Astrophysics

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the job title "astronomer" rather than "astrophysicist." These professions are the same, explains the Behrend College at Penn State Erie. While an astronomer traditionally was an individual who studied and kept records of the movements and appearances of celestial bodies, nowadays all professional astronomers are considered to be astrophysicists, according to the Behrend College website. Astronomers typically have at least an undergraduate degree in physics or a strong background in the field and many earn doctorates to teach and conduct research.
  
  

Salary Range

• The average salary for astrophysicists was $49.40 per hour as of May 2009, or $102,740 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle 50 percent of astrophysicists on the earnings scale were making $65,710 to $138,640 per year. The bottom 10 percent had yearly salaries of $45,610 and less, and the top 10 percent were earning $153,210 and higher.
  
  

Types of Employment

• Astrophysicists have three primary employers, as detailed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their average salary at colleges, universities and professional schools in 2009 was $76,670 per year; with scientific research and development services their salaries were $107,170; and with the federal government their salaries were $130,570 in 2009.
  
  

Employment by State

• Astrophysicist employment is concentrated in certain parts of the country. Maryland has the mostis most astrophysicists per capita, where they were earned $128,520 per year on average in 2009. Other states with large numbers of these scientists per capita included Texas, with an yearly average salary of $87,870, California at $118,230 and Massachusetts at $126,560. These were also the highest-paying states for astrophysicists, along with Virginia, where they earned $108,510 per year.
  
  

Metro Areas

• The greater metropolitan area of Boston, including Cambridge and Quincy, had the most astrophysicists per capita by metropolitan area in 2009. It was also the highest-paying metro area for these scientists, with an average salary of $133,280 per year. The greater Washington, D.C. area was the second-highest in average pay, at $128,660 per year on average.