The Average Salary for Zoology of Marine Mammals

Marine mammal zoologists study species such as dolphins and whales.

Zoologists and wildlife biologists, including marine biologists, study the behavior, genetics and life cycle of animals and wildlife, and determine how human use of their habitats affects the overall health of particular species or the ecosystem to which they belong.

Wages

Zoologists, including those specializing in marine mammals, and other wildlife biologists earn a mean hourly wage of $29.17 and a mean annual wage of $60,760, as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). According to PayScale, a survey of 252 marine biologists found an average salary range between $36,590 and $66,579 a year, as of August 2010.

Top Industries

Popular industries for marine biologists include environmental research, environmental consulting, marine fishing, government, and colleges and universites, according to PayScale. State governments are the largest employer of zoologists and wildlife biologists, according to the BLS, with 6,300 on staff earning an average annual salary of $53,290. The federal government is the second-largest employer, with 4,510 zoologists and wildlife biologists making an average of $75,690, as of May 2009.

Highest-Paid Areas

The best-paying state for zoologists and wildlife biologists, as of May 2009, is Maryland, with an average annual salary of $91,050. Rhode Island, California and Connecticut were second through fourth, with salaries ranging between $71,000 and $78,000, while Louisiana was fifth with an average annual salary of $69,150. According to PayScale, the highest-paying cities for marine biologists are San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Honolulu and Tampa, Florida, as of August 2010.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologists
• PayScale: Marine Biologist