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Microbiologist salary
Average microbiologist salary
$54,620
Understanding Microbiologist Salaries
The salary of a microbiologist can vary significantly depending on factors such as location, years of experience, and industry. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $54,620 per year, which translates to approximately $26 per hour. In states like California and Massachusetts, salaries can be notably higher due to the demand for microbiologists in healthcare and research sectors.
Microbiologists working in pharmaceuticals or biotechnology often earn more than those in academia or government. For example, the highest paying roles in microbiology can be found in specialized research institutions and private sectors. Additionally, advanced degrees and certifications can lead to higher salary brackets and increased job responsibilities.
To explore specific opportunities, consider checking salary estimates that include job listings in your region. With a growing focus on public health and environmental sustainability, the field of microbiology offers a range of positions that promise not only competitive salaries but also job stability and growth potential.
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Where can a Microbiologist earn more?
Microbiologist salary estimates from across the web
Average microbiologist salary by state
The average microbiologist salary in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Virginia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average microbiologist salary states are Nebraska, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for microbiologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $73,922 | $35.54 |
| 2 | Vermont | $72,331 | $34.77 |
| 3 | California | $67,967 | $32.68 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $66,433 | $31.94 |
| 5 | Maryland | $61,537 | $29.59 |
| 6 | Virginia | $70,241 | $33.77 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $56,846 | $27.33 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $56,240 | $27.04 |
| 9 | New York | $55,723 | $26.79 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $56,577 | $27.20 |
| 11 | Georgia | $62,476 | $30.04 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $49,532 | $23.81 |
| 13 | Delaware | $53,294 | $25.62 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $60,901 | $29.28 |
| 15 | Michigan | $46,289 | $22.25 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $51,015 | $24.53 |
| 17 | Maine | $51,907 | $24.96 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $51,159 | $24.60 |
| 19 | Washington | $42,790 | $20.57 |
| 20 | Nevada | $47,155 | $22.67 |
| 21 | Arizona | $48,850 | $23.49 |
| 22 | Colorado | $47,412 | $22.79 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $48,156 | $23.15 |
| 24 | Oregon | $41,469 | $19.94 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $40,351 | $19.40 |
| 26 | Alaska | $42,983 | $20.66 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $40,499 | $19.47 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $41,899 | $20.14 |
| 29 | Illinois | $43,047 | $20.70 |
| 30 | Utah | $39,783 | $19.13 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $41,007 | $19.71 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $42,399 | $20.38 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $46,436 | $22.32 |
| 34 | Iowa | $41,337 | $19.87 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $40,628 | $19.53 |
| 36 | Ohio | $38,577 | $18.55 |
| 37 | Montana | $40,443 | $19.44 |
| 38 | Missouri | $39,202 | $18.85 |
| 39 | Indiana | $39,117 | $18.81 |
| 40 | Alabama | $40,331 | $19.39 |
| 41 | Florida | $40,013 | $19.24 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $36,550 | $17.57 |
| 43 | Texas | $36,273 | $17.44 |
| 44 | Idaho | $38,092 | $18.31 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $35,665 | $17.15 |
| 46 | Kansas | $32,857 | $15.80 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $34,382 | $16.53 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $35,608 | $17.12 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $36,063 | $17.34 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $32,761 | $15.75 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $32,231 | $15.50 |
Highest paying cities for microbiologists
The highest-paying cities for microbiologists are Boston, MA, South San Francisco, CA, and Atlanta, GA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston, MA | $74,020 | $35.59 |
| 2 | South San Francisco, CA | $69,288 | $33.31 |
| 3 | Atlanta, GA | $62,314 | $29.96 |
| 4 | Bethesda, MD | $60,901 | $29.28 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $55,774 | $26.81 |
| 6 | Harrisburg, PA | $48,923 | $23.52 |
| 7 | Boulder, CO | $47,421 | $22.80 |
| 8 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $46,486 | $22.35 |
| 9 | Ann Arbor, MI | $45,886 | $22.06 |
| 10 | Olympia, WA | $43,443 | $20.89 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $43,199 | $20.77 |
| 12 | Morrisville, NC | $41,164 | $19.79 |
| 13 | Brooklyn Park, MN | $41,079 | $19.75 |
| 14 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $40,852 | $19.64 |
| 15 | Milwaukee, WI | $40,666 | $19.55 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $39,716 | $19.09 |
| 17 | Kansas City, MO | $39,158 | $18.83 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $38,942 | $18.72 |
| 19 | Cincinnati, OH | $36,940 | $17.76 |
| 20 | Houston, TX | $36,509 | $17.55 |
Microbiologists are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Microbiologist salary details
A microbiologist's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $75,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a microbiologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| 75th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| Average | $54,620 | $4,552 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
Highest paying microbiologist jobs
The highest paying types of microbiologists are scientist, research scientist, and associate scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Internship | $35,305 | $2,942 | $16.97 | 90,970 |
| Research Laboratory Technician | $38,308 | $3,192 | $18.42 | 86,476 |
| Research Technician | $43,034 | $3,586 | $20.69 | 64,786 |
| Chemical Technician | $42,584 | $3,549 | $20.47 | 40,191 |
| Research Scientist | $89,998 | $7,500 | $43.27 | 93,013 |
| Research Chemist | $75,843 | $6,320 | $36.46 | 53,769 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for microbiologists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Patrick Schlievert Ph.D.
