Biochemists and Biophysicists
Median $127,410
Occupation · SOC 19-1022
Microbiologists: pay and where the jobs are
What microbiologists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$87,990 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $97,600
- Median hourly wage
- $42.30
- Mean hourly wage
- $46.92
- Employment
- 18,940
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1022.
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How much do microbiologists make?
The median annual wage for microbiologists was $87,990 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $54,670 and the highest-paid 10% more than $150,000. As an hourly rate, the median is $42.30. About 18,940 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($122,350), California ($108,530) and Maryland ($108,470). Massachusetts also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for microbiologists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,670 | $26.28 | $4,556 | $3,842 |
| 25th percentile | $67,100 | $32.26 | $5,592 | $4,670 |
| Median | $87,990 | $42.30 | $7,333 | $5,894 |
| 75th percentile | $122,350 | $58.82 | $10,196 | $7,908 |
| 90th percentile | $150,000 | $72.12 | $12,500 | $9,483 |
Microbiologists: pay by state
43 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$83,618 take-home in national prices
2
$79,907 take-home in national prices
3
$76,475 take-home in national prices
Where a median microbiologist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 1,960 | $122,350 | $75,990 | $162,760 | $88,432 | $83,618 |
| California | 2,600 | $108,530 | $62,440 | $183,420 | $77,922 | $70,377 |
| Maryland | 1,590 | $108,470 | $59,260 | $185,520 | $80,268 | $76,475 |
| Georgia | 880 | $103,070 | $66,510 | $158,020 | $76,945 | $79,907 |
| New Jersey | 790 | $96,020 | $57,840 | $131,700 | $71,860 | $66,045 |
| Illinois | 1,470 | $92,050 | $59,780 | $127,300 | $69,175 | $69,205 |
| Oregon | 170 | $89,220 | $65,600 | $141,130 | $64,856 | $62,748 |
| Montana | 80 | $87,750 | $53,940 | $171,600 | $66,965 | $70,754 |
| Connecticut | 180 | $86,360 | $60,800 | $134,040 | $65,153 | $62,883 |
| North Carolina | 1,050 | $85,860 | $57,710 | $138,600 | $66,315 | $70,304 |
| Pennsylvania | 670 | $84,650 | $50,300 | $132,040 | $65,723 | $67,359 |
| Minnesota | 290 | $83,400 | $58,050 | $138,280 | $62,987 | $63,868 |
| Delaware | 190 | $82,770 | $59,040 | $128,480 | $62,606 | $62,726 |
| Colorado | 370 | $81,640 | $49,690 | $152,730 | $63,021 | $61,154 |
| New York | 1,050 | $81,090 | $65,020 | $134,960 | $61,713 | $57,184 |
| Florida | 270 | $80,930 | $46,090 | $135,710 | $65,764 | $63,593 |
| Iowa | 180 | $79,830 | $66,780 | $138,090 | $62,609 | $71,339 |
| New Hampshire | 170 | $79,430 | $57,540 | $111,120 | $64,709 | $62,122 |
| Michigan | 370 | $78,680 | $52,470 | $103,150 | $61,088 | $63,490 |
| Missouri | 140 | $78,590 | $54,540 | $163,130 | $61,362 | $67,566 |
| Indiana | 150 | $77,900 | $55,460 | $120,020 | $61,364 | $65,750 |
| Virginia | 280 | $77,820 | $55,120 | $161,470 | $59,916 | $59,262 |
| Washington | 340 | $77,690 | $53,490 | $129,480 | $62,407 | $58,317 |
| Tennessee | 210 | $77,630 | $52,880 | $143,220 | $63,443 | $69,057 |
| Alaska | 30 | $76,320 | $62,060 | $93,920 | $62,250 | $60,815 |
| Utah | 120 | $72,600 | $46,960 | $123,120 | $56,932 | $57,587 |
| Ohio | 530 | $72,500 | $46,420 | $129,590 | $58,284 | $62,823 |
| Nebraska | 90 | $72,470 | $57,160 | $166,000 | $57,395 | $63,699 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $70,970 | $56,050 | $89,810 | $54,813 | $49,852 |
| South Dakota | 80 | $70,530 | $40,820 | $107,200 | $58,448 | $65,979 |
| Kansas | 120 | $70,500 | $50,570 | $118,560 | $55,293 | $61,390 |
| Arizona | 80 | $69,880 | $52,530 | $93,310 | $56,637 | $56,256 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $68,550 | $42,740 | $82,680 | $54,804 | $61,236 |
| Wisconsin | 420 | $67,100 | $46,030 | $109,040 | $53,560 | $56,921 |
| Kentucky | 80 | $66,500 | $55,100 | $123,070 | $53,403 | $59,232 |
| Texas | 920 | $66,450 | $45,850 | $103,820 | $55,573 | $57,258 |
| Idaho | 70 | $65,940 | $48,660 | $100,510 | $52,776 | $55,267 |
| Alabama | 110 | $65,690 | $38,350 | $96,660 | $52,203 | $58,771 |
| South Carolina | 100 | $64,740 | $51,820 | $98,460 | $52,222 | $55,704 |
| Nevada | 110 | $64,490 | $51,990 | $125,860 | $53,998 | $54,009 |
| Puerto Rico | 190 | $63,680 | $40,160 | $95,180 | — | — |
| Mississippi | Not published | $61,690 | $44,010 | $115,210 | $50,012 | $57,516 |
| Arkansas | 140 | $59,750 | $42,580 | $145,270 | $48,466 | $55,748 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1022. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.