Average biology major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$41,559

$20,00010%

$41,559Median

$82,00090%

What is the average biology major salary in the US?

The national average salary for a biology major in the U.S. is $41,559 annually or $19.98 hourly.There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $62,000. The top 10 percent earn over $82,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $20,000 annually.The most abundant employment opportunities for biology majors are in health care companies and non profits companies.Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and California have the highest paying jobs for biology major graduates.

Best paying cities

$49,591

$48,222

$48,134

Average biology salary by company

In every industry, there is a range of salaries that a biology major graduate makes.health care companies and non profits companies are the best when it comes to the number of employment opportunities.The two companies that report the highest salaries for biology major graduates are Meta and Novartis.Companies like Eli Lilly and Company and Genentech also pay high salaries to biology major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average biology salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$83,420
2	2.Novartis	4.9	$65,965
3	3.Eli Lilly and Company	4.6	$65,914
4	4.Genentech	4.5	$64,312
5	5.Bristol-Myers Squibb	4.6	$64,005
6	6.Merck	4.6	$62,071
7	7.Sanofi Genzyme	4.8	$59,981
8	8.Amgen	4.8	$59,708
9	9.Massachusetts General Hospital	4.7	$55,342
10	10.Johnson & Johnson	4.7	$55,037
11	11.Pfizer	4.5	$54,963
12	12.Sutter Health	4.8	$53,490
13	13.ICF	4.5	$53,462
14	14.Aya Healthcare	4.7	$52,568
15	15.Parexel International	4.5	$52,475
16	16.Abbott	4.7	$51,374
17	17.Wyeth Biopharma	4.7	$50,912
18	18.BD	4.3	$48,591
19	19.Darden Restaurants	4.4	$48,387
20	20.Cedars-Sinai	4.8	$48,233

Average biology major salary by city

The national average salary for a biology major graduate in the United States is $41,559 per year or $19.98 per hour.Working in San Francisco, CA as a biology major graduate will pay you the highest wages at around $49,591 per year.Even entry-level jobs for biology majors have an average salary of $23,000 per year in San Francisco, CA.Other cities that offer high paying job opportunities for biology majors are Worcester, MA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Seattle, WA, Baltimore, MD, and Philadelphia, PA.The top 5 states with the highest reported salaries for biology major graduates are Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and California.On the other hand, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi report the lowest wages for biology major graduates.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average biology salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$49,591	$26k $74k
2	Worcester, MA	$48,222	$26k $74k
3	New York, NY	$48,134	$26k $74k
4	Washington, DC	$47,093	$26k $74k
5	Seattle, WA	$44,198	$26k $74k
6	Baltimore, MD	$43,650	$26k $74k
7	Philadelphia, PA	$42,644	$26k $74k
8	Portland, OR	$42,431	$26k $74k
9	Rochester, NH	$41,702	$26k $74k
10	Portland, ME	$41,697	$26k $74k
11	Chicago, IL	$41,430	$26k $74k
12	Richmond, VA	$41,157	$26k $74k
13	Minneapolis, MN	$40,611	$26k $74k
14	Detroit, MI	$40,508	$26k $74k
15	Cleveland, OH	$39,831	$26k $74k
16	Las Vegas, NV	$39,663	$26k $74k
17	Phoenix, AZ	$39,247	$26k $74k
18	Madison, WI	$39,193	$26k $74k
19	Denver, CO	$38,641	$26k $74k
20	Durham, NC	$38,312	$26k $74k

Average biology major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where biology majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Biology major average salary by state

