In May 2013, the BLS reported that medical scientists earned an average salary of $90,230 a year. Top-earning medical scientists earned as much as $149,310 a year, while the bottom 10 percent earned $42,830 a year. According to Indeed, the average salary of a neuroscientist in July 2014 was $103,000 a year. Geographic location can affect salaries. For example, in California, neuroscientists earned $111,000 a year. In New York, the average salary is $124,000 a year. In Nebraska, however, the average salary is only $76,000 a year.