Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists Salary: $93,946 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 16,920 zoologists and wildlife biologists nationally earn a mean of $93,946. Projections imply about 0.5% annual decline; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, including state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Key Statistics
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists: what the data shows
Common questions about zoologists and wildlife biologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a zoologists and wildlife biologists?
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-1023.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 16,920 workers.
What does a zoologists and wildlife biologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a zoologists and wildlife biologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $72,860 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $93,946 — 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 | $52,396 |
| 25th percentile | $63,952 |
| Median (50th) | $84,865 |
| 75th percentile | $113,986 |
| 90th percentile | $140,692 |
What education do you need?
For Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, 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 Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Biology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is zoologists and wildlife biologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -5.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 16,920.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do zoologists and wildlife biologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 16,920 | 17.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 12,150 | 12.4% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 11,680 | 12.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 11,680 | 12.0% |
| State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 7,460 | 7.6% |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 7,040 | 7.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinarians | 80,630 | $125,510 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
16,920 Workforce in 2023
The Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$93,946 Average Wage
In 2023, Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earned an average of $93,946.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Salary distribution for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
5,860 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.6%
5,705 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -5.2%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
10.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
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:
- WA: 1,800 employees, $90,370 avg wage
- CA: 1,580 employees, $91,460 avg wage
- FL: 1,210 employees, $59,600 avg wage
- OR: 970 employees, $84,550 avg wage
- CO: 780 employees, $82,340 avg wage
- AK: 690 employees, $86,060 avg wage
- TX: 550 employees, $62,310 avg wage
- MN: 490 employees, $72,870 avg wage
- AZ: 410 employees, $73,840 avg wage
- WY: 400 employees, $70,200 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 730 employees, $100,570 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 360 employees, $86,550 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 260 employees, $52,850 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 260 employees, $105,920 avg wage
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA: 250 employees, $82,410 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 240 employees, $91,160 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 240 employees, $60,020 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 230 employees, $120,570 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 220 employees, $72,070 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 210 employees, $84,070 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists in 2023 was 16,920 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists workers.
Education level distribution for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Skills
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists need many skills, but most especially Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists include Biology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Geography.
Knowledge areas required for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists include Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
Daily Activities
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists spend their time on activities such as Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists.
About
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
The average yearly wage for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists was $93,946 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-1023 - Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists reports an average salary of $93,946.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 16,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.5%, 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.