Chemists pay range in Reading
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,560 a year or less, while the top 10% make $144,980 or more. The middle half of chemists in Reading earn between $67,480 and $102,610.
- $67K10th
- $67K25th
- $82KMedian
- $103K75th
- $145K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $94,050 | $7,838 | $45.22 |
| Median | $81,520 | $6,793 | $39.19 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $67,480 | $5,623 | $32.44 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $102,610 | $8,551 | $49.33 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Chemists salary after taxes in Reading
On the average salary of $94,050, a single filer in Reading takes home about $72,107 a year, or $6,009 a month and $2,773 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
Is Reading a good place for chemists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Reading area are 3% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.1), so the average $94,050 buys what about $96,899 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Reading ($49,440). A typical home costs $312,348, or 3.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Chemists salary in other Pennsylvania cities
Reading ranks 6th of 9 Pennsylvania metro areas for this job; Scranton pays the most ($104,540).
- Scranton$104,540
- Philadelphia$103,090
- State College$101,480
- York$96,910
- Allentown$94,850
- Reading$94,050
- Pittsburgh$86,060
- Harrisburg$77,740
- Johnstown$61,200
Highest-paying cities for chemists
Washington, DC pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($144,550).
- Washington, DC$144,550
- Bay City, MI$139,910
- Lexington Park, MD$132,480
- San Francisco, CA$130,870
- Boston, MA$130,520
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Chemists salary in Reading: questions
How much do chemists make an hour in Reading?
$45.21 an hour on average, and $39.19 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level chemists salary in Reading?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,560 a year and the 25th percentile is $67,480, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the chemists take-home pay in Reading?
About $72,107 a year ($6,009 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $94,050. Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
Do chemists earn more in Reading than elsewhere?
The average here is 8% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($101,816).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 19-2031; area Reading, PA (39740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 5.3%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.01, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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