Highest-paying science jobs for people in Atlanta

For decades, the United States has funneled more money into research and development than any other country in the world. In 2023, this accounted for 37% of the world's scientific funding, creating a promising outlook for those pursuing a science-based career. In February 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected an impressive 12.8% growth in science-related jobs by 2033.

However, that may have been overly optimistic: The Trump administration made significant cuts to staffing and grant funding in early 2025, which have created an enormous amount of job uncertainty in the sciences. And 2026 may not be any better, as the White House-proposed budget aims to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation by 40% and 55%, respectively.

These cuts have shut down numerous research programs, creating more competition for the scientific jobs that do remain. That's a big part of the reason that new openings are drying up—in the first part of 2025, job postings were down 18%. Some researchers are even leaving the U.S., drawn to promises of academic freedom in places like Canada, Australia, and Europe.

The situation may seem dire, but it's important to note that recent events don't mean the end of scientific careers in the U.S. Many good jobs still exist, both in the public and private sectors. Of course, jobs in the sciences do require advanced education. While physicists, biochemists, and other medical scientists need to have a doctorate, other popular career fields don't require quite as much. An associate's degree is suitable for many technician roles. Other sectors, like food science, meteorology, environmental science, geology, and zoology, look for bachelor's degrees, and epidemiologists typically need a master's degree.

Think you have what it takes for a challenging and lucrative career in the sciences? Stacker used BLS data to find the highest-paying science jobs in Atlanta. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

luchschenF // Shutterstock

#40. Biochemists and biophysicists (tie)

- Median annual wage: Not available
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

#39. Clinical and counseling psychologists (tie)

- Median annual wage: Not available
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,000 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#38. Forest and conservation technicians

- Median annual wage: $45,770
- Median hourly wage: $22.01
- Total employment: 30 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#37. Survey researchers

- Median annual wage: $48,800
- Median hourly wage: $23.46
- Total employment: Not available

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#36. Anthropologists and archeologists

- Median annual wage: $48,840
- Median hourly wage: $23.48
- Total employment: Not available

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#35. Chemical technicians

- Median annual wage: $50,230
- Median hourly wage: $24.15
- Total employment: 420 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#34. Food science technicians

- Median annual wage: $50,430
- Median hourly wage: $24.25
- Total employment: 220 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#33. Agricultural technicians

- Median annual wage: $52,560
- Median hourly wage: $25.27
- Total employment: 210 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#32. Biological technicians

- Median annual wage: $54,720
- Median hourly wage: $26.31
- Total employment: 220 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock

#31. Occupational health and safety technicians

- Median annual wage: $58,630
- Median hourly wage: $28.19
- Total employment: 950 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#30. Historians

- Median annual wage: $59,400
- Median hourly wage: $28.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#29. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

- Median annual wage: $60,320
- Median hourly wage: $29.00
- Total employment: 300 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock

#28. Forensic science technicians

- Median annual wage: $60,870
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 370 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Csomos Attila // Shutterstock

#27. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

- Median annual wage: $62,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.81
- Total employment: 250 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#26. Zoologists and wildlife biologists

- Median annual wage: $63,170
- Median hourly wage: $30.37
- Total employment: 70 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#25. Social science research assistants

- Median annual wage: $63,790
- Median hourly wage: $30.67
- Total employment: 1,110 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

luchschenF // Shutterstock

#24. Life scientists, all other

- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 100 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#23. Epidemiologists

- Median annual wage: $69,780
- Median hourly wage: $33.55
- Total employment: 440 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#22. Soil and plant scientists

- Median annual wage: $72,200
- Median hourly wage: $34.71
- Total employment: 200 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#21. Conservation scientists

- Median annual wage: $76,270
- Median hourly wage: $36.67
- Total employment: 130 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#20. Urban and regional planners

- Median annual wage: $77,350
- Median hourly wage: $37.19
- Total employment: 700 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#19. Political scientists

- Median annual wage: $80,000
- Median hourly wage: $38.46
- Total employment: 30 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#18. Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other

- Median annual wage: $81,030
- Median hourly wage: $38.96
- Total employment: 1,880 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock

#17. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health

- Median annual wage: $82,010
- Median hourly wage: $39.43
- Total employment: 1,080 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#16. Materials scientists

- Median annual wage: $83,270
- Median hourly wage: $40.04
- Total employment: 160 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#15. Foresters

- Median annual wage: $85,610
- Median hourly wage: $41.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

#14. Social scientists and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $86,880
- Median hourly wage: $41.77
- Total employment: 770 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#13. Atmospheric and space scientists

- Median annual wage: $90,670
- Median hourly wage: $43.59
- Total employment: 140 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#12. Biological scientists, all other

- Median annual wage: $91,890
- Median hourly wage: $44.18
- Total employment: 1,220 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock

#11. Occupational health and safety specialists

- Median annual wage: $93,980
- Median hourly wage: $45.18
- Total employment: 1,690 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#10. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

- Median annual wage: $96,310
- Median hourly wage: $46.30
- Total employment: 890 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

angellodeco // Shutterstock

#9. Microbiologists

- Median annual wage: $97,090
- Median hourly wage: $46.68
- Total employment: 830 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#8. Food scientists and technologists

- Median annual wage: $98,770
- Median hourly wage: $47.49
- Total employment: 390 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#7. Chemists

- Median annual wage: $101,660
- Median hourly wage: $48.88
- Total employment: 620 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#6. School psychologists

- Median annual wage: $101,810
- Median hourly wage: $48.95
- Total employment: Not available

Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock

#5. Hydrologists

- Median annual wage: $123,840
- Median hourly wage: $59.54
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#4. Economists

- Median annual wage: $127,220
- Median hourly wage: $61.17
- Total employment: 310 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#3. Psychologists, all other

- Median annual wage: $131,020
- Median hourly wage: $62.99
- Total employment: 240 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#2. Physicists

- Median annual wage: $131,560
- Median hourly wage: $63.25
- Total employment: 140 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

#1. Physical scientists, all other

- Median annual wage: $131,770
- Median hourly wage: $63.35
- Total employment: 940 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 291 metros.