JobAfterNext

Biologists

Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

Wages

BLS doesn't publish wages for Biologists separately. These are the figures for Biological Scientists, All Other (19-1029), its parent occupation.

Median annual wage, U.S.$98,920
Employment, U.S.55,850
Median hourly wage$47.56
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$60,430$76,800$98,920$127,670$168,010
By state (50)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama340$87,2600.44
Alaska370$106,8703.14
Arizona760$90,2900.65
Arkansas360$76,4000.78
California11,880$113,5301.82
Colorado850$93,9700.82
Connecticut170$111,9400.28
Delaware$113,400
District of Columbia850$84,5903.39
Florida1,920$83,7800.54
Georgia1,230$96,8200.70
Hawaii370$95,6001.63
Idaho430$83,3201.41
Illinois1,300$82,6400.59
Indiana640$84,5700.56
Iowa550$82,7200.98
Kansas760$76,4001.47
Kentucky260$79,4000.36
Louisiana580$69,5900.83
Maine340$104,5701.49
Maryland4,970$121,6805.01
Massachusetts2,930$107,1002.24
Michigan860$81,5400.54
Minnesota750$76,4000.71
Mississippi320$91,1700.76
Missouri1,120$63,2901.07
Montana550$91,5603.02
Nebraska240$82,7700.65
Nevada410$74,2100.74
New Hampshire310$83,7401.28
New Jersey540$104,7500.35
New Mexico420$84,1201.34
New York2,520$104,1200.72
North Carolina2,780$100,0701.56
Ohio610$95,5600.31
Oklahoma300$79,9500.49
Oregon700$86,2600.99
Pennsylvania1,810$100,7800.83
Rhode Island100$101,7500.56
South Carolina240$91,5600.29
South Dakota170$73,9201.03
Tennessee420$80,5000.35
Texas2,480$80,8700.49
Utah590$93,2500.95
Vermont90$77,9600.84
Virginia1,650$96,0301.11
Washington2,620$108,1102.05
West Virginia230$84,5900.91
Wisconsin740$78,4800.70
Wyoming170$91,5601.70

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Molecular and Cellular Biologists50.976
2Microbiologists40.976
3Geneticists50.971
4Soil and Plant Scientists50.969
5Biochemists and Biophysicists50.965
6Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health40.960
7Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary50.959
8Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists50.959
9Natural Sciences Managers50.958
10Animal Scientists50.956

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Biologists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Animal ScientistsSystems Evaluation0.880.956
Biological TechniciansOperations Monitoring1.380.946
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and GeographersOperations Analysis1.870.945
HydrologistsSystems Analysis1.000.944
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including HealthOperations Monitoring1.260.942
Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, PostsecondaryInstructing1.000.942
ChemistsOperations Monitoring1.260.938
Food Scientists and TechnologistsQuality Control Analysis1.130.938
Environmental Compliance InspectorsOperations Monitoring1.760.933
Environmental Engineering Technologists and TechniciansOperations Monitoring1.500.927

