Life & Physical Science
Zoologists & Wildlife Biologists
SOC 19-1023
Study animals and ecosystems, often outdoors in tough conditions.
The job
Median pay
$77k
$61k to $96k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.6% projected
Openings a year
1k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
6/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
44th pct
More exposed than 44% of occupations · modeled estimate · 72nd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
54/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Science
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 | 2,210 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $99k |
| Washington | 1,840 | 0.5 | 4.5× | $84k |
| Florida | 1,400 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $53k |
| Oregon | 1,010 | 0.5 | 4.4× | $85k |
| Colorado | 730 | 0.3 | 2.2× | $83k |
| Minnesota | 720 | 0.2 | 2.1× | $69k |
| Alaska | 650 | 2.0 | 17.1× | $90k |
| Texas | 580 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $49k |
| Massachusetts | 470 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $84k |
| Montana | 430 | 0.8 | 7.2× | $79k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 410 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $67k |
| Idaho | 380 | 0.4 | 3.8× | $73k |
| New York | 370 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $83k |
| Utah | 370 | 0.2 | 1.8× | $74k |
| Wisconsin | 360 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $68k |
| North Carolina | 350 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $65k |
| Maine | 330 | 0.5 | 4.4× | $74k |
| Michigan | 330 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $79k |
| Wyoming | 320 | 1.1 | 9.8× | $74k |
| Tennessee | 310 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $74k |
| Alabama | 290 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $74k |
| Virginia | 290 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $72k |
| Illinois | 250 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $80k |
| Maryland | 250 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $108k |
| South Carolina | 250 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Ohio | 220 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $75k |
| Georgia | 200 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $66k |
| Pennsylvania | 200 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $79k |
| Nevada | 190 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $75k |
| Hawaii | 170 | 0.3 | 2.3× | $85k |
| New Mexico | 170 | 0.2 | 1.7× | $68k |
| South Dakota | 170 | 0.4 | 3.2× | $66k |
| Kansas | 160 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $66k |
| Kentucky | 150 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $62k |
| Washington DC | 140 | 0.2 | 1.7× | $107k |
| Nebraska | 140 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $58k |
| Indiana | 120 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $55k |
| Missouri | 120 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $76k |
| Oklahoma | 120 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Connecticut | 110 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $77k |
| Mississippi | 110 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $89k |
| North Dakota | 100 | 0.2 | 2.0× | $81k |
| Arkansas | 96 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $58k~ |
| Iowa | 90 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $83k |
| New Jersey | 90 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $83k |
| West Virginia | 90 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $64k~ |
| Delaware | 76 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $78k~ |
| Vermont | 70 | 0.2 | 2.0× | $80k |
| Rhode Island | 53 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $83k~ |
| Louisiana | 50 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $87k |
| New Hampshire | 40 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $74k |
Top metro areas
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA720 jobs · $96k median
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA350 jobs · $90k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI310 jobs · $61k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA300 jobs · $99k median
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL300 jobs · $55k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV270 jobs · $104k median
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA250 jobs · $83k median
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA250 jobs · $94k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Zoologists & Wildlife Biologists 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.