Chair, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa
These are proportionately scaled down for nine-month appointments, but you can generate additional summer salary from grants. If you go with a start-up, your salary will likely also be in the $100K range, but you will probably also have to write SBIR grant applications, generating additional wages. The critical thing with small companies is that you can gain experience that may get you the desired job in a large company. I became chair of M&I because I wanted to help the faculty! That is my only desired legacy. That is often not why chairs are hired, though. Department chairs in large universities often make $250K to $350K; this is quite acceptable.
Which companies pay microbiologists the most?
Microbiologist salaries at Battelle and Centers For Disease Control And Prevention are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average microbiologist salary at companies like Fraunhofer USA and Henry M. Jackson Foundation are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battelle | $71,564 | $34.41 |
| 2 | Centers For Disease Control And Prevention | $70,532 | $33.91 |
| 3 | Fraunhofer USA | $65,815 | $31.64 |
| 4 | Henry M. Jackson Foundation | $64,188 | $30.86 |
| 5 | Alpha Consulting | $61,702 | $29.66 |
| 6 | Novartis | $61,677 | $29.65 |
| 7 | CDC Foundation | $61,330 | $29.49 |
| 8 | Pacira BioSciences | $61,275 | $29.46 |
| 9 | UChicago Argonne | $60,890 | $29.27 |
| 10 | ARA | $60,853 | $29.26 |
| 11 | General Electric | $60,798 | $29.23 |
| 12 | Goldbelt Falcon | $60,575 | $29.12 |
| 13 | US Meat Animal Research Center | $60,187 | $28.94 |
| 14 | Aqua | $60,150 | $28.92 |
| 15 | Bureau Veritas | $59,912 | $28.80 |
| 16 | Ventura County Community Foundation | $59,303 | $28.51 |
| 17 | NanoBio Corp | $58,754 | $28.25 |
| 18 | Medstaff | $58,643 | $28.19 |
| 19 | Mindlance | $58,636 | $28.19 |
| 20 | Mérieux NutriSciences | $58,445 | $28.10 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Microbiologist salary by industry
The average microbiologist salary varies across industries:
- The average microbiologist salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $57,911, the highest of any industry.
- The average microbiologist salary in the finance industry is $56,760.
- Microbiologists in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $51,998, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for microbiologists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $57,911 | $27.84 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $56,760 | $27.29 |
| 3 | Health Care | $54,589 | $26.24 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $51,998 | $25.00 |
High paying microbiologist jobs
Microbiologist salary trends
The average microbiologist salary has risen by $12,406 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average microbiologist earned $42,214 annually, but today, they earn $54,620 a year. That works out to a 26% change in pay for microbiologists over the last decade.
Compare microbiologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average microbiologist salary over time
Compare microbiologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Microbiologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,600 | $26.26 | +10.4% |
| 2024 | $49,000 | $23.54 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | $46,400 | $22.29 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $45,300 | $21.77 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | $43,300 | $20.80 | -1.0% |
Recently added microbiologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Microbiologist | Ormond Beach, FL | 06/29/2025 | $35,479 |
| Merieux Nutrisciences Corporation | Microbiologist I | Crete, IL | 06/28/2025 | $38,610 |
| Insight Global | Microbiologist | Rahway, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $52,175 |
| Actalent | Microbiologist | Minneapolis, MN | 06/25/2025 | $62,610 |
| The Wonderful Company | Microbiologist Technician | Del Rey, CA | 06/21/2025 | $50,088 |
| CDC Foundation | Microbiologist | Nunez, GA | 06/21/2025 | $60,000 |
| Pom Wonderful | Microbiologist Technician | Del Rey, CA | 06/21/2025 | $50,088 |
| Kelly Services | Microbiologist | Cornelia, GA | 06/18/2025 | $50,088 |
| Deibel Laboratories Inc. | Microbiologist | Madison, WI | 06/16/2025 | $50,088 |
| Deibellabs | Microbiologist | Madison, WI | 06/16/2025 | $50,088 |
Microbiologist salary FAQs
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