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Senior bioinformatics scientist salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Howard Whiteman

Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary

$104,838

$50.4 hourly rate

Entry-level senior bioinformatics scientist salary
$66,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Senior Bioinformatics Scientist Salary

The average salary for a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist in the United States is $104,838 per year, translating to approximately $50 per hour. Salaries can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and industry sector. For instance, states like California and Massachusetts typically offer higher compensation due to their robust biotech industries.

In addition to salary, professionals in this field often enjoy benefits such as flexibility in work hours and opportunities for remote work. The demand for bioinformatics expertise is expected to grow as technology advances, making this an appealing career choice for those with a background in biology, computer science, or related fields.

Career Opportunities

As a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist, roles can be found in academia, healthcare organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. Job responsibilities may include analyzing genomic data, developing algorithms for data interpretation, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to further research initiatives.

Salary by State

It's essential to consider regional salary differences. For example, cities with major biotech hubs often provide higher salaries and more job openings. By evaluating the average salaries in various states, aspiring bioinformatics professionals can make informed decisions about their careers.

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Where can a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
146k
126k
106k
86k
66k
46k
26k
Columbus, OH$122,346
Saint Louis, MO$55,974
Compare salary by company
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171k
151k
131k
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71k
NVIDIA$146,967
IntelliPro$101,120

Senior bioinformatics scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a senior bioinformatics scientist typically falls between $104,838 and $167,281.
zippia
$104,838yearly
glassdoor[1]
$167,281yearly
comparably[2]
$132,002yearly

Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary by state

The average senior bioinformatics scientist salary in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior bioinformatics scientist salary states are North Dakota, Mississippi, and Utah.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior bioinformatics scientists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$114,798$55.19
2New Jersey$103,759$49.88
3Rhode Island$116,656$56.08
4California$113,470$54.55
5Maine$101,629$48.86
6Delaware$97,022$46.65
7New York$99,866$48.01
8Montana$93,479$44.94
9Nevada$105,292$50.62
10Maryland$91,558$44.02
11Massachusetts$88,584$42.59
12Oregon$92,738$44.59
13Arizona$92,799$44.61
14Illinois$90,422$43.47
15Indiana$90,510$43.51
16North Carolina$84,049$40.41
17Vermont$84,621$40.68
18Washington$85,075$40.90
19Pennsylvania$83,507$40.15
20Tennessee$90,399$43.46
21New Hampshire$83,624$40.20
22Michigan$87,396$42.02
23Ohio$85,250$40.99
24Idaho$80,321$38.62
25Minnesota$83,364$40.08
26Wisconsin$79,019$37.99
27New Mexico$75,228$36.17
28Wyoming$72,830$35.01
29Oklahoma$82,448$39.64
30Virginia$71,603$34.42
31Alaska$73,604$35.39
32South Dakota$63,699$30.62
33Colorado$74,396$35.77
34Arkansas$73,100$35.14
35Texas$70,122$33.71
36District of Columbia$78,450$37.72
37Kentucky$71,241$34.25
38Florida$69,979$33.64
39Hawaii$55,153$26.52
40West Virginia$66,956$32.19
41North Dakota$60,562$29.12
42Kansas$63,558$30.56
43Alabama$65,944$31.70
44Georgia$66,181$31.82
45Nebraska$62,061$29.84
46Iowa$62,938$30.26
47Utah$59,676$28.69
48South Carolina$60,809$29.24
49Missouri$54,955$26.42
50Mississippi$60,335$29.01
51Louisiana$56,761$27.29
Top senior bioinformatics scientist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for senior bioinformatics scientists

The highest-paying cities for senior bioinformatics scientists are Novato, CA, Branford, CT, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Novato, CA$122,346$58.82
2Branford, CT$115,555$55.56
3New York, NY$100,112$48.13
4Phoenix, AZ$93,195$44.81
5Baltimore, MD$91,943$44.20
6Memphis, TN$89,166$42.87
7Boston, MA$88,758$42.67
8Ann Arbor, MI$87,422$42.03
9Seattle, WA$85,628$41.17
10Madison, WI$78,558$37.77
11Reston, VA$73,293$35.24
12Spring, TX$69,223$33.28
13West Palm Beach, FL$68,932$33.14
14Atlanta, GA$65,918$31.69
15Salt Lake City, UT$59,189$28.46
16Saint Louis, MO$55,974$26.91

