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Also called agricultural chemist, air quality chemist, analytical chemist and bench chemist.
$91,240
Median pay a year
82,770
People do this work
6
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Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
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A Chemist resume, filled in
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Chemist
Summary
Chemist conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses in laboratories, developing products and processes while ensuring quality control through various analytical techniques and maintaining laboratory instruments
Experience
Chemist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Developed, improved, or customized products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods
Analyzed organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques
Induced changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for analysis
Conducted quality control tests to ensure product standards were met
Wrote technical papers or reports and prepared standards and specifications for processes and products
Maintained laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshot malfunctions as needed
Prepared test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests
Skills
Core Skills
Analyzing chemical compounds, Monitoring operational procedures, Testing material and finished quality, Analyzing operational or research data, Analyzing test or performance data, Diagnosing equipment malfunctions, Preparing compounds for products, Developing new products, Maintaining laboratory equipment
Technical Skills
Establishing procedures
Education
Bachelor's Degree Your college, Year
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Developed and customized products and processesAnalyzed compounds to determine chemical propertiesInduced changes in substance composition for analysisConducted quality control tests on productsWrote technical reports and prepared specificationsMaintained laboratory instruments and troubleshot issues
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Developed and customized products and processes to meet specific requirements and improve performance.
Induced changes in substance composition for analysis, enhancing the understanding of chemical properties.
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Add how many products or processes you developed.
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Developed and customized several products each quarter to meet specific requirements and improve performance
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Several products each quarterA few processes every monthMultiple projects at once
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Show what improved in analysis after you induced changes.
The line
Induced changes in substance composition for analysis, enhancing the understanding of chemical properties.
Show what improved in analysis after you induced changes.
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Analysis became more accurateResults were easier to interpretUnderstanding of reactions improved
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What it is made of
Skills for a Chemist resume
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What are you good at?
Analyzing chemical compounds
Monitoring operational procedures
Testing material and finished quality
Analyzing operational or research data
Analyzing test or performance data
Diagnosing equipment malfunctions
Preparing compounds for products
Developing new products
Establishing procedures
Maintaining laboratory equipment
Preparing scientific reports
Managing project resources
The work itself
What a Chemist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.
What it pays
How much does a Chemist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$69,460
Median
$91,240
75th percentile
$125,550
About 82,770 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$76,430
$106,010
$119,820
AL
$73,500
$97,830
$126,200
AR
$57,830
$75,570
$106,330
AZ
$62,350
$81,730
$119,390
CA
$76,340
$97,860
$127,790
CO
$77,910
$101,980
$132,560
CT
$78,500
$98,140
$126,730
DC
$128,610
$149,860
$172,560
DE
$100,800
$129,860
$139,820
FL
$60,980
$82,740
$108,640
GA
$66,310
$92,750
$121,830
HI
$70,030
$84,150
$104,850
IA
$68,740
$86,100
$106,810
ID
$58,480
$78,000
$106,750
IL
$71,160
$85,230
$123,290
IN
$63,790
$78,770
$99,870
KS
$60,050
$82,820
$107,510
KY
$64,800
$84,090
$98,190
LA
$77,160
$103,890
$131,950
MA
$85,830
$125,000
$164,760
MD
$103,840
$140,670
$171,310
ME
$55,740
$64,440
$77,750
MI
$66,490
$97,440
$131,190
MN
$76,890
$99,280
$127,480
MO
$62,560
$82,800
$109,070
MS
$62,380
$80,060
$102,380
MT
$49,400
$61,890
$80,160
NC
$66,760
$82,620
$106,240
ND
$62,990
$97,330
$118,870
NE
$64,850
$74,890
$98,830
NH
$74,550
$100,050
$127,160
NJ
$75,050
$84,450
$109,470
NM
$73,070
$126,960
$178,480
NV
$60,960
$81,170
$107,350
NY
$75,830
$90,600
$122,000
OH
$69,470
$85,270
$109,760
OK
$59,640
$74,960
$105,140
OR
$82,000
$104,590
$141,720
PA
$62,430
$77,090
$101,550
PR
$52,830
$76,450
$104,460
RI
$85,610
$101,660
$124,750
SC
$64,860
$79,670
$105,820
SD
$58,940
$67,440
$83,590
TN
$58,420
$87,930
$104,030
TX
$73,160
$99,640
$139,010
UT
$63,610
$80,770
$101,570
VA
$65,980
$96,650
$136,660
VT
$74,420
$86,120
$108,300
WA
$77,390
$97,420
$128,500
WI
$64,760
$78,730
$96,720
WV
$73,730
$85,560
$111,360
WY
$76,680
$102,000
$127,120
Other names
Other names for this job
agricultural chemist, air quality chemist, analytical chemist, bench chemist, ceramic chemist, cereal chemist, coal chemist, control chemist, cosmetic chemist, dairy chemist, environmental field chemist, field chemist.
More names for this work
food chemist, food processing chemist, forensic chemist, formulary chemist, formulation chemist, industrial chemist, inorganic chemist, lab chemist, lab pack chemist, laboratory chemist, laboratory pack chemist, medical chemist, mix chemist, nuclear chemist, nutritional chemist, organic chemist, patent chemist, pesticide chemist, pharmaceutical chemist, physical chemist, physiological chemist, process chemist, product development chemist, production chemist, qc chemist, quality control chemist, R and D chemist, research and development chemist, research chemist, rubber chemist, sanitary chemist, soil chemist, textile chemist, water chemist, astrochemist, chemistry scientist, electrochemist, wet chemistry analyst, analytical scientist, assay development scientist, bench scientist, chemical analyst, chemical lab scientist, chemical laboratory scientist, formulation scientist, gas chromatography mass spectrometry analyst, gcms analyst, metal analyst.
If you served
Military jobs this work counts as
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
2090 Chemist
43T1D Biomedical Laboratory, Environmental and Industrial Hygiene Chemistry
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This page is about the occupation Chemists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.