How Much Do Animal Biologists Make?

Average Pay

For the purposes of its May 2010 survey of national employment, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics categorized animal biologists alongside their close colleagues zoologists. It concluded that the mean annual salary across this occupational grouping was $61,660, which equates to an hourly pay rate of $29.64. Those among the top 10 percent of earners received in excess of $93,450 per year, while their contemporaries in the corresponding bottom bracket earned wages lower than $35,660 per year. At the time of publication, Indeed.com listed the average yearly pay for an animal biologist as $64,000.

The bureau's analysis showed that the majority of animal biologists work within the public sector for government agencies. At federal level the mean annual salary was reported to be $77,030, while at state government level the mean was $53,100, at within local government $58,710. Individuals working within scientific research and development services earned a mean of $72,410, while museums, historical sites and similar institutions had a mean of $49,130 per year.

The bureau listed District of Columbia as the state in which, across all industry sectors, an animal biologist was likely to receive the highest wages, with an annual mean of $106,540. Maryland was the closet challenger, with a mean of $97,370, while Massachusetts completed the top three states at a pay rate of $88,550 per year. Alaska and Idaho were reported to have very similar wage levels, at respective means of $63,890 and $63,280, while Florida was amongst the least lucrative locations, at just $51,160.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment market for biological scientists of all kinds, including animal biologists, to grow by around 21 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018. This compares with a growth rate of between 7 and 13 percent for the nation as a whole across all occupations. Government-funded research and the biotechnology industry will be the key areas of growth, and, as such, wage levels for the profession should remain competitive in the immediate future.