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Job outlook for application scientists in the United States
Are application scientist jobs in demand?
Application Scientist job and salary trends over time
Application Scientist jobs over time
Application Scientist job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 332 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 386 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 389 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 368 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 342 | 0.00% |
Average application scientist salary over time
Application Scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $89,939 | $43.24 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $87,266 | $41.95 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | $83,354 | $40.07 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $80,681 | $38.79 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $79,148 | $38.05 | --2.1% |
Application Scientist jobs by state
Most common states for application scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 224 | 32% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,965 | 29% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 183 | 19% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 959 | 16% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,288 | 15% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,240 | 14% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 124 | 14% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 89 | 14% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 926 | 13% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 162 | 12% |
| 11 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 90 | 12% |
| 12 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,435 | 11% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,100 | 11% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 461 | 11% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 378 | 11% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 116 | 11% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 114 | 11% |
| 18 | Alaska | 739,795 | 80 | 11% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 582 | 10% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 59 | 10% |
Most common cities for application scientists
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billerica | 3 | 7% | $82,175 |
| 2 | Piscataway | 3 | 5% | $90,585 |
| 3 | Palo Alto | 2 | 3% | $108,551 |
| 4 | Wilmington | 2 | 3% | $83,653 |
| 5 | College Park | 1 | 3% | $76,008 |
| 6 | Carlsbad | 2 | 2% | $95,199 |
| 7 | Ankeny | 1 | 2% | $45,021 |
| 8 | Charlottesville | 1 | 2% | $74,840 |
| 9 | Idaho Falls | 1 | 2% | $54,199 |
| 10 | Decatur | 1 | 1% | $63,518 |
| 11 | Framingham | 1 | 1% | $82,227 |
| 12 | San Jose | 3 | 0% | $108,117 |
| 13 | Oakland | 2 | 0% | $108,923 |
| 14 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $76,580 |
| 15 | Fremont | 1 | 0% | $108,444 |
Application Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of application scientist experts
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Washington State University
Quinnipiac University
Tiffin University
What Application Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Qing Li: AI will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years but laboratory experiments will continue to make new discoveries.
What will help Application Scientists increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
What general advice would you give to an Application Scientist?
Jacob Nordman: Salary potential in my field of neuroscience almost always involves publications, awards, and technical acumen. Therefore, as I mentioned, it is important to start early looking for opportunities that can strengthen these areas. Another important aspect of getting high-profile, and thus high-paying, positions, is being able to tell a story with your research and career. Employers want to see that you have thought deeply and strategically about your career and where it’s going. This will allow them to believe you are a safe bet and worthy of their investment.
What will help Application Scientists increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Application Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: The first and foremost would be Critical Thinking. We live in a world where facts can be easily acquired, sometimes even by asking Siri/Alexa/ChatGPT/Google/etc. But critical thinking is timeless and priceless. I can ask anyone on the street what xyz is and they can look it up, but can they provide advice or interpret.
Also being a good steward towards science and being willing and able to communicate not just with peers as we are trained, but also with the public, the politicians, the board members. John Holdren*, stated that Scientists should be tithing at least 10 percent of their time to public service ... including activism. In the ever growing science denialism that is happening in our country being able to communicate science with the public is important. As Peter Hotaz states, "Anti-science propaganda is "killing Americans in unprecedented numbers,""
*Holdren is an American scientist who served as the senior advisor to President Barack Obama on science and technology issues through his roles as assistant to the president for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a Research Professor in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate ProgramsTiffin University
School of Arts & Sciences
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Application Scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.: With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.