Highest-paying Cities for Microbiologists

The top 100 highest paying cities for microbiologists (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of microbiologists in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $124,460, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California is the highest paying city for microbiologists. It is followed by Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts (average annual salary $122,400). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of microbiologists in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest-paying cities/areas for Microbiologists

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$124,460	$79,040	940
2	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$122,400	$83,240	2,360
3	Western Montana nonmetropolitan area, Montana	$110,550	$74,490	50
4	San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California	$109,900	$49,430	550
5	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$106,810	$50,260	1,470
6	Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland	$105,990	$63,950	930
7	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$105,680	$75,580	210
8	Charlottesville, Virginia	$105,210	$44,770	100
9	Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama	$103,050	$56,290	30
10	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia	$102,900	$64,100	550
11	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$101,960	$66,370	110
12	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California	$99,760	$64,540	640
13	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California	$98,550	$65,230	40
14	Ames, Iowa	$97,190	$56,440	100
15	Athens-Clarke County, Georgia	$97,000	$67,440	90
16	West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area, New Hampshire	$96,870	$62,960	120
17	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$96,260	$49,920	590
18	Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada	$95,420	$57,180	40
19	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$94,800	$51,610	620
20	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, California	$93,330	$59,180	50
21	Pine Bluff, Arkansas	$92,890	$73,360	60
22	Idaho Falls, Idaho	$92,560	$54,840	30
23	Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey	$89,910	$63,760	100
24	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$88,840	$46,040	600
25	Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina	$88,090	$66,100	190
26	South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area, Nebraska	$87,260	$37,080	30
27	Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California	$87,200	$55,840	280
28	Wilmington, North Carolina	$84,820	$41,070	30
29	Worcester, Massachusetts	$84,590	$64,120	100
30	Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, California	$84,460	$55,080	40
31	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$84,030	$46,280	50
32	Memphis, Tennessee	$82,980	$67,140	40
33	Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina	$82,950	$48,960	220
34	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California	$82,050	$45,920	70
35	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee	$81,790	$46,320	70
36	Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska	$81,580	$43,380	50
37	Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan	$81,540	$51,540	60
38	Springfield, Massachusetts	$80,640	$49,990	60
39	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$80,160	$53,770	1,930
40	St Louis, Missouri	$79,910	$40,920	240
41	Western New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area, New Hampshire	$79,890	$52,290	50
42	Edison-New Brunswick, New Jersey	$79,800	$47,680	120
43	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$79,140	$46,550	360
44	Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas	$78,890	$38,220	80
45	College Station-Bryan, Texas	$78,740	$36,280	40
46	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$78,680	$39,950	210
47	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin	$77,970	$45,760	130
48	Bakersfield-Delano, California	$77,870	$45,740	n/a
49	Green Bay, Wisconsin	$77,560	$53,810	50
50	New Haven, Connecticut	$77,230	$49,120	70
51	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, California	$77,210	$56,510	n/a
52	Camden, New Jersey	$77,170	$47,320	80
53	Framingham, Massachusetts	$77,090	$52,710	60
54	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$76,650	$49,470	870
55	Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan	$76,650	$49,310	50
56	Nassau-Suffolk, New York	$76,430	$45,370	200
57	Newark-Union, Pennsylvania	$76,340	$44,340	280
58	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio	$76,200	$51,630	140
59	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$75,800	$47,600	80
60	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California	$74,800	$39,900	500
61	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$74,480	$47,780	300
62	Rochester, New York	$74,460	$49,650	30
63	Akron, Ohio	$73,990	$50,280	40
64	Hawaii-Maui-Kauai nonmetropolitan area, Hawaii	$73,930	$54,720	40
65	Vallejo-Fairfield, California	$73,260	$35,840	60
66	Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington	$72,510	$43,350	200
67	Lincoln, Nebraska	$72,390	$53,850	40
68	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington	$72,090	$42,190	80
69	Kansas City, Missouri	$71,730	$40,220	70
70	Providence-Fall River-Warwick, Rhode Island	$71,370	$45,960	n/a
71	South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, Wisconsin	$71,260	$42,330	40
72	Madison, Wisconsin	$70,570	$40,370	520
73	Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California	$70,390	$46,420	370
74	New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York	$70,120	$44,160	420
75	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$69,840	$48,490	270
76	Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan	$69,280	$43,610	40
77	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania	$68,890	$45,690	590
78	Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Wisconsin	$68,320	$40,950	130
79	Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky	$68,080	$49,810	70
80	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia	$67,410	$41,640	50
81	Augusta-Richmond County, South Carolina	$66,560	$42,580	30
82	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York	$66,100	$43,970	110
83	Fargo, North Dakota	$66,080	$52,290	40
84	Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa	$66,020	$39,030	30
85	Huntsville, Alabama	$65,630	$44,010	40
86	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York	$65,470	$48,680	70
87	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California	$65,370	$44,430	30
88	Reno-Sparks, Nevada	$64,900	$37,360	60
89	Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine	$64,700	$37,520	40
90	Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, South Carolina	$64,560	$43,280	80
91	Spokane, Washington	$64,400	$52,040	30
92	Jacksonville, Florida	$64,280	$48,560	n/a
93	Urban Honolulu, Hawaii	$64,250	$50,390	40
94	Dover, Delaware	$63,840	$43,740	80
95	Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado	$63,700	$39,270	180
96	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL-IN-WI Area), Illinois	$62,720	$45,340	570
97	Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania	$62,660	$43,990	70
98	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$62,620	$44,770	200
99	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California	$62,410	$39,730	30
100	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut	$62,230	$54,520	30

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for microbiologists.