541715/Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
596K
employees, 2023
596K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 12,929 US Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) business locations employed 596,332 people and paid $88.2 billion in annual payroll, $147,945 per employee on average. Employment was up 4.4% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
12,929
+3.6% vs 2022
Employees
596,332
+4.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$88.2B
+7.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$147,945
+2.5% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,630 | 102,980 | $180,542 | 0.63% |
| Massachusetts | 907 | 53,999 | $202,578 | 1.55% |
| Minnesota | 215 | 42,367 | $116,869 | 1.51% |
| North Carolina | 480 | 32,238 | $126,991 | 0.75% |
| Michigan | 250 | 28,876 | $134,636 | 0.71% |
| Texas | 817 | 26,383 | $157,687 | 0.22% |
| New Jersey | 393 | 25,898 | $171,795 | 0.66% |
| Illinois | 314 | 24,500 | $182,719 | 0.43% |
| Virginia | 450 | 23,544 | $136,169 | 0.66% |
| New York | 602 | 21,223 | $146,853 | 0.24% |
| Pennsylvania | 481 | 20,627 | $124,811 | 0.36% |
| Maryland | 476 | 19,020 | $126,190 | 0.77% |
| New Mexico | 124 | 17,278 | $77,333 | 2.62% |
| Ohio | 288 | 14,400 | $105,389 | 0.28% |
| Colorado | 390 | 13,311 | $131,966 | 0.52% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 838 | 50,794 | $206,600 |
| Rochester, MN | 10 | 36,789* | $117,106 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 628 | 35,336 | $137,538 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 624 | 30,019 | $184,676 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 670 | 27,988 | $185,030 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 455 | 25,038 | $162,854 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 254 | 23,797 | $186,261 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 413 | 21,490 | $206,118 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 109 | 20,634 | $140,364 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 720 | 20,599 | $180,440 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 350 | 18,724 | $136,582 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 72 | 16,471 | $76,448 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 145 | 13,569 | $134,103 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 264 | 10,223 | $160,087 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 137 | 10,118* | $137,435 |
Business size
US Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 6,569 | 50.8% |
| 5 to 9 | 1,909 | 14.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,471 | 11.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,369 | 10.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 647 | 5.0% |
| 100 to 249 | 570 | 4.4% |
| 250 to 499 | 221 | 1.7% |
| 500 to 999 | 91 | 0.7% |
| 1,000 or more | 82 | 0.6% |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 541Scientific Research and Development Services 5417Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences 54171
Questions and answers
How many people work in Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) in the US?
596,332 people worked at 12,929 US Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) business locations in 2023, up 4.4% from 2022. That is 0.43% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)?
$147,945 a year per employee in 2023, from $88.2 billion in annual payroll (up 2.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) jobs?
California had the most, with 102,980 employees in 2023, followed by Massachusetts (53,999) and Minnesota (42,367).
Which metro areas have the most Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) jobs?
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (50,794), Rochester, MN (36,789), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (35,336) had the most Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) employees in 2023.
Are most Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) businesses small?
77.0% of the 12,929 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 173 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.