As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Physicist I in California is $80,784. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $70,416 to $89,590, with most professionals earning between $60,976 and $97,608.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $89,590 | $7,466 | $1,723 | $43 |
| Average | $80,784 | $6,732 | $1,554 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,416 | $5,868 | $1,354 | $34 |
An entry-level Physicist I with under 1 year experience makes about $80,010. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Physicist I makes around $81,047. After 2-4 years, the Physicist I pay rises to about $83,018. Those senior Physicist I with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $83,412, and those Physicist I having 8 years or more experience are expected to earn about $83,675 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Physicist I | $80,010 |
| Intermediate Level Physicist I | $81,047 |
| Senior Level Physicist I | $83,018 |
| Specialist Level Physicist I | $83,412 |
| Expert Level Physicist I | $83,675 |
| Entry Level | 9% |
| Mid Level | 11% |
| Senior Level | 13% |
| Top Level | 14% |
| Experienced | 14% |
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Physicist I salary varies from city to city. Compared with national average salary of Physicist I, the highest Physicist I salary is in San Francisco, CA, where the Physicist I salary is 24.9% above. The lowest Physicist I salary is in Miami, FL, where the Physicist I salary is 3.9% lower than national average salary.
| City, State | Price | Compared to national average |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $91,469 |
24.9%
|
| Washington, DC | $81,091 |
10.7%
|
| Miami, FL | $70,369 |
|
| Chicago, IL | $75,686 |
3.3%
|
| Boston, MA | $81,685 |
11.5%
|
| New York, NY | $84,878 |
15.9%
|
