Career information and college search tools for physicists and those interested in pursuing careers in related fields.

Physicists Skills

Below are the skills needed to be physicists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Skill NameImportanceCompetence
Science4.55.88
Mathematics4.385.75
Critical Thinking4.254.88
Complex Problem Solving4.124.75
Reading Comprehension4.126

Physicists Abilities

Below are the abilities needed to be physicists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Ability NameImportanceCompetence
Mathematical Reasoning4.56
Inductive Reasoning4.255.5
Number Facility4.255.63
Oral Comprehension4.256.13
Written Comprehension4.255.88

Physicists Knowledge

Below are the knowledge areas needed to be physicists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Knowledge AreaImportanceCompetence
Physics4.896.46
Mathematics4.766.63
English Language4.345.21
Engineering and Technology4.115.44
Computers and Electronics4.075.32

Physicists Work activities

Below are the work activities involved in being physicists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work ActivityImportanceCompetence
Thinking Creatively4.746.36
Interacting With Computers4.594.84
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.415.79
Processing Information4.396.19
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.366.15

Physicists Work styles

Below are the work styles involved in being physicists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work StyleImportance
Attention to Detail4.82
Analytical Thinking4.71
Initiative4.63
Persistence4.59
Integrity4.49

Metro Areas Sorted by Total Employment for
Physicists

Listed below are the 10 largest metro areas based on the total number of people employed in Physicists jobs , as of 2019

   
Metro AreaTotal EmploymentAnnual Mean Salary
Boulder750$135,660
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim480$124,130
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington380$150,140
San Diego-Carlsbad330$114,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue310$142,440
Lansing-East Lansing270$79,870
Austin-Round Rock240$88,030
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara220$129,030
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade150$84,990
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land130$118,440

Compare Total Employment & Salaries for Physicists

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Total employment and salary for professions similar to physicists

Source : 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov; O*NET® 24.3 Database, O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, onetonline.org