occupation · 19-1023 · detailed
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists — wages and employment
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earned a median annual wage of $72,860 in the United States in May 2024, with 16,920 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earned a median annual wage of $72,860 in the United States in May 2024, with 16,920 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $48,240 or less, the best-paid tenth $113,350 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $70,600 to $72,860, +3.2 %. The best-paying state is Rhode Island at $97,050; the lowest Puerto Rico at $42,640. Among metropolitan areas, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV pays the highest median, $121,890. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 16,920 | $72,860 | $77,920 | $48,240 | $58,360 | $90,590 | $113,350 | $35.03 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 17,100 | $70,600 | $75,740 | $45,840 | $57,120 | $88,190 | $110,590 | $33.94 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $97,050 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $88,550 | 320 |
| Mississippi | $87,050 | 120 |
| Louisiana | $85,840 | 50 |
| Oregon | $85,150 | 970 |
| Alaska | $84,640 | 690 |
| California | $82,620 | 1,580 |
| Maryland | $82,600 | 270 |
| North Dakota | $82,150 | 100 |
| Washington | $82,050 | 1,800 |
| Iowa | $80,590 | 100 |
| Michigan | $79,020 | 320 |
| Illinois | $78,620 | 160 |
| New Jersey | $77,380 | 90 |
| Missouri | $77,380 | 150 |
| Colorado | $77,320 | 780 |
| Vermont | $75,370 | 70 |
| Ohio | $75,030 | 310 |
| Hawaii | $74,110 | 200 |
| Wyoming | $74,060 | 400 |
| West Virginia | $73,780 | 100 |
| Idaho | $72,760 | 310 |
| Connecticut | $72,030 | 110 |
| Arkansas | $71,690 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,550 | 210 |
| Minnesota | $70,510 | 490 |
| Arizona | $70,370 | 410 |
| Utah | $69,990 | 350 |
| New Hampshire | $69,430 | 90 |
| Maine | $66,910 | 280 |
| Virginia | $66,550 | 370 |
| New Mexico | $66,480 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $65,960 | 400 |
| Alabama | $64,860 | 310 |
| Montana | $64,060 | 370 |
| Georgia | $63,530 | 200 |
| Kansas | $63,270 | 160 |
| South Dakota | $62,200 | 200 |
| North Carolina | $61,930 | 350 |
| South Carolina | $61,490 | 230 |
| Nevada | $60,650 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $59,950 | 210 |
| Oklahoma | $57,400 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $56,700 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $55,080 | 160 |
| Indiana | $53,190 | 130 |
| Florida | $51,420 | 1,210 |
| Texas | $50,610 | 550 |
| Puerto Rico | $42,640 | 70 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $121,890 | 230 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | $113,030 | 30 |
| Salem, OR | $98,110 | 80 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $97,810 | 260 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $94,370 | 50 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $93,640 | 180 |
| Bellingham, WA | $90,950 | 30 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $90,900 | 160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90,620 | 50 |
| Bismarck, ND | $88,820 | 40 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $88,360 | 90 |
| Worcester, MA | $87,910 | 60 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $86,960 | 730 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $86,200 | 50 |
| Corvallis, OR | $85,150 | 100 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $84,270 | 50 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $84,180 | 360 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $83,510 | 100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $83,100 | 240 |
| Redding, CA | $83,010 | 30 |
Machine access — free, no API key
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