Life & Physical Science
Toxicologists
SOC 19-1099
Study how chemicals affect living organisms at various exposures.
The job
Median pay
$94k
$69k to $132k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+6.3% projected
Openings a year
400
BLS projection
Typical education
Doctoral
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
9/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
42nd pct
More exposed than 42% of occupations · modeled estimate
Future-proof
59/100
Key skills
- Lab technique
- Risk assessment
- Regulation
- Communication
- Detail
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 860 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $103k |
| Texas | 510 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $81k |
| Louisiana | 430 | 0.2 | 4.6× | $76k |
| Maryland | 420 | 0.2 | 3.2× | $110k |
| Virginia | 350 | 0.1 | 1.8× | $82k |
| Pennsylvania | 290 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $84k |
| North Carolina | 274 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $90k~ |
| New York | 250 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $87k |
| Washington | 240 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $100k |
| Missouri | 190 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $80k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 170 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $84k |
| Minnesota | 162 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $65k~ |
| Illinois | 160 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $66k |
| Oregon | 160 | 0.1 | 1.7× | $113k |
| Wisconsin | 133 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $85k~ |
| Arizona | 119 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $123k~ |
| Iowa | 110 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $64k |
| New Jersey | 110 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $104k |
| Kentucky | 100 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $76k |
| Massachusetts | 100 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $125k |
| Michigan | 90 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $64k |
| New Hampshire | 90 | 0.1 | 2.8× | $82k |
| Rhode Island | 90 | 0.2 | 3.7× | $101k~ |
| Utah | 85 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $87k~ |
| South Carolina | 84 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $169k~ |
| Florida | 80 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $92k |
| Idaho | 80 | 0.1 | 1.9× | $69k |
| Connecticut | 66 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $111k~ |
| Kansas | 64 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $83k~ |
| Oklahoma | 61 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $84k~ |
| Nevada | 56 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $91k~ |
| New Mexico | 51 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $92k~ |
| Alabama | 50 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $111k |
| Washington DC | 50 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $168k |
| Hawaii | 50 | 0.1 | 1.7× | $72k |
| Ohio | 50 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $63k |
| Nebraska | 48 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $76k~ |
| Montana | 45 | 0.1 | 1.8× | $80k~ |
| Mississippi | 42 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $74k~ |
| Alaska | 40 | 0.1 | 2.6× | $82k |
| Colorado | 40 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $66k |
| Tennessee | 40 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $109k |
| Arkansas | 39 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $71k~ |
| West Virginia | 37 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $78k~ |
| Delaware | 31 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $96k~ |
| Indiana | 30 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $69k |
| Maine | 29 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $86k~ |
| South Dakota | 24 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $74k~ |
| North Dakota | 23 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $82k~ |
| Wyoming | 22 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $83k~ |
| Vermont | 16 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $86k~ |
Top metro areas
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC460 jobs · $106k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV340 jobs · $126k median
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA270 jobs · $60k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX230 jobs · $61k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA230 jobs · $105k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ220 jobs · $101k median
- Richmond, VA210 jobs · $70k median
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD170 jobs · $106k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Toxicologists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.