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Chemists

Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-2031

26.1% AI Exposure — High
$91,240
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
8,400
Proj. Annual Openings
82,770
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-0.2%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
74/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 19-2031 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
26.1%
High · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
50/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$91,240
H-1B offered wage $87,110; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
8,400
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +4.9%.
Observed/proxy demand
2,098
FY2025 certified LCAs; 13,571 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

ScienceReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingSpeakingActive Listening
  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

Best transitions from here

Explore all pathways

Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure26.1%
AI Resiliency74/100
Exposure BandHigh
Sector Avg. Exposure9.7%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

46.5%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic26.1%
AI capability · OpenAI38%
AI ability · AIOE75.5%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne10%

Top Skills

1.Science
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Critical Thinking
4.Speaking
5.Active Listening

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

19,279
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
2,098
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$87,110
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#33 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.

Common titles: Air Quality Chemist, Analytical Chemist, Chemical Lab Scientist (Chemical Laboratory Scientist), Chemist, Forensic Chemist, Product Development Chemist

Representative Tasks

  • Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods.
  • Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions, using chromatography, spectroscopy, or spectrophotometry techniques.
  • Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative analysis.
  • Conduct quality control tests.
  • Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Develop new or advanced products or production methods.
  • Analyze chemical compounds or substances.
  • Establish standards for products, processes, or procedures.
  • Maintain laboratory or technical equipment.
  • Prepare compounds or solutions for products or testing.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft PowerPoint · hotC · hotMicrosoft Access · hotMicrosoft Visual Basic · hotStructured query language SQL · hotAgilent ChemStationApple iWork KeynoteCambridgeSoft ChemOffice UltraDigital imaging softwareGraphics software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
12.1%
Avg AI Exposure
8
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 19-2031: 2019 — employment: 83,530, median wage: $77,630; 2020 — employment: 82,940, median wage: $79,300; 2021 — employment: 80,600, median wage: $79,430; 2022 — employment: 83,940, median wage: $80,670; 2023 — employment: 83,530, median wage: $84,680; 2025 — employment: 82,770, median wage: $91,240.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure26.1%9.7%
OutlookAverage37% Bright
Median Salary$91,240N/A
AI Resiliency74/100N/A