Bethesda, Washington, D.C. Among Top 3 Cities Nationwide for Pay in STEM Fields

Two cities in the nation’s capital are among the top three nationwide for pay in STEM jobs, according to a study by SmartAsset, which analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The study’s key findings include:

• Math and engineering pay more than tech. While many of the most high-profile STEM successes in recent years have come from the world of tech startups (think Facebook and Google), in general math and engineering professionals continue to earn more than programmers and software developers. Statisticians, mathematicians and nuclear engineers are especially well-paid, earning more than $130,000 on average in many of the top cities on the list.
• Beltway and Bay Area are the U.S. STEM capitals. Each of the top five cities in our study was located either in California’s Bay Area or in the greater Washington D.C. area. 
• STEM is strong in Jersey. Two of the top 10 metros for STEM pay are located in Jersey. Professionals in STEM fields in the Edison-New Brunswick and Newark areas earn an average of more than $90,000 per year.

Here’s what SmartAsset had to say about Bethesda (ranked No. 1) and Washington, D.C. (ranked No. 3):

Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland

• Top three STEM jobs for pay: nuclear engineer ($140,920 per year), physicist ($136,770), mathematician ($133,580).
• Notable STEM Employers: National Institute of Health, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Human Genome Sciences, Lockheed Martin, Bethesda Softworks.

The Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick metro area is home to the National Institutes of Health, as well as Lockheed Martin, one of the largest military contractors in the world. There are plenty of well-paying jobs for STEM workers. According to the analysis, there are at least 13 different STEM positions that pay more than $100,000 per year on average in the Bethesda metro area.

Washington, D.C.

• Top three STEM jobs for pay: nuclear engineer ($150,440 per year), mathematician ($133,260), aerospace engineer ($132,270).
• Notable STEM employers: U.S Army Corps of Engineers, NASA, U.S. Naval Observatory, Northrop Grumman.

The U.S. government may be the single largest employer of mathematicians and scientists in the world. Many of these jobs are located in the nation’s capital, which is home to headquarters of (among other offices) the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and NASA. Add to that the plethora of defense contractors with offices in the D.C. metro area, (which includes Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia), and you have one of the best job markets for STEM workers in the world.

Click here to read the article in its entirety, “The Best Cities for Pay in STEM Jobs.”