Biochemists and Biophysicists
Median $127,410
Occupation · SOC 19-1023
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists: pay and where the jobs are
What zoologists and wildlife biologists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$76,780 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $83,020
- Median hourly wage
- $36.91
- Mean hourly wage
- $39.91
- Employment
- 18,120
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1023.
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How much do zoologists and wildlife biologists make?
The median annual wage for zoologists and wildlife biologists was $76,780 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,100 and the highest-paid 10% more than $126,440. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.91. About 18,120 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maryland ($107,500), District of Columbia ($107,050) and California ($98,530). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Mississippi.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for zoologists and wildlife biologists 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 | $49,100 | $23.61 | $4,092 | $3,469 |
| 25th percentile | $61,180 | $29.41 | $5,098 | $4,278 |
| Median | $76,780 | $36.91 | $6,398 | $5,237 |
| 75th percentile | $96,100 | $46.20 | $8,008 | $6,370 |
| 90th percentile | $126,440 | $60.79 | $10,537 | $8,141 |
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists: pay by state
48 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
$78,687 take-home in national prices
2
$77,228 take-home in national prices
3
$75,871 take-home in national prices
Where a median zoologists and wildlife biologist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 250 | $107,500 | $63,060 | $156,750 | $79,634 | $75,871 |
| District of Columbia | 140 | $107,050 | $85,190 | $161,470 | $78,009 | $70,981 |
| California | 2,210 | $98,530 | $58,380 | $177,760 | $71,947 | $64,981 |
| Alaska | 650 | $90,370 | $59,280 | $126,920 | $72,134 | $70,472 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $88,710 | $52,610 | $141,130 | $68,421 | $78,687 |
| Louisiana | 50 | $87,460 | $65,400 | $119,430 | $68,121 | $77,228 |
| Oregon | 1,010 | $85,150 | $54,640 | $113,350 | $62,374 | $60,346 |
| Hawaii | 170 | $84,910 | $65,650 | $125,630 | $63,525 | $57,776 |
| Massachusetts | 470 | $84,350 | $45,310 | $138,940 | $63,785 | $60,313 |
| Washington | 1,840 | $83,780 | $62,070 | $129,850 | $66,607 | $62,242 |
| Colorado | 730 | $83,300 | $60,590 | $116,390 | $64,108 | $62,210 |
| New Jersey | 90 | $83,030 | $59,420 | $128,790 | $63,603 | $58,456 |
| Iowa | 90 | $83,000 | $59,850 | $90,420 | $64,718 | $73,743 |
| New York | 370 | $82,640 | $58,240 | $117,860 | $62,713 | $58,111 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $81,330 | $55,700 | $103,500 | $65,719 | $73,876 |
| Illinois | 250 | $79,780 | $55,690 | $112,900 | $61,151 | $61,177 |
| Vermont | 70 | $79,620 | $65,690 | $98,340 | $62,092 | $63,386 |
| Michigan | 330 | $79,150 | $58,720 | $104,250 | $61,399 | $63,813 |
| Montana | 430 | $78,850 | $62,540 | $96,100 | $61,207 | $64,670 |
| Pennsylvania | 200 | $78,540 | $48,060 | $113,920 | $61,617 | $63,150 |
| Connecticut | 110 | $77,300 | $50,440 | $118,110 | $59,323 | $57,256 |
| Missouri | 120 | $76,400 | $57,620 | $108,080 | $59,924 | $65,983 |
| Nevada | 190 | $75,180 | $49,600 | $119,090 | $61,719 | $61,732 |
| Ohio | 220 | $74,550 | $45,700 | $108,930 | $59,669 | $64,317 |
| Maine | 330 | $74,490 | $51,690 | $97,680 | $57,511 | $59,259 |
| Alabama | 290 | $74,290 | $47,120 | $99,600 | $57,994 | $65,292 |
| Wyoming | 320 | $74,150 | $56,420 | $90,920 | $60,995 | $65,804 |
| Utah | 370 | $73,920 | $51,060 | $96,100 | $57,785 | $58,449 |
| Tennessee | 310 | $73,570 | $50,840 | $99,330 | $60,586 | $65,948 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $73,560 | $48,660 | $108,850 | $60,579 | $58,157 |
| Idaho | 380 | $73,360 | $49,840 | $96,100 | $57,659 | $60,380 |
| Virginia | 290 | $72,340 | $49,960 | $104,920 | $56,376 | $55,760 |
| Minnesota | 720 | $68,620 | $45,630 | $101,210 | $53,659 | $54,410 |
| Wisconsin | 360 | $68,370 | $42,950 | $91,170 | $54,378 | $57,791 |
| New Mexico | 170 | $68,220 | $51,080 | $96,100 | $54,782 | $59,409 |
| Arizona | 410 | $66,880 | $48,400 | $96,100 | $54,602 | $54,235 |
| Kansas | 160 | $66,440 | $54,850 | $77,290 | $52,657 | $58,463 |
| Georgia | 200 | $66,210 | $54,970 | $115,150 | $52,824 | $54,858 |
| South Dakota | 170 | $65,890 | $53,410 | $87,640 | $55,123 | $62,225 |
| North Carolina | 350 | $64,620 | $48,370 | $122,120 | $52,033 | $55,162 |
| South Carolina | 250 | $64,090 | $46,740 | $111,830 | $51,742 | $55,193 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $62,730 | $48,650 | $88,610 | $50,306 | $57,268 |
| Kentucky | 150 | $61,950 | $46,960 | $83,040 | $49,906 | $55,354 |
| Nebraska | 140 | $57,890 | $45,350 | $83,350 | $46,940 | $52,096 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $57,110 | $41,600 | $96,100 | — | — |
| Indiana | 120 | $54,670 | $44,180 | $76,900 | $44,524 | $47,707 |
| Florida | 1,400 | $52,750 | $39,900 | $97,660 | $44,565 | $43,093 |
| Texas | 580 | $49,100 | $39,800 | $106,020 | $41,632 | $42,894 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1023. *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.