How much does a physics professor make?
a year · about $48 an hour
A typical physics professor in the United States makes $100,310 a year, about $48 an hour, about 2× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
A physics professor might prepare a lab and check student work, then teach with equations or experiments. Later, they may meet students in office hours, guide lab or research projects, and work on their own research.
Did you know? At Carnegie Mellon, physics professor David Anderson surprised students by spinning on a stool with dumbbells to show angular momentum.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $60,200 and $177,850How do you become one?
In the US, earn a bachelor's degree in physics and then a PhD; some candidates teach as graduate assistants or take a two- to three-year postdoctoral research job. Many aim for college faculty work after graduate training, so the starting age varies.
School needed: Graduate degree or long training
Good for people who like helping and teaching and figuring things out
Why does pay differ?
In the US, pay can differ with experience, qualifications, job duties, and the type or size of college and its location. Full-time or part-time hours matter too, and jobs with more research or student-supervision duties may pay differently.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in California ($139,420), lowest in Illinois ($94,900).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,200 | $100,310 | $177,850 | about 13,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| California | $139,420 | about 1,000 |
| Massachusetts | $111,280 | about 680 |
| Virginia | $104,490 | about 610 |
| New York | $103,100 | about 1,000 |
| New Jersey | $98,920 | about 530 |
Official definition: Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
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/print/postsecondary-teachers.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1054.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- www.cmu.edu/piper/news/archives/2020/december/david-anderson.html
- www.colorado.edu/aps/undergraduate-studies/professional-development/careers/care
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY