How Much Money Does a Zoo Biologist Make Per Year?
Zoo biologists, also known as zoologists, typically focus on an animal group for scientific study. For example, ornithologists are a type of zoo biologist who studies birds, while herpetologists study reptiles. They amount of money a zoo biologist makes per year varies by location and the type of work he does; he may find employment in fields such as research, education or consulting services.
Other People Are Reading
-
Salary
-
The average zoo biologist made $61,600 a year as of May 2010, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries began at less than $35,660 a year in the 10th percentile and exceeded $93,450 a year in the 90th percentile. The annual median income of a zoo biologist was $57,430.
Field and Employer
-
The government was the largest employer of zoo biologists as of 2010, reports the Bureau. Those working for state governments earned an average of $53,100 a year; those working for local governments earned an average of $58,710; and those employed by the federal executive branch earned an average of $77,030.
Zoo biologists providing scientific consulting services earned an average of $55,130 annually, and those working in scientific research and development services earned an average of $72,410. Museums and historical and similar institutions offered an average of $49,130 a year for zoo biologists, while social advocacy organizations offered an average of $49,480.
-
Location
-
Alaska employs 2.57 zoo biologists per every thousand workers, making it the state with the highest concentration of zoo biologists as of 2010. The Bureau reports that zoo biologists in Alaska earned an average salary of $63,890 a year. The highest salary averages by state were found in the District of Columbia at $106,540, followed by Maryland at $97,370 and Massachusetts at $88,550. With a salary average of $115,160, Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, was the top-paying metropolitan area in the nation for zoo biologists.
Outlook
-
Overall, the Bureau expects a 21 percent increase in job opportunities for all biologists, including zoo biologists, between 2008 and 2018. Growth will be limited in the field of zoology only because of the relatively small size of the field itself. Even with a doctoral degree, zoo biologists will face particularly tough competition for research positions in academia.
-
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