State	Average biology major salary	Average hourly rate
Massachusetts	$48,291	$23.22
New Jersey	$48,211	$23.18
New York	$48,182	$23.16
Connecticut	$48,112	$23.13
California	$47,711	$22.94
Rhode Island	$44,804	$21.54
Washington	$44,026	$21.17
Alaska	$43,766	$21.04
Maryland	$43,713	$21.02
Delaware	$43,142	$20.74
Hawaii	$42,888	$20.62
Oregon	$42,563	$20.46
Pennsylvania	$42,442	$20.40
Vermont	$42,233	$20.30
New Hampshire	$42,226	$20.30
Maine	$41,542	$19.97
Virginia	$41,513	$19.96
Illinois	$41,250	$19.83
Minnesota	$40,607	$19.52
Michigan	$40,346	$19.40
Nevada	$39,871	$19.17
Wisconsin	$39,523	$19.00
Arizona	$39,312	$18.90
Ohio	$38,815	$18.66
North Dakota	$38,719	$18.61
Colorado	$38,645	$18.58
North Carolina	$37,885	$18.21
Indiana	$37,791	$18.17
West Virginia	$37,274	$17.92
Idaho	$37,166	$17.87
Georgia	$36,790	$17.69
Wyoming	$36,743	$17.66
Texas	$36,733	$17.66
New Mexico	$36,575	$17.58
Montana	$36,158	$17.38
Iowa	$36,024	$17.32
Kentucky	$35,846	$17.23
Nebraska	$35,791	$17.21
Tennessee	$35,750	$17.19
Florida	$35,623	$17.13
Utah	$35,465	$17.05
South Dakota	$35,459	$17.05
Missouri	$35,422	$17.03
Kansas	$35,330	$16.99
South Carolina	$35,005	$16.83
Louisiana	$34,786	$16.72
Arkansas	$34,401	$16.54
Alabama	$34,373	$16.53
Mississippi	$34,219	$16.45
Oklahoma	$34,079	$16.38

Highest paying jobs for biology majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Anesthesiologist	$409,213	1,883
2	Dermatologist	$407,715	1,834
3	Primary Care Physician	$214,842	130,606
4	Doctor	$208,581	14,571
5	Medical Consultant	$194,383	77,013
6	Dentist	$147,415	8,570
7	Medical Science Liaison	$145,718	57,208
8	Certified Physician Assistant	$126,201	123,124
9	Veterinarian	$109,524	13,255
10	Senior Scientist	$106,671	49,712
11	Data Scientist	$106,104	106,973
12	Field Applications Scientist	$101,705	105,557
13	Optometric Assistant	$98,734	142,550
14	Scientist	$97,343	62,467
15	Medical Writer	$93,841	59,516
16	Bioinformatics Scientist	$91,529	57,026
17	Research And Development Scientist	$90,278	129,803
18	Research Scientist	$89,998	93,013
19	Dental Hygienist	$88,432	24,234
20	Pharmacy Internship	$80,116	89,197

Average biology major salary by industry

Wages for biology major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.By looking at our data, we can see that health care companies, finance companies, and professional companies pay biology major graduates well.Salaries for biology major graduates in health care companies average $38,483 annually, while finance companies and professional companies pay $34,206 and $31,245, respectively.The average biology major salary in the retail industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $29,451.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average biology major salary	Range
1	Health Care	$38,483	$25k $48k
2	Finance	$34,206	$25k $48k
3	Professional	$31,245	$25k $48k
4	Retail	$29,451	$25k $48k

Salary history for biology major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Biology major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Biostatistics	$78,876	$29k $104k
2	Pharmacology	$77,740	$29k $104k
3	Genetics	$68,093	$29k $104k
4	Physiology And Anatomy	$63,763	$29k $104k
5	Cell Biology And Anatomical Science	$60,992	$29k $104k
6	Biomedical Sciences	$60,740	$29k $104k
7	Microbiology	$56,294	$29k $104k
8	Botany	$53,555	$29k $104k
9	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	$52,349	$29k $104k
10	Neuroscience	$50,638	$29k $104k
11	Biotechnology	$49,819	$29k $104k
12	Exercise Physiology	$44,929	$29k $104k
13	Ecology, Population Biology, And Epidemiology	$44,836	$29k $104k
14	Zoology	$41,516	$29k $104k