Chemist
Engineering
Run experiments and analyze substances to develop, test, and improve products and processes.
Why it matters here: Maryland's biotech corridor and federal labs employ chemists in testing and product development.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level ChemistLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$70,850
- Chemist (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$95,030
- Senior / Lead ChemistOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$122,080
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$146,496
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Laboratory bench, weekday shifts, protocol-driven
Where you work
A lab with fume hoods, instruments and sample queues, plus a write-up desk.
Hours and schedule
Weekday shifts; some manufacturing labs run extended or rotating coverage.
Pace and pressure
Structured runs and instrument time, with waiting periods used for documentation.
Who you work with
Other chemists, technicians, quality staff and engineers.
Physical demands
Standing at a bench, handling chemicals in PPE, some lifting.
What people wear
Lab coat, safety glasses, gloves and closed shoes.
Remote reality
Bench work is on site; analysis and writing can be remote.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Safety and chain-of-custody rules are absolute.
- A result without a clean notebook entry does not count.
- Instruments break; troubleshooting is half the skill.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Data unavailable for this category.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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