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The average salary for a computational biologist in the United States is approximately $61,449 per year, translating to about $30 per hour. This salary can vary based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, computational biologists working in pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies often earn higher salaries compared to those in academia.
States like California and Massachusetts offer some of the highest salaries for this profession, reflecting the concentration of biotech firms and research institutions. Additionally, those with advanced degrees or specialized skills can command higher pay. With the growing demand for data analysis in biological research, career opportunities in this field are expanding, making it a promising path for aspiring scientists.
By understanding these salary dynamics, you can better navigate your career path and seek positions that align with your goals. Researching industry trends and networking within the field are essential strategies for maximizing your earning potential.
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The highest-paying states for computational biologists are Alaska, California, and New York. The lowest average computational biologist salary states are Louisiana, Missouri, and Nebraska.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $88,653 | $42.62 |
| 2 | California | $85,686 | $41.20 |
| 3 | New York | $84,046 | $40.41 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $79,619 | $38.28 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $76,946 | $36.99 |
| 6 | Montana | $73,167 | $35.18 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $80,646 | $38.77 |
| 8 | Maine | $73,566 | $35.37 |
| 9 | Nevada | $75,072 | $36.09 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $72,179 | $34.70 |
| 11 | Vermont | $77,424 | $37.22 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $78,807 | $37.89 |
| 13 | Washington | $76,875 | $36.96 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $80,458 | $38.68 |
| 15 | Utah | $79,441 | $38.19 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $73,833 | $35.50 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $65,167 | $31.33 |
| 18 | Maryland | $73,218 | $35.20 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $67,654 | $32.53 |
| 20 | Idaho | $68,028 | $32.71 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $72,852 | $35.02 |
| 22 | Delaware | $75,639 | $36.36 |
| 23 | Indiana | $66,900 | $32.16 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $77,807 | $37.41 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $63,678 | $30.61 |
| 26 | Virginia | $67,898 | $32.64 |
| 27 | Michigan | $64,260 | $30.89 |
| 28 | Oregon | $66,421 | $31.93 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $67,875 | $32.63 |
| 30 | Georgia | $65,332 | $31.41 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $64,386 | $30.95 |
| 32 | Iowa | $59,781 | $28.74 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $63,775 | $30.66 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $58,719 | $28.23 |
| 35 | Arizona | $64,597 | $31.06 |
| 36 | Ohio | $58,397 | $28.08 |
| 37 | Illinois | $62,244 | $29.93 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $51,918 | $24.96 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $56,395 | $27.11 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $54,432 | $26.17 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $58,934 | $28.33 |
| 42 | Missouri | $52,085 | $25.04 |
| 43 | Colorado | $60,259 | $28.97 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $58,926 | $28.33 |
| 45 | Alabama | $56,117 | $26.98 |
| 46 | Kansas | $57,737 | $27.76 |
| 47 | Texas | $54,151 | $26.03 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $53,601 | $25.77 |
| 49 | Florida | $51,735 | $24.87 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $49,986 | $24.03 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $49,172 | $23.64 |
The highest-paying cities for computational biologists are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $92,656 | $44.55 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $83,868 | $40.32 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $77,405 | $37.21 |
| 4 | Cambridge, MA | $77,092 | $37.06 |
| 5 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $72,994 | $35.09 |
