Evidence & Discovery🔎 Forensic Chemist
Turn tiny clues into evidence.
Analyze substances from investigations—such as powders, paint, fibers, or fire debris—to help answer what happened. Your job is to report what the evidence supports, including its limits.
$79,200 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Forensic Science Technicians
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Compare an unknown sample with reference materials, check instrument results, and write a report that could be explained in court.
Build your pathway
Chemistry or forensic science; analytical chemistry, statistics, careful documentation, and laboratory experience.
Where you could work
Crime laboratories, government agencies, and specialist testing laboratories.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-4092 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
Explore ACS chemistry career guidance (opens in a new tab)Health & Medicine💊 Medicinal Chemist
Design molecules that could become medicines.
Make and improve potential drug molecules. You work with biologists to learn whether a molecule affects a disease target, then change its structure to improve its properties.
$100,450 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Chemists
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Synthesize a new version of a candidate molecule, confirm what you made, and compare biological results with your team.
Build your pathway
Chemistry with strong organic chemistry and biochemistry; research experience. Advanced degrees are common in research leadership.
Where you could work
Pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, and university research laboratories.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-2031 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
Explore ACS chemistry career guidance (opens in a new tab)Technology & Materials🤖 AI & Computational Chemist
Teach computers to help discover chemistry.
Use calculations, molecular simulations, data, and machine learning to predict how molecules behave. Predictions help researchers decide what to test; experiments still matter. Jobs may be called computational chemist, cheminformatics scientist, or molecular machine-learning researcher.
$100,450 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Chemists
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Clean a chemical dataset, train or test a model, and compare its predictions with measured results.
Build your pathway
Chemistry, mathematics, statistics, and Python programming; advanced research roles often require graduate study.
Where you could work
Drug discovery teams, materials companies, universities, and scientific software organizations.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-2031 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
Explore ACS chemistry career guidance (opens in a new tab)Products & Industry🧴 Cosmetic & Formulation Chemist
Give skincare its science.
Develop lotions, shampoos, makeup, and other personal-care products. Balance how a product feels and performs with stability, ingredient compatibility, and safety requirements.
$100,450 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Chemists
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Adjust a lotion formula, measure its texture and pH, and check whether it separates during storage testing.
Build your pathway
Chemistry or a related science; formulation, analytical testing, and communication with product teams.
Where you could work
Personal-care brands, ingredient suppliers, and contract manufacturers.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-2031 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
Explore ACS chemistry career guidance (opens in a new tab)Products & Industry🍞 Food Chemist
Explore the molecules behind every bite.
Study the composition, flavor, texture, and shelf life of food. Chemistry helps teams improve products and understand changes during cooking, processing, and storage.
$95,360 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Food Scientists and Technologists
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Compare a recipe’s browning and texture, analyze ingredients, and investigate why a product changes on the shelf.
Build your pathway
Chemistry or food science; biochemistry, analytical methods, and food-safety training.
Where you could work
Food producers, ingredient companies, research laboratories, and testing agencies.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-1012 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
Explore ACS chemistry career guidance (opens in a new tab)Planet & Space🌿 Environmental Chemist
Follow pollution—and help protect the planet.
Study chemicals in soil, water, and air: where they come from, how they move, and how they change. Findings support environmental monitoring and cleanup decisions.
$91,680 / yearU.S. average · May 2025Benchmark: Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Imagine your day + how to get there
A day on the job
Collect river samples, measure contaminants in the lab, and compare results across locations.
Build your pathway
Chemistry, environmental science, statistics, and field sampling; laboratory and data skills.
Where you could work
Environmental consulting firms, agencies, universities, and industry.
About this salary
Broader occupation benchmark; BLS does not publish a separate mean for this specialty.
SOC 19-2041 · BLS national wage data (XLSX in ZIP) (opens in a new tab)
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