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Chemists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $91,240 Median per year · $43.87/hr Most earn $58,460–$160,830

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.
  • Purchase laboratory supplies, such as chemicals, when supplies are low or near their expiration date.
  • Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
  • Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions.
  • Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed.
  • Conduct quality control tests.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 5,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Chemical manufacturing16.5%
  • Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing16.3%
  • Testing laboratories and services10.9%
  • Federal government, excluding postal service6.2%
  • Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods3.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Chemist is usually not a straight-out-of-school job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend about 2 to 4 years in related lab work before taking on chemist duties, so plan on roughly 6 to 8 years from starting college.

  1. High school science and math

    4 years

    Strong chemistry, biology, and math classes build the base for college chemistry and show colleges you can handle lab science.

  2. Bachelor's degree in chemistry

    4 years

    A chemistry major teaches analysis, lab techniques, and how to design and run experiments, which is the core of the job.

  3. Laboratory Technician or Quality Control Analyst

    2-4 years

    You run tests, keep careful records, and follow lab procedures in a real lab, which builds the hands-on experience employers look for before they hire a chemist.

  4. Chemist

    Ongoing

    You design and run analyses or experiments to check product quality, improve processes, or develop new products or knowledge.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Chemist

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on more complex projects, plan experiments on your own, and may mentor newer chemists and review their results.

  2. Natural Sciences Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You lead a team of scientists, set project priorities, and manage budgets; this role usually calls for a master's degree and more years of experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take chemistry and as much math as you canChemistry and algebra or precalculus are the foundation for a college chemistry major.
  • Join a science club or science fairDesigning your own experiment and presenting the results builds the same skills chemists use at work.
  • Look for a summer job or volunteer role at a lab or water treatment plantEven a small role around testing equipment or sample handling shows you what lab work is like.
  • Practice careful record-keeping in every science classNeat lab notebooks and accurate data habits matter a lot in this career.

In college

  • Major in chemistry and take lots of lab coursesAnalytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and instrumental analysis courses train you for the kind of work chemists do every day.
  • Do undergraduate research with a professorWorking on a real research project teaches you experiment design and gives you something concrete to talk about in job interviews.
  • Get a lab job or internshipA campus lab assistant job or a summer internship at a manufacturer or testing company builds the 2 to 4 years of experience people usually need.
  • Join the chemistry club or a science societyClub events, talks, and networking can lead to internship leads and mentors.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a chemistry teacher or a local lab about shadowing or a short volunteer visit so you can see what daily lab work looks like.
  • Look for lab jobs or internships early, such as a stockroom or lab assistant job, since the work experience is often what gets you hired after your degree.
  • Get comfortable with writing clear lab notes and reports; chemists spend a lot of time documenting what they did and what they found.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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