THE 1998 CHP SALARY SURVEY

Gary Lautenschlager

Introduction

The 1998 CHP Salary Survey was conducted with the assistance of the American Academy of Health Physics. The survey form was included with the annual AAHP maintenance fee notice, which was mailed near the end of August. The response was very good, with more than 400 surveys returned by mid October. Newsletter publication deadlines made it necessary to use only the data received through October 23, 1998. Data received after this date will be included in the AAHP website version at a future date: http://www.aahp-abhp.org

Questions about this survey should be directed to Gary Lautenschlager, via email: glauten@hotmail.com Telephone: (630) 840-8360 (W) or (815) 748-4539 (H). You may also post your questions and comments on the AAHP Bulletin Board at the AAHP website: http://www.aahp-abhp.org

Data Analysis

The salary ranges marked by CHPs on the completed survey forms were rounded to the midpoints of those ranges before statistical analyses were performed. For example, if a CHP marked the salary range $50,000 to $54,999, their salary was rounded to the midpoint value of $52,500.

One CHP indicated he earned $260,000 per year. This data point was excluded from the data analysis as an outlier.

Responses from CHPs who were either part time or retired were not analyzed, since the data did not appear to allow meaningful comparisons to be made.

Data Presentation

In an effort to make the results of the survey as interesting and useful as possible, CHPs were grouped in several ways by education, primary job responsibility, years of experience, and combinations of these groups. Readers are cautioned that for statistical validity, results are usually given only if there were 10 or more CHPs within that group. Data presented for one group of CHPs may not be possible for another group. However, some exceptions were made for general interest.

Tables

Tables show results for full-time CHPs who received health, vacation, and retirement benefits from their primary employer unless otherwise noted. A histogram of Table 1 data is included as Figure 1.

 

Table 1: All CHPs

All CHPs

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

CHPs

355

$83,076

$77,500

$172,500

$27,500

$21,523

Table 2: CHPs by Education and Field

Education

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Bachelors Health Physics

17

$73,088

$67,500

$122,500

$52,500

$17,400

Bachelors Other Field

43

$80,291

$82,500

$112,500

$52,500

$14,569

Masters Health Physics

139

$80,737

$77,500

$137,500

$47,500

$18,414

Masters Other Field

56

$83,027

$77,500

$152,500

$47,500

$25,069

Ph.D. Health Physics

41

$88,720

$82,500

$152,500

$27,500

$25,975

Ph.D. Other Field

41

$91,159

$87,500

$172,500

$42,500

$26,268

Masters Health Physics and Masters Other Field

13

$85,192

$87,500

$122,500

$52,500

$21,853

Table 3: CHPs by Education and 10-15 Years Experience

Education & 10-15 Years Experience

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Masters Health Physics

31

$73,629

$67,500

$127,500

$47,500

$15,314

Masters Other Field

10

$73,000

$67,500

$152,500

$47,500

$30,318

Ph.D. Health Physics

10

$70,000

$67,500

$92,500

$57,500

$12,528

Table 4: CHPs by Education and 15-25 Years Experience

Education & 15-25 Years Experience

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Bachelors Health Physics

10

$78,000

$72,500

$122,500

$52,500

$19,501

Bachelors Other Field

24

$81,667

$82,500

$112,500

$52,500

$15,370

Masters Health Physics

65

$79,885

$77,500

$137,500

$57,500

$16,656

Masters Other Field

13

$77,222

$72,500

$122,500

$47,500

$18,588

Ph.D. Health Physics

13

$92,115

$82,500

$152,500

$62,500

$24,192

Ph.D. Other Field

14

$90,357

$90,000

$132,500

$57,500

$19,086

Table 5: CHPs by Education and NRRPT

Education & NRRPT

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Bachelors Other Field

17

$73,676

$67,500

$107,500

$52,500

$13,979

Masters Health Physics

10

$79,500

$80,000

$127,500

$52,500

$21,370

Table 6: CHPs by Education and PE

Education & PE

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Masters Health Physics

7

$76,071

$77,500

$102,500

$52,500

$16,762

Masters Other Field

9

$94,167

$97,500

$122,500

$72,500

$19,526

Table 7: Bachelors Other Field and Primary Employer

Bachelors Other Field

& Primary Employer

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Nuclear Power Facility

14

$78,929

$75,000

$112,500

$57,500

$17,145

Table 8: Masters Health Physics and Primary Employer

Masters Health Physics

& Primary Employer

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Commercial

19

$81,447

$72,500

$127,500

$62,500

$18,225

Consulting Firm

14

$95,357

$92,500

$137,500

$67,500

$21,096

Federal Government

19

$83,553

$77,500

$122,500

$52,500

$18,899

Government Contractors

18

$79,444

$77,500

$102,500

$62,500

$12,964

National Laboratory

22

$76,136

$72,500

$107,500

$47,500

$15,521

Nuclear Power Facility

20

$85,500

$82,500

$132,500

$57,500

$20,417

State Government

8

$75,625

$75,000

$102,500

$57,500

$15,104

University

11

$67,955

$67,500

$87,500

$47,500

$14,045

Table 9: Masters Other Field and Primary Employer

Masters Other Field
& Primary Employer

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

National Laboratory

10

$84,000

$82,500

$102,500

$52,500

$14,347

Table 10: Masters Health Physics and Primary Job Responsibility

Masters Health Physics & Primary Job Responsibility

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Administration

25

$85,900

$82,500

$137,500

$52,500

$19,079

Applied Health Physics

33

$76,288

$72,500

$112,500

$47,500

$16,058

Dosimetry

9

$75,278

$72,500

$92,500

$57,500

$10,929

Radiation Safety Officer

12

$75,000

$72,500

$102,500

$52,500

$16,026

Radiological Assessment

12

$81,250

$77,500

$122,500

$47,500

$19,203

Regulations/Standards

10

$83,000

$77,500

$122,500

$62,500

$20,200

Table 11: Ph.D. Health Physics and Primary Job Responsibility

Ph.D Health Physics
& Primary Job Responsibility

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Radiation Safety Officer

10

$93,500

$92,500

$117,500

$62,500

$22,086

Table 12: Self-Employed CHPs (without regard to responses on whether benefits received)

Self-Employed CHPs

(w/o regard to benefits)

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

CHPs

11

$88,864

$82,500

$122,500

$67,500

$16,446

Table 13: CHPs with Medical Physics as Primary Job Responsibility

Medical Physics Primary Job

Count

Average

Median

Max

Min

Std Dev

Medical Physics CHPs

17

$90,735

$87,500

$172,500

$27,500

$37,953

 

Figure 1: Histogram of Table 1 Data

 

 

 

The Optional Question

I was unable to include a discussion of the many replies received for this question at this writing. However, it will be included in a future CHP Newsletter issue and the AAHP website: http://www.aahp-abhp.org In closing I would like to thank all of you who provided your input.