Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-1022

Microbiologists

The published band from $54,670 to $150,000 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Microbiologists: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($194K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) , Physicists ($172K) , Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Microbiologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, tempe…
  2. 2. Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagn…
  3. 3. Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of…
  4. 4. Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, w…
  5. 5. Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists
  6. 6. Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units…
  7. 7. Investigate the relationship between organisms and disease, including the control of epidemics and the effects of antibiotics on microorg…
  8. 8. Prepare technical reports and recommendations, based upon research outcomes
  9. 9. Research use of bacteria and microorganisms to develop vitamins, antibiotics, amino acids, grain alcohol, sugars, and polymers
  10. 10. Observe action of microorganisms upon living tissues of plants, higher animals, and other microorganisms, and on dead organic matter
  11. 11. Study growth, structure, development, and general characteristics of bacteria and other microorganisms to understand their relationship t…
  12. 12. Study the structure and function of human, animal, and plant tissues, cells, pathogens, and toxins

Microbiologists: O*NET ranks Science first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1022 - lead skill Science at 4.6 ; lead knowledge Biology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Science 4.6
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Writing 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.9
  6. 6. Speaking 3.9
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.9
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.7
  2. 2. Chemistry 3.8
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.6
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.5
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.3
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$54,670 to $150,000
median $87,990 · ~2.7× spread
$88K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
1,700
Annual openings
18,940
Estimated US jobs
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Highest-pay peer · $194K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Microbiologists

1. Illinois $92,050
2. North Carolina $85,860
3. Montana $87,750
4. New Jersey $96,020
5. Connecticut $86,360
6. Maryland $108,470
7. Georgia $103,070
8. Massachusetts $122,350
9. Oregon $89,220
10. California $108,530

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physicists $172,250
  2. 2. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $101,920
  3. 3. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  4. 4. Political Scientists $142,080
  5. 5. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
  6. 6. Sociologists $106,030

The OEWS band for Microbiologists runs from $54,670 (10th) to $150,000 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $87,990. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Illinois at $92,050. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists at $193,950. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Microbiologists pay-rank #26 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Microbiologists sits at pay-rank #26 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Microbiologists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Microbiologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1022

Illinois · top state for Microbiologists

$92K published median

North Carolina · #2 state pay

$86K · behind Illinois

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Highest-pay peer vs Microbiologists · $194K

Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Microbiologists · $101K

Compare Microbiologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Microbiologists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Microbiologists mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #26 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Food Scientists and Technologists ($89K), Epidemiologists ($87K), Urban and Regional Planners ($89K), Occupational Health and Safety Specialists ($90K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do microbiologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Microbiologists. Leading ones include: Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, tempe…; Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagn…; Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of…; Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, w…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for microbiologists? ▼
For SOC 19-1022, O*NET importance scores lead with Science (4.6), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Writing (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, Chemistry, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Microbiologists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $54,670 and the 90th at $150,000 for Microbiologists (2.7× spread). The national median is $87,990. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Microbiologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Microbiologists is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 1,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Microbiologists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Microbiologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Microbiologists? ▼
Illinois ($92,050), North Carolina ($85,860), Montana ($87,750) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Microbiologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1022. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Microbiologists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics