How much does a chemistry professor make?
a year · about $45 an hour
A typical chemistry professor in the United States makes $93,250 a year, about $45 an hour, about 1.8× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
They teach a class on topics such as organic chemistry, then supervise students in the lab and enforce chemical-safety rules. Between classes, they may answer questions during office hours, grade work, and conduct research.
Did you know? At BYU, new chemistry professors can spend their first semester setting up a lab instead of teaching—ordering gear from flasks to a mass spectrometer!
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $57,870 and $172,110How do you become one?
In the U.S., chemistry professors usually earn a Ph.D. in chemistry; some then do a 2–3-year research job called a postdoc. Graduate students may gain teaching experience as teaching assistants before applying for faculty jobs.
School needed: Graduate degree or long training
Good for people who like figuring things out and helping and teaching
Why does pay differ?
Pay in the United States can differ with experience and seniority, and it also depends on the kind of college: universities generally pay more than community colleges. Location matters too, since chemistry professors’ pay differs among states.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in California ($132,960), lowest in Ohio ($77,910).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $57,870 | $93,250 | $172,110 | about 20,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| California | $132,960 | about 2,000 |
| Massachusetts | $108,270 | about 820 |
| Michigan | $101,030 | about 560 |
| New York | $99,880 | about 2,000 |
| Illinois | $97,860 | about 880 |
Official definition: Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research. Excludes “Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary” (25-1042) who teach biochemistry.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1052.00
- www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes251052.htm
- cen.acs.org/articles/92/i36/New-Chemistry-Professors-Share-Experiences.html
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY