Biological scientists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

87.5k

Average Age

40.7

Average Salary

$72,417

Average Male Salary

$77,768

Average Female Salary

$66,905

About

Biological scientists are most often employed by the Scientific research & development services industry. The average yearly wage for Biological scientists was $72,417 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Biological scientists by wage are Fundraisers, School psychologists, and Property, real estate, & community association managers.

Biological scientists are part of the Life, physical, & social science occupations, along with Agricultural & food scientists, Biological scientists, Conservation scientists & foresters, Medical scientists, & life scientists, all other, Astronomers & physicists, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Biological scientists are Rockville, Gaithersburg Cities & North Potomac PUMA, MD, Fort Collins City PUMA, CO, and Madison City (Central) PUMA, WI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Biological scientists are Madison City (Central) PUMA, WI, Anchorage Municipality (South) PUMA, AK, and Carmel City & Fishers Town (West) PUMA, IN.

Photo by vince42

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Life, physical, & social science occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Biological scientists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Scientific research & development services is the industry that employs the most Biological scientists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Biological scientists, by average wage, is Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing. Biological scientists are paid most in Beachwood Borough PUMA, NJ but are relatively concentrated in Madison City (Central) PUMA, WI.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$72,417

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,612

In 2020, Biological scientists earned an average of $72,417, $16,463 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

School psychologists make somewhat more than Biological scientists while Fundraisers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Biological scientists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.312

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Biological scientists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.312, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Biological scientists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Biological scientists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Biological scientists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Biological scientists.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Biological scientists, by number of employees, are Scientific research & development services, Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Museums, art galleries, historical sites, & similar institutions, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Architectural, engineering & related services, Administration of economic programs & space research, Other health care services, and Administration of human resource programs.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Biological scientists, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Computer Systems Design, and Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers .

Industries by Share

87.5k

2020 Workforce

± 7,259

5.93%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.2%

The number of people employed as Biological scientists has been growing at a rate of 5.93%, from 82,576 people in 2019 to 87,469 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Biological scientists employed by various industries. Scientific research & development services employs the largest share of Biological scientists at 16.8%, followed by Administration of environmental quality & housing programs with 15.6% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 9.5%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Biological scientists in the US. The average age of male Biological scientists in the workforce is 41.7 and of female Biological scientists is 39.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Biological scientists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

44.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,171

43.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,096

50.7% of Biological scientists are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Biological scientists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Biological scientists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

73% of Biological scientists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.3% of Biological scientists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Biological scientists.

Age by Sex

41.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.47

39.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.46

The median age of Biological scientists is 40.7, and Male employees are generally 2.17 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Biological scientists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Biological scientists is Biology but a relatively high number of Biological scientists hold a major in Natural Resources & Conservation.