Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

19-1023 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.

National estimates for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Industry profile for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Geographic profile for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

National estimates for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
17,100	2.1 %	$ 36.41	$ 75,740	0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 22.04	$ 27.46	$ 33.94	$ 42.40	$ 53.17
Annual Wage (2)	$ 45,840	$ 57,120	$ 70,600	$ 88,190	$ 110,590

Industry profile for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	7,100	0.33	$ 31.67	$ 65,880
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	3,730	0.17	$ 45.63	$ 94,900
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	1,830	0.10	$ 38.50	$ 80,070
Social Advocacy Organizations	970	0.38	$ 30.53	$ 63,500
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	850	0.02	$ 40.59	$ 84,420

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Social Advocacy Organizations	970	0.38	$ 30.53	$ 63,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	7,100	0.33	$ 31.67	$ 65,880
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	520	0.31	$ 24.69	$ 51,360
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	3,730	0.17	$ 45.63	$ 94,900
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	1,830	0.10	$ 38.50	$ 80,070

Top paying industries for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	370	0.02	$ 49.00	$ 101,920
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	3,730	0.17	$ 45.63	$ 94,900
Management of Companies and Enterprises	(8)	(8)	$ 42.34	$ 88,070
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	850	0.02	$ 40.59	$ 84,420
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	1,830	0.10	$ 38.50	$ 80,070

Geographic profile for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Map of employment of zoologists and wildlife biologists by state, May 2023

States with the highest employment level in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Washington	2,040	0.58	5.18	$ 39.63	$ 82,420
California	1,620	0.09	0.80	$ 43.79	$ 91,090
Florida	1,310	0.14	1.21	$ 25.67	$ 53,390
Oregon	1,180	0.61	5.38	$ 39.71	$ 82,600
Colorado	880	0.31	2.75	$ 38.75	$ 80,590

Map of location quotient of zoologists and wildlife biologists by state, May 2023

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska	680	2.17	19.28	$ 40.76	$ 84,770
Wyoming	290	1.06	9.44	$ 33.90	$ 70,500
Montana	350	0.70	6.20	$ 32.52	$ 67,650
Oregon	1,180	0.61	5.38	$ 39.71	$ 82,600
Washington	2,040	0.58	5.18	$ 39.63	$ 82,420

Map of annual mean wages of zoologists and wildlife biologists by state, May 2023

Top paying states for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Mississippi	110	0.09	0.82	$ 48.78	$ 101,460
Massachusetts	470	0.13	1.15	$ 43.99	$ 91,500
California	1,620	0.09	0.80	$ 43.79	$ 91,090
Maryland	340	0.13	1.11	$ 42.92	$ 89,270
New York	410	0.04	0.38	$ 41.58	$ 86,490

Map of employment of zoologists and wildlife biologists by area, May 2023

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	960	0.46	4.09	$ 42.84	$ 89,120
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	490	0.40	3.58	$ 38.14	$ 79,330
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	290	0.05	0.42	$ 44.39	$ 92,320
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	270	0.11	0.98	$ 52.21	$ 108,600
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	270	0.17	1.49	$ 39.54	$ 82,240
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	270	0.19	1.68	$ 25.76	$ 53,590
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	250	0.08	0.73	$ 53.98	$ 112,270
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	240	0.03	0.23	$ 44.71	$ 93,000
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	230	0.12	1.09	$ 36.15	$ 75,190
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	230	0.08	0.73	$ 39.95	$ 83,090

Map of location quotient of zoologists and wildlife biologists by area, May 2023

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Fairbanks, AK	100	2.81	24.96	$ 38.75	$ 80,590
Corvallis, OR	100	2.60	23.12	$ 37.56	$ 78,120
Olympia-Tumwater, WA	220	1.81	16.03	$ 36.70	$ 76,340
Wenatchee, WA	80	1.48	13.18	$ 39.75	$ 82,680
Lewiston, ID-WA	30	1.10	9.76	$ 32.30	$ 67,190
Anchorage, AK	180	1.08	9.61	$ 38.61	$ 80,300
Auburn-Opelika, AL	60	1.01	8.94	$ 28.09	$ 58,420
Barnstable Town, MA	90	0.94	8.31	$ 59.85	$ 124,480
Grand Junction, CO	60	0.89	7.93	$ 35.73	$ 74,310
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA	80	0.89	7.89	$ 40.41	$ 84,050

Map of annual mean wages of zoologists and wildlife biologists by area, May 2023

Top paying metropolitan areas for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Barnstable Town, MA	90	0.94	8.31	$ 59.85	$ 124,480
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	250	0.08	0.73	$ 53.98	$ 112,270
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	270	0.11	0.98	$ 52.21	$ 108,600
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	70	0.06	0.55	$ 47.14	$ 98,040
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	210	0.14	1.20	$ 46.50	$ 96,710
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	60	0.11	0.94	$ 45.20	$ 94,010
Santa Rosa, CA	50	0.26	2.31	$ 45.09	$ 93,790
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	240	0.03	0.23	$ 44.71	$ 93,000
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	290	0.05	0.42	$ 44.39	$ 92,320
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA	180	0.17	1.50	$ 44.15	$ 91,830

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	390	3.77	33.52	$ 42.35	$ 88,100
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area	200	1.74	15.47	$ 39.73	$ 82,640
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area	150	1.56	13.81	$ 34.49	$ 71,740
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area	150	2.00	17.75	$ 36.04	$ 74,970
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area	130	1.03	9.18	$ 33.46	$ 69,610

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	390	3.77	33.52	$ 42.35	$ 88,100
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area	150	2.00	17.75	$ 36.04	$ 74,970
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area	200	1.74	15.47	$ 39.73	$ 82,640
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area	110	1.72	15.25	$ 37.55	$ 78,100
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area	150	1.56	13.81	$ 34.49	$ 71,740

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	390	3.77	33.52	$ 42.35	$ 88,100
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	50	0.44	3.88	$ 40.01	$ 83,230
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area	200	1.74	15.47	$ 39.73	$ 82,640
Northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	30	0.45	3.97	$ 37.80	$ 78,610
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area	110	1.72	15.25	$ 37.55	$ 78,100

About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024