Microbiologists Salary: $119,060 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 19,760 microbiologists nationally earn a mean of $119,060. Employment in the series shown fell about 20% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.6% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Microbiologists: what the data shows
Common questions about microbiologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a microbiologists?
Microbiologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-1022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 19,760 workers.
What does a microbiologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information, Working with Computers, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a microbiologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $87,330 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $119,060 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,895 |
| 25th percentile | $95,846 |
| Median (50th) | $110,298 |
| 75th percentile | $137,909 |
| 90th percentile | $180,044 |
What education do you need?
For Microbiologists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Science, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Biology, English Language, Chemistry, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is microbiologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 6.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 19,760.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do microbiologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 19,760 | 17.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 14,660 | 12.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8,170 | 7.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 8,170 | 7.2% |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 5,650 | 5.0% |
| Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences | 5,650 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Microbiologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Microbiologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
19,760 Workforce in 2023
The Microbiologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Microbiologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$119,060 Average Wage
In 2023, Microbiologists earned an average of $119,060.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Microbiologists.
Salary distribution for Microbiologists.
Employment Growth Projections
0.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,153 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.2%
10,477 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 6.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Microbiologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Microbiologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Microbiologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Microbiologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Microbiologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Microbiologists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,510 employees, $115,910 avg wage
- MA: 2,110 employees, $119,850 avg wage
- MD: 2,040 employees, $108,870 avg wage
- NC: 1,320 employees, $92,260 avg wage
- NY: 1,090 employees, $94,660 avg wage
- NJ: 1,080 employees, $90,300 avg wage
- GA: 990 employees, $103,880 avg wage
- IL: 840 employees, $81,310 avg wage
- PA: 780 employees, $77,100 avg wage
- WI: 690 employees, $71,630 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Microbiologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,790 employees, $119,070 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,600 employees, $117,900 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,580 employees, $94,200 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 870 employees, $129,900 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 830 employees, $104,470 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 680 employees, $104,430 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 670 employees, $80,900 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 580 employees, $88,930 avg wage
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: 500 employees, $99,640 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 440 employees, $88,570 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Microbiologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Microbiologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Microbiologists in 2023 was 19,760 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Microbiologists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Microbiologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Microbiologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Microbiologists in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Microbiologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Microbiologists workers.
Education level distribution for Microbiologists.
Skills
Microbiologists need many skills, but most especially Science, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Microbiologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Microbiologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Microbiologists include Biology, English Language, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Microbiologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Microbiologists include Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Microbiologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Microbiologists.
Daily Activities
Microbiologists spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information, Working with Computers.
Most important work activities for Microbiologists.
About
Microbiologists
The average yearly wage for Microbiologists was $119,060 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-1022 - Microbiologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Microbiologists reports an average salary of $119,060, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 19,760 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.