Physicists Salary — Detroit, Michigan

The average Physicists in Detroit, Michigan earns $186,150 a year.

$186,150 / year, mean
↑ 17.3% above national average 100th percentile in Michigan

Detroit sits at the very top of the range for this role in Michigan — among the highest-paying cities in the state for this occupation. That's a solid premium over the national average for physicists. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within Michigan

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
140
Estimate confidence
RSE 3.9%
Cost of living 100 #56 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1688 #77 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $269,080 #124 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $75,123 #70 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Detroit ranks #56 for cost of living and #124 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Miami $245,010 Tampa $244,380 Pittsburgh $211,220 Portland $210,060 Richmond $202,250 Houston $196,520 New York $191,320 San Antonio $191,070 San Jose $189,390 Detroit $186,150 Dallas $182,220 Buffalo $181,310 Albany $176,840 Riverside $172,470 Oxnard $169,620 Los Angeles $165,380 Philadelphia $162,610 Palm Bay $160,510 Charlottesville $160,270 San Diego $159,690 Trenton $153,100 Austin $152,630 Seattle $145,550 Indianapolis $141,380 Chicago $138,950 Bakersfield $137,290 Lexington Park $134,720 Sacramento $130,050 Virginia Beach $124,960 Ann Arbor $100,460 Lansing $92,920
CityMean salaryvs. Detroit
Albany, New York$176,840-5.0%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$100,460-46.0%
Austin, Texas$152,630-18.0%
Bakersfield, California$137,290-26.2%
Buffalo, New York$181,310-2.6%
Charlottesville, Virginia$160,270-13.9%
Chicago, Illinois$138,950-25.4%
Dallas, Texas$182,220-2.1%
Houston, Texas$196,520+5.6%
Indianapolis, Indiana$141,380-24.1%
Lansing, Michigan$92,920-50.1%
Lexington Park, Maryland$134,720-27.6%
Los Angeles, California$165,380-11.2%
Miami, Florida$245,010+31.6%
New York, New York$191,320+2.8%
Oxnard, California$169,620-8.9%
Palm Bay, Florida$160,510-13.8%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$162,610-12.6%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$211,220+13.5%
Portland, Oregon$210,060+12.8%
Richmond, Virginia$202,250+8.6%
Riverside, California$172,470-7.3%
Sacramento, California$130,050-30.1%
San Antonio, Texas$191,070+2.6%
San Diego, California$159,690-14.2%
San Jose, California$189,390+1.7%
Seattle, Washington$145,550-21.8%
Tampa, Florida$244,380+31.3%
Trenton, New Jersey$153,100-17.8%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$124,960-32.9%
Gross salary
186,150/yr
Estimated take-home
126,609/yr
Est. total withheld
32.0%

Single filer, federal + Michigan state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Physicists salaries in Michigan → All Physicists salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 19-2012 SOC code
Official area Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 19820 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: mi_treasury_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
WarrenDearborn
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Michigan

Population (metro area)
4,367,620