Microbiologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of microbiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $54,670
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of microbiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $67,100
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of microbiologists earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $87,990
- Hourly
- $42.30
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of microbiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $122,350
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of microbiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $150,000
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Microbiologists investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. The median pay is $87,990 a year ($42.30 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (64% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $87,990
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 18,940
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 4 of 5
- considerable preparation
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 64% of workers
Every page for Microbiologists
What microbiologists do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.
- Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment.
- Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection.
- Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, water, and food specimens.
- Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists.
- Investigate the relationship between organisms and disease, including the control of epidemics and the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.
- Prepare technical reports and recommendations, based upon research outcomes.
- Observe action of microorganisms upon living tissues of plants, higher animals, and other microorganisms, and on dead organic matter.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Biology, Chemistry, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Mathematics.
Software microbiologists use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Assistant Software for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Interpretation ASASIAnalytical or scientific software
- BD Biosciences CellQuestAnalytical or scientific software
- BD Biosciences CloneCytAnalytical or scientific software
- Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLASTAnalytical or scientific software
- Bruker Optics OPUSAnalytical or scientific software
- BtB Software Mycobacteriology LabAnalytical or scientific software
- Codon Usage DatabaseAnalytical or scientific software
- ComBaseInformation retrieval or search software
- Computer Service & Support CLS-2000 Laboratory SystemMedical software
- Computing Solutions LabSoft LIMS MicroAnalytical or scientific software
- DM2 Bills of LadingAnalytical or scientific software
- FindTargetAnalytical or scientific software
Also called: Bacteriologist, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Clinical Microbiologist, Medical Technologist, Microbiological Analyst.
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).