| 6 | Silver Spring, MD | $72,899 | $35.05 |
| 7 | Richmond, VA | $67,716 | $32.56 |
| 8 | Indianapolis, IN | $66,295 | $31.87 |
| 9 | Beaverton, OR | $66,242 | $31.85 |
| 10 | Oak Ridge, TN | $65,678 | $31.58 |
| 11 | Ann Arbor, MI | $63,746 | $30.65 |
| 12 | Durham, NC | $60,764 | $29.21 |
| 13 | Fort Collins, CO | $60,322 | $29.00 |
| 14 | Huntsville, AL | $57,061 | $27.43 |
| 15 | Milwaukee, WI | $56,573 | $27.20 |
| 16 | Cincinnati, OH | $54,415 | $26.16 |
| 17 | San Antonio, TX | $54,396 | $26.15 |
| 18 | Lincoln, NE | $51,772 | $24.89 |
A computational biologist's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $99,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $61,449 | $5,121 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
The highest paying types of computational biologists are molecular biologist, aquatic scientist, and mycologist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Biologist | $69,719 | $5,810 | $33.52 | 52,799 |
| Biologist | $65,158 | $5,430 | $31.33 | 5,741 |
| Molecular Biologist | $73,763 | $6,147 | $35.46 | 22,019 |
| Cell Biologist | $68,698 | $5,725 | $33.03 | 24,079 |
Top companies hiring computational biologists now:
Computational biologist salaries at Google and 10x Genomics are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computational biologist salary at companies like Genentech and Novartis are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $131,929 | $63.43 | |
| 2 | 10x Genomics | $112,988 | $54.32 |
| 3 | Genentech | $106,261 | $51.09 |
| 4 | Novartis | $102,453 | $49.26 |
| 5 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $89,849 | $43.20 |
| 6 | Bayer | $89,535 | $43.05 |
| 7 | Amazon | $87,969 | $42.29 |
| 8 | Amgen | $84,839 | $40.79 |
| 9 | 23andMe | $84,432 | $40.59 |
| 10 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $84,097 | $40.43 |
| 11 | Merck | $83,244 | $40.02 |
| 12 | Sanofi US | $82,839 | $39.83 |
| 13 | Stanford University | $81,827 | $39.34 |
| 14 | UCB | $79,583 | $38.26 |
| 15 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $79,453 | $38.20 |
| 16 | Argonne National Laboratory | $79,351 | $38.15 |
| 17 | Pfizer | $78,453 | $37.72 |
| 18 | Agilent Technologies | $78,422 | $37.70 |
| 19 | UChicago Argonne | $76,589 | $36.82 |
| 20 | CFD Research | $76,397 | $36.73 |
The average computational biologist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $79,159 | $38.06 |
| 2 | Technology | $74,893 | $36.01 |
| 3 | Education | $68,269 | $32.82 |
| 4 | Finance | $65,039 | $31.27 |
The average computational biologist salary has risen by $10,533 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computational biologist earned $50,916 annually, but today, they earn $61,449 a year. That works out to a 16% change in pay for computational biologists over the last decade.
Compare computational biologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare computational biologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61,400 | $29.54 | +4.4% |
| 2024 | $58,800 | $28.25 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $57,300 | $27.53 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $55,300 | $26.61 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | $53,100 | $25.52 | -0.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Bioscience | Bioinformatician/Computational Biologist Remote) | Pojoaque, NM | 06/29/2025 | $41,740 |
| Parsons | Genomics Computational Systems Biologist | Frederick, MD | 06/20/2025 | $100,900 |
| Parsons Commercial Technology Group Inc. | Genomics Computational Systems Biologist | Frederick, MD | 06/20/2025 | $100,900 |
| Immunai | Computational Biologist | New York, NY | 06/13/2025 | $120,000 |
| Freenome | Senior Computational Biologist | Brisbane, CA | 06/09/2025 | $161,925 |
| Cz Biohub | Computational Biologist, Crispr Informatics (Biohub SF) | San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $132,000 |
| Private Bioscience | Bioinformatician/Computational Biologist Remote) | Pojoaque, NM | 05/26/2025 | $41,740 |
| Parsons | Genomics Computational Systems Biologist | Frederick, MD | 05/25/2025 | $100,900 |
| Arcadia Science | Computational Evolutionary Biologist | Emeryville, CA | 05/22/2025 | $150,000 |
| Astrix Technology | Computational Biologist-Spatial | San Francisco, CA | 05/22/2025 | $79,306 |
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