Is Materials Scientist a good career in 2026?
C
51/100 · Moderate
Moderate risk from automation. Consider adjacent skills to broaden earning power.
$112K
Median pay
+81%
vs US average
14%/yr
Demand growth
78/100
Future-proof
Reasons it's worth it
- ✓Pays 81% above the US average wage ($112K vs $62K).
- ✓Relatively automation-resilient (78/100 future-proof).
- ✓In-demand skills: Materials Characterisation, SEM, XRD, Python.
Things to weigh
- !Competition can be high for the best-paid positions — keep skills current.
Dig into the numbers
Common questions
Is Materials Scientist a good career in 2026?
On our data, Materials Scientist scores 51/100 (Moderate). Moderate risk from automation. Consider adjacent skills to broaden earning power. Median pay is $112K (81% above the US average), demand is ~14%/yr, and automation risk is 22/100.
Does Materials Scientist pay well?
The median Materials Scientist earns about $112K, which is 81% above the US average wage of $62K.
Will Materials Scientist be automated by AI?
Automation risk is 22/100 (78/100 future-proof). Most of the role is hard to fully automate near-term.
Career score blends demand growth and automation risk; pay from BLS-anchored medians. A guide, not a guarantee.