All 12

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Biologists, excluding software Biologists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
Laboratory information management system LIMS8 of 2020.5x
Statistical software8 of 209.2x
SAS11 of 204.3x
Geographic information system GIS systems7 of 205.4x
EarthSoft EQuIS Geology3 of 2046.2x
PHYLIP3 of 2034.6x
Email software13 of 202.2x
ClustalW3 of 2027.7x
ESRI ArcInfo4 of 2010.9x
Image scanning software5 of 206.2x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
ScienceEssential skill 4.62 5.00
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.12 5.12
WritingEssential skill 4.12 5.00
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.88
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 4.75
Active ListeningEssential skill 4.00 4.12
Active LearningEssential skill 3.88 4.75
MathematicsEssential skill 3.88 4.25
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.75 4.00
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.75 4.00
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.12 3.75
MonitoringEssential skill 3.00 4.00
InstructingTransferable skill 3.00 3.88
ProgrammingTransferable skill 3.00 3.75
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.00 3.62
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 3.00 3.12
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
PersuasionTransferable skill 2.75 3.00
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.62 2.75
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 2.50 2.75
NegotiationTransferable skill 2.50 2.50
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 2.00
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.88
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 1.88 1.62
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.88 0.88
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 1.75 1.38
Technology DesignTransferable skill 1.62 0.62
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.62 0.62
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.00not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Biology 5.00 6.16
Education and Training 4.18 5.57
English Language 4.10 4.83
Mathematics 3.59 4.50
Administration and Management 3.41 4.06
Chemistry 3.39 4.50
Administrative 3.24 4.42
Engineering and Technology 3.18 3.48
Communications and Media 3.01 3.54
Computers and Electronics 2.98 3.72
Physics 2.98 3.40
Personnel and Human Resources 2.74 3.42
Customer and Personal Service 2.72 3.10
Public Safety and Security 2.71 2.39
Geography 2.61 3.05
Mechanical 2.45 3.51
Law and Government 2.42 2.22
Production and Processing 2.35 2.43
Medicine and Dentistry 2.31 1.94
Design 2.29 2.97
Psychology 2.22 2.86
Economics and Accounting 2.20 2.37
Sociology and Anthropology 2.09 2.12
Sales and Marketing 1.97 2.35
Transportation 1.95 1.33
Food Production 1.85not rated
Building and Construction 1.78 2.23
History and Archeology 1.69 1.55
Telecommunications 1.59not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.57not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.49not rated
Foreign Language 1.38not rated
Fine Arts 1.08not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Written Comprehension 4.12 5.12
Inductive Reasoning 4.12 5.00
Oral Comprehension 4.12 5.00
Written Expression 4.12 5.00
Oral Expression 4.00 5.12
Category Flexibility 4.00 5.00
Near Vision 4.00 4.12
Information Ordering 4.00 4.00
Deductive Reasoning 3.88 4.88
Mathematical Reasoning 3.88 4.25
Problem Sensitivity 3.88 4.12
Speech Clarity 3.88 4.12
Speech Recognition 3.75 4.12
Fluency of Ideas 3.62 4.00
Flexibility of Closure 3.25 4.00
Originality 3.12 3.88
Far Vision 3.12 3.75
Number Facility 3.12 3.25
Perceptual Speed 3.00 3.00
Selective Attention 3.00 3.00
Visual Color Discrimination 3.00 3.00
Visualization 3.00 3.00
Speed of Closure 2.88 3.00
Memorization 2.75 3.00
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.75 2.75
Time Sharing 2.75 2.12
Finger Dexterity 2.62 2.62
Depth Perception 2.12 1.88
Auditory Attention 2.00 2.00
Manual Dexterity 2.00 2.00
Multilimb Coordination 2.00 1.88
Control Precision 2.00 1.75
Trunk Strength 2.00 1.75
Static Strength 2.00 1.12
Hearing Sensitivity 1.88 1.75
Gross Body Coordination 1.88 1.00
Extent Flexibility 1.88 0.88
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.88 0.88
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.88 0.88
Stamina 1.75 0.75
Dynamic Strength 1.62 0.62
Peripheral Vision 1.62 0.62
Reaction Time 1.62 0.62
Sound Localization 1.62 0.62
Glare Sensitivity 1.50 0.50
Rate Control 1.50 0.50
Spatial Orientation 1.38 0.38
Night Vision 1.25not rated
Explosive Strength 1.12not rated
Response Orientation 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 56
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Ingenuity Systems Ingenuity Pathways Analysis
  • JaMBW
  • Joint Prediction of Operons JPOP
  • MacVector
  • Meyer Instruments Optimas
  • Minitab
  • NAMD
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • Partek Incorporated Partek Genomics Suite
  • Phrap
  • Phred
  • Protein Explorer
  • RepeatMasker
  • SURFDriver Software WinSURF
  • SequentiX TreeMe
  • SoftZymics VisualEnzymics
  • Software development tools
  • TIBCO Spotfire
  • Textco BioSoftware Gene Inspector
  • The Mathworks SimBiology
  • VayTek VoxBlast
  • Visual Molecular Dynamics VMD
  • Web browser software
  • Wolfram Research Mathematica
  • sim4

Where it concentrates

BLS doesn't publish wages for Biologists separately. These are the figures for Biological Scientists, All Other (19-1029), its parent occupation.

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC1,39011.28$98,700
Ames, IA1608.21$82,720
Missoula, MT1305.21$82,140
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV5,7205.08$114,920
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA4,2805.01$138,160
Jefferson City, MO1404.96$59,050
Champaign-Urbana, IL1403.61$70,870
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA1,9603.54$108,350
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO2103.44$98,800
Madison, WI4402.97$77,550

More metros, other thresholds