $182K | +6% | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $181K | +5% | 50 |
| Connecticut | $180K | +5% | 60 |
| Iowa | $178K | +3% | 110 |
| Maryland | $174K | +1% | 1,200 |
| North Carolina | $174K | +1% | 150 |
| Wisconsin | $173K | +1% | 180 |
| Minnesota | $171K | -1% | 110 |
| Louisiana | $166K | -3% | 40 |
| New Mexico | $165K | -4% | 580 |
| Tennessee | $165K | -4% | 240 |
| New Jersey | $163K | -5% | 470 |
| Ohio | $163K | -5% | 630 |
| District of Columbia | $157K | -9% | 480 |
| Utah | $157K | -9% | 30 |
| Rhode Island | $155K | -10% | N/A |
| Nevada | $154K | -11% | 50 |
| Virginia | $145K | -16% | 940 |
| Georgia | $145K | -16% | 160 |
| Missouri | $140K | -18% | 90 |
| Alabama | $139K | -19% | 280 |
| South Carolina | $138K | -20% | 420 |
| Illinois | $137K | -20% | 1,590 |
| Arkansas | $136K | -21% | 60 |
| Idaho | $135K | -22% | N/A |
| Washington | $135K | -22% | 450 |
| Arizona | $131K | -24% | 120 |
| Mississippi | $130K | -25% | 80 |
| Hawaii | $117K | -32% | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $106K | -38% | 1,150 |
| Indiana | $106K | -38% | 230 |
| Colorado | $105K | -39% | 1,050 |
| Montana | $104K | -40% | 30 |
| Michigan | $95K | -45% | 510 |
| South Dakota | $83K | -52% | 30 |
| Delaware | $83K | -52% | 50 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track physicists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos numbers change.
Related careers in Science
Frequently asked questions
Can a physicist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Yes — at the median salary of $107K, rent takes 26.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,852/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for physicists in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new physicists typically earn — is $75K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,514/month. At HUD’s $1,852/month FMR, rent would take 41% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is physicist a high-paying job in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Local pay runs 38% below the national median — $107K here vs. $172K nationally.
How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compare to the national average for physicists?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos pays $107K median vs. the U.S. average of $172K — that’s -38%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $109K — below the national median.
How much do physicists make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The median is $107,340 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $75,230, and experienced physicists can clear $284,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $107K enough to live in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,992/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,852/month, which eats 26.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a physicists salary go in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has a Regional Price Parity of 98.07 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median physicists salary is worth about $109,452 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do physicists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.