Physicists Salary
The median pay for a physicists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $199,770/year ($96.05/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $79K at the entry level to $290K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $202,545 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 12.6% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $200K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits well above the national pay line for physicists, local pay runs about 16% higher than the U.S. median of $172K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 12.7% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands offers a genuinely strong financial position for physicistss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for physicists in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $107K | $109K |
| 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, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level physicists (10th percentile) start around $79K. Mid-career wages sit at $200K. Top earners bring in $290K or more, a $211K 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Science
Frequently asked questions
Can a physicist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $200K, rent takes 12.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for physicists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new physicists typically earn — is $79K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,756/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 33% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay is 16% above the national median — $200K here vs. $172K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for physicists?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $200K median vs. the U.S. average of $172K — that’s +16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $203K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do physicists make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $199,770 a year, that works out to about $96 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $79,270, and experienced physicists can clear $289,950. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $200K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $12,397/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 12.7% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (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 $202,545 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.