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Job outlook for genetic scientists in the United States
Are genetic scientist jobs in demand?
Genetic scientist job and salary trends over time
Genetic scientist jobs over time
Genetic scientist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 19 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 19 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 18 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 16 | 0.00% |
Average genetic scientist salary over time
Genetic scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $86,662 | $41.66 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $84,086 | $40.43 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | $80,317 | $38.61 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $77,741 | $37.38 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $76,264 | $36.67 | --2.1% |
Genetic scientist jobs by state
Most common states for genetic scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,560 | 23% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 107 | 15% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 841 | 14% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 137 | 14% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,010 | 12% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 101 | 12% |
| 7 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 969 | 11% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 762 | 10% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 135 | 10% |
| 10 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 76 | 10% |
| 11 | Vermont | 623,657 | 64 | 10% |
| 12 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 90 | 9% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 830 | 8% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 271 | 8% |
| 15 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 159 | 8% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 90 | 8% |
| 17 | Alaska | 739,795 | 58 | 8% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 49 | 8% |
| 19 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,822 | 7% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 91 | 7% |
Most common cities for genetic scientists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 1 | 1% | $89,485 |
| 2 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $79,137 |
| 3 | Durham | 1 | 0% | $74,156 |
Genetic Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of genetic scientist experts
Quinnipiac University
University of California, Berkeley
Doverspike Consulting/HR LItehouse
Harcum College
Elmira College
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Genetic Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: The first and foremost would be Critical Thinking. We live in a world where facts can be easily acquired, sometimes even by asking Siri/Alexa/ChatGPT/Google/etc. But critical thinking is timeless and priceless. I can ask anyone on the street what xyz is and they can look it up, but can they provide advice or interpret.
Also being a good steward towards science and being willing and able to communicate not just with peers as we are trained, but also with the public, the politicians, the board members. John Holdren*, stated that Scientists should be tithing at least 10 percent of their time to public service ... including activism. In the ever growing science denialism that is happening in our country being able to communicate science with the public is important. As Peter Hotaz states, "Anti-science propaganda is "killing Americans in unprecedented numbers,""
*Holdren is an American scientist who served as the senior advisor to President Barack Obama on science and technology issues through his roles as assistant to the president for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a Research Professor in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Genetic Scientist job market given the pandemic?
Dennis Baldocchi: We received 130 applications for a plant ecology position, with 70 who are postdocs. So supply is surely outpacing demand. We got a lot of people interested in below ground processes, so if there is a trend, connecting below ground is becoming more possible and more important. With all the dna sequencing we are starting. Another cohort is working on the Earth System modeling connection to Ecology and how ecosystems are responding to land use change, changing climate etc
How do you envision technology impacting Genetic Scientists in the next 5 years?
Dennis Doverspike Ph.D.: Technology will have a considerable impact. Self-driving vehicles and the replacement of call-center employees with artificial agents will eliminate a large number of high paying, low skill jobs. COVID and Technology will continue to combine to shape how we work, whether we have to commute to work, how we do that, and how we educate ourselves and our children. This will then impact where we live, our cities, the way we fund governments, and the percentage of people in the workforce.
What type of skills will young Genetic Scientists need?
Dennis Doverspike Ph.D.: Seemingly a paradox, there will continue to be a need for very general, but highly fungible, skills and demand for too specialized skills, requiring advanced education. Coding, statistics, and data analysis related skills will remain a hot growth area. The aging of the baby boomers will create demand for medical and healthcare-related regions, especially nursing, nursing aides, and emergency services. Despite the automation of many people facing jobs, there will continue to be a demand for interpersonal and people skills, including various types of sales. The switch to remote work, due to COVID, will create a substantial future market to fill the leadership and managerial skills gap. In many areas of Technology and engineering, it is already challenging to find a combination of technical knowledge and people skills, and this demand will intensify.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Genetic Scientists in the next 3-5 years?
Kristy Matulevich: I feel that molecular testing, which has become more prevalent in the clinical microbiology laboratory, will emerge in importance in other aspects of the laboratory. This type of testing, which can have a higher sensitivity and specificity relative to current methodologies, can also decrease turnaround time, which would enable clinicians to diagnose and treat patients more efficiently.
What general advice would you give to a Genetic Scientist?
Kristy Matulevich: The general advice I would give would be; first, to become a certified technologist or technician. Once students graduate from a NAACLS (National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science) accredited program, their next step should be to sit for their national certification exam. The exam which my program recommends taking is administered by the ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologists), which we feel is the "gold standard" in certification. Many employers either require potential employees to have this credential or give them six months, after they are hired, to pass the exam. Another organization offers a certification exam, AMT (American Medical Technologists); however, my program and the clinical sites in my local area, usually prefer the ASCP certification. Since becoming ASCP certified requires the technician/technologist to maintain their certification by completing continuing education requirements, new graduates who are approved will continue to learn more theory and techniques related to clinical/medical laboratory science, which is helpful at any stage in one's career, to promote lifelong learning. Some states across the nation also require licensure, so I recommend that a new graduate be aware of that when pursuing a job opportunity.
What general advice would you give to a Genetic Scientist?
Dr. Betsy Smith: I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.