Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Physicists

Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

Also called: Astrophysicist, Health Physicist, Research Physicist, Scientist, Biophysics Scientist, Medical Physicist.

O*NET 19-2012.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $172,250; Middle half earn $111,720 to $222,760. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 49% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena.
Write research proposals to receive funding.
Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Science4.9 / 5
Critical Thinking4.6 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.5 / 5
Speaking4.5 / 5
Mathematics4.5 / 5
Active Learning4.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Physics4.9 / 5
Mathematics4.9 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.1 / 5
Engineering and Technology4.0 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Education and Training3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic66
Investigative100
Artistic29
Social19
Enterprising13
Conventional63

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

physicist · DE Physiker/Physikerin · FR physicien/physicienne
mathematician · DE Mathematiker/Mathematikerin · FR mathématicien/mathématicienne
biophysicist · DE Biophysiker/Biophysikerin · FR biophysicien/biophysicienne

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 employed
Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.35. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-2012).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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