Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
SOC 19-1023 · 2024-2034
Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $101,288per year
- Projected openings
- 1,930
- Projected change
- +9.1%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $109,127 | 120 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $100,089 | 110 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $96,185 | 180 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $93,370 | 140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $86,658 | 140 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $86,560 | 50 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $85,357 | 80 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $85,266 | 20 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $81,958 | 50 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $79,524 | 40 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $62,976 | 70 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $60,014
- A quarter earn under
- $77,356
- Half earn under
- $101,288
- Three quarters earn under
- $172,878
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $182,736
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $116,708 | 10,850 | +9.7% |
| Conservation Scientists | $82,044 | 2,210 | +13.6% |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $109,492 | 12,710 | +6.9% |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,503 | 1,660 | +4.8% |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $109,481 | 2,910 | +2.7% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Forestry and Natural Resources Management
Reedley Community College · Reedley · $4,060