Median pay for wildlife biologists runs from $48,110 in Jacksonville to $129,940 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.7× range across 136 metropolitan areas. The national median of $76,780 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of wildlife biologists earn below $49,100 and ten per cent above $126,440 — a 2.58× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 65%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Jacksonville (FL) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $129,940 | $62.47 | 0.31 | 40 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $122,170 | $58.74 | 2.79 | 30 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi MS | $113,800 | $54.71 | 1.63 | 30 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $104,330 | $50.16 | 0.73 | 270 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $99,490 | $47.83 | 0.65 | 100 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $99,230 | $47.71 | 1.08 | 300 |
| Salem OR | $98,110 | $47.17 | 3.84 | 80 |
| Providence-Warwick RI-MA | $97,040 | $46.66 | 0.98 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $96,450 | $46.37 | 2.95 | 720 |
| Worcester MA | $93,930 | $45.16 | 1.75 | 70 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $93,500 | $44.95 | 1.39 | 250 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $92,600 | $44.52 | 28.96 | 370 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $89,880 | $43.21 | 2.5 | 350 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $88,740 | $42.67 | 22.94 | 100 |
| Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area | $88,710 | $42.65 | 4.15 | 50 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $88,240 | $42.42 | 2.43 | 130 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $86,670 | $41.67 | 2.79 | 70 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $86,400 | $41.54 | 0.15 | 160 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $86,050 | $41.37 | 7.36 | 90 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $85,940 | $41.32 | 5.54 | 60 |
| Bismarck ND | $85,330 | $41.03 | 4.82 | 40 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $85,210 | $40.97 | 4.41 | 70 |
| Corvallis OR | $85,150 | $40.94 | 18.16 | 80 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $85,150 | $40.94 | 14.31 | 190 |
| Anchorage AK | $85,130 | $40.93 | 8.94 | 180 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville FL | $48,110 | $23.13 | 1.02 | 90 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $48,130 | $23.14 | 0.46 | 180 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $49,100 | $23.61 | 0.5 | 240 |
| North Florida nonmetropolitan area | $49,650 | $23.87 | 4.73 | 60 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $49,920 | $24.00 | 1.26 | 40 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven FL | $50,000 | $24.04 | 1.3 | 40 |
| Tallahassee FL | $52,060 | $25.03 | 5.06 | 110 |
| South Florida nonmetropolitan area | $52,520 | $25.25 | 6.73 | 70 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $53,230 | $25.59 | 0.73 | 240 |
| Lincoln NE | $54,530 | $26.22 | 1.41 | 30 |
Alaska nonmetropolitan area has 28.96× the national concentration of wildlife biologists — the densest market in the country for this role, with 370 employed locally. Pay there is $92,600, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $92,600 | $44.52 | 28.96 | 370 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $88,740 | $42.67 | 22.94 | 100 |
| Corvallis OR | $85,150 | $40.94 | 18.16 | 80 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $82,500 | $39.66 | 16.56 | 250 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $81,720 | $39.29 | 15.9 | 140 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $83,780 | $40.28 | 15.14 | 90 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $85,150 | $40.94 | 14.31 | 190 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $74,970 | $36.04 | 13.44 | 160 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA | $84,500 | $40.63 | 13.02 | 80 |
| Helena MT | $84,230 | $40.49 | 12.55 | 70 |
| Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $74,860 | $35.99 | 11.47 | 110 |
| High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area | $70,240 | $33.77 | 10.8 | 140 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $96,450 | $46.37 | 2.95 | 720 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $92,600 | $44.52 | 28.96 | 370 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $89,880 | $43.21 | 2.5 | 350 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $61,050 | $29.35 | 1.36 | 310 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $99,230 | $47.71 | 1.08 | 300 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL | $55,050 | $26.47 | 1.78 | 300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $104,330 | $50.16 | 0.73 | 270 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $93,500 | $44.95 | 1.39 | 250 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $82,500 | $39.66 | 16.56 | 250 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $53,230 | $25.59 | 0.73 | 240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $49,100 | $23.61 | 0.5 | 240 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $84,620 | $40.68 | 1.51 | 190 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 19-1023. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 136 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 392 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.