Senior bioinformatics scientist salary details

A senior bioinformatics scientist's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $164,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary graph
Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior bioinformatics scientist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$164,000$13,667$79
75th Percentile$132,000$11,000$63
Average$104,838$8,737$50
25th Percentile$82,000$6,833$39
10th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32

Highest paying senior bioinformatics scientist jobs

The highest paying types of senior bioinformatics scientists are medical science liaison, principal scientist, and senior scientist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Research Fellow$53,823$4,485$25.8859,746
Fellow$66,364$5,530$31.917,459
PHD Researcher$51,634$4,303$24.8219,736
Researcher$67,145$5,595$32.2830,498
Doctoral Fellow$53,366$4,447$25.6622,661
Postdoctoral Scholar$57,587$4,799$27.6918,983

How would you rate the starting salaries for senior bioinformatics scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Howard Whiteman

Professor of Biological Sciences, Director of the Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University

Poor. Right now, people in these fields are not in it for the money; they do it because they have a passion for conservation, or science, or both. I do not see that changing shortly, but hope springs eternal.

Top companies hiring senior bioinformatics scientists now:

  1. NVIDIA jobs (5)
  2. Booz Allen Hamilton jobs (2)
  3. DNAnexus jobs (7)
  4. AbbVie jobs (3)
  5. Bristol-Myers Squibb jobs (2)

Which companies pay senior bioinformatics scientists the most?

Senior bioinformatics scientist salaries at NVIDIA and Genentech are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior bioinformatics scientist salary at companies like Varian Medical Systems and Exelixis are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1NVIDIA$146,967$70.66
2Genentech$130,165$62.58
3Varian Medical Systems$127,956$61.52
4Exelixis$120,423$57.90
5Booz Allen Hamilton$120,291$57.83
6DNAnexus$119,588$57.49
7Exact Sciences$118,179$56.82
8Agilent Technologies$112,751$54.21
9AbbVie$109,952$52.86
10Bristol-Myers Squibb$109,136$52.47
11Novartis$109,080$52.44
12Illumina$108,651$52.24
13Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc$107,580$51.72
14PacBio$106,671$51.28
15Experis US Inc$105,526$50.73
16St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$103,765$49.89
17GNS Healthcare$103,554$49.79
18454 Life Sciences$102,713$49.38
19Bionano Genomics$101,658$48.87
20IntelliPro$101,120$48.62

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$103,000$102,600$102,200$101,800$101,400$101,000
MaleFemale

Senior bioinformatics scientist salary trends

The average senior bioinformatics scientist salary has risen by $17,620 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior bioinformatics scientist earned $87,218 annually, but today, they earn $104,838 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for senior bioinformatics scientists over the last decade.

Compare senior bioinformatics scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior bioinformatics scientist salary over time

Compare senior bioinformatics scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior bioinformatics scientist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$105,000$50.40+3.0%
2024$102,000$48.90+4.5%
2023$97,200$46.71+3.2%
2022$94,000$45.21+1.9%
2021$92,300$44.36-2.1%

Recently added senior bioinformatics scientist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Personalis Inc.SR. Bioinformatics Scientist-Novel Cell Free DNA ApplicationsFremont, CA06/20/2025$150,000
Twist BioscienceSenior Bioinformatics Scientist-SynbioSouth San Francisco, CA06/18/2025$150,000
Arc InstituteSenior Scientist, BioinformaticsPalo Alto, CA06/09/2025$152,500
AbbvieSR Scientist I BioinformaticsNorth Chicago, IL05/28/2025$94,000
CollaberaBioinformatics Scientist III-SeniorCambridge, MA05/28/2025$166,960
ManpowergroupBioinformatics Scientist-III (Senior)Cambridge, MA05/23/2025$187,830
TempusSenior Bioinformatics ScientistBoca Raton, FL05/21/2025$115,000
IlluminaSR Bioinformatics ScientistSan Diego, CA05/16/2025$126,800
St. Jude Children's Research HospitalSenior Bioinformatic Research Scientist/Bioinformatic Research Scientist-Kellogg LabMemphis, TN05/16/2025$104,000
Twist BioscienceSenior Bioinformatics Scientist-SynbioSouth San Francisco, CA05/03/2025$150,000

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