Microbiologists
Also called: Bacteriologist, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Microbiological Analyst, MicrobiologistInvestigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Includes medical microbiologists who study the relationship between organisms and disease or the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 8 of its 14 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Biological scientists”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 40% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $65,690 | $49,000 to $76,160 | 110 |
| Alaska | $76,320 | $64,400 to $87,330 | 30 |
| Arizona | $69,880 | $57,680 to $85,690 | 80 |
| Arkansas | $59,750 | $49,300 to $106,330 | 140 |
| California | $108,530 | $80,060 to $141,360 | 2,600 |
| Colorado | $81,640 | $66,750 to $118,560 | 370 |
| Connecticut | $86,360 | $67,960 to $108,490 | 180 |
| Delaware | $82,770 | $64,030 to $107,810 | 190 |
| Florida | $80,930 | $59,510 to $106,900 | 270 |
| Georgia | $103,070 | $87,990 to $126,300 | 880 |
| Hawaii | $70,970 | $60,650 to $79,860 | 60 |
| Idaho | $65,940 | $57,560 to $76,650 | 70 |
| Illinois | $92,050 | $66,770 to $112,210 | 1,470 |
| Indiana | $77,900 | $60,710 to $92,420 | 150 |
| Iowa | $79,830 | $68,680 to $104,290 | 180 |
| Kansas | $70,500 | $61,510 to $92,350 | 120 |
| Kentucky | $66,500 | $63,400 to $85,740 | 80 |
| Maine | not published | not published | 30 |
| Maryland | $108,470 | $77,810 to $140,670 | 1,590 |
| Massachusetts | $122,350 | $97,930 to $142,220 | 1,960 |
| Michigan | $78,680 | $64,370 to $92,600 | 370 |
| Minnesota | $83,400 | $70,840 to $110,580 | 290 |
| Mississippi | $61,690 | $46,130 to $67,840 | not published |
| Missouri | $78,590 | $56,910 to $125,430 | 140 |
| Montana | $87,750 | $62,940 to $133,470 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $72,470 | $63,830 to $98,890 | 90 |
| Nevada | $64,490 | $58,780 to $110,200 | 110 |
| New Hampshire | $79,430 | $69,420 to $94,380 | 170 |
| New Jersey | $96,020 | $80,010 to $112,860 | 790 |
| New York | $81,090 | $77,380 to $106,490 | 1,050 |
| North Carolina | $85,860 | $66,630 to $111,200 | 1,050 |
| Ohio | $72,500 | $51,220 to $97,010 | 530 |
| Oregon | $89,220 | $77,320 to $102,970 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,650 | $59,280 to $105,110 | 670 |
| Puerto Rico | $63,680 | $52,850 to $75,760 | 190 |
| South Carolina | $64,740 | $62,310 to $77,780 | 100 |
| South Dakota | $70,530 | $52,040 to $81,420 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $77,630 | $64,940 to $99,350 | 210 |
| Texas | $66,450 | $54,970 to $82,650 | 920 |
| Utah | $72,600 | $56,730 to $96,990 | 120 |
| Virginia | $77,820 | $55,130 to $129,250 | 280 |
| Washington | $77,690 | $63,770 to $96,650 | 340 |
| West Virginia | $68,550 | $51,930 to $76,490 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $67,100 | $53,390 to $84,080 | 420 |
Nationally: $87,990. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 8 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists. | Not published |
| Not much | Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence-activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare technical reports and recommendations, based upon research outcomes. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, water, and food specimens. | Not published |
| AI + software | 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. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| AI + software | Study growth, structure, development, and general characteristics of bacteria and other microorganisms to understand their relationship to human, plant, and animal health. | Not published |
| AI + software | Investigate the relationship between organisms and disease, including the control of epidemics and the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe action of microorganisms upon living tissues of plants, higher animals, and other microorganisms, and on dead organic matter. | Not published |
| AI + software | Study the structure and function of human, animal, and plant tissues, cells, pathogens, and toxins. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Conduct chemical analyses of substances such as acids, alcohols, and enzymes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop new products and procedures for sterilization, food and pharmaceutical supply preservation, or microbial contamination detection. | Not published |
| AI + software | Research use of bacteria and microorganisms to develop vitamins, antibiotics, amino acids, grain alcohol, sugars, and polymers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #45 Research biological or ecological phenomena
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research biological or ecological phenomena | |||
| Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data | |||
| Develop operational or technical procedures or standards | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Monitor environmental conditions | |||
| Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Prepare specimens or materials for testing |
Show all 9 activities
| Operate laboratory or field equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report56%
- An explanation or answer20%
- An academic paper or thesis6%
- A presentation or slides5%
- An analysis or summary2%
How they worked with Claude
43% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for microbiologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 5,053 moves out
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 2 Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 5%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 4,949 moves in
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 9%
- 2 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 7%
- 3 Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 4 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 4%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 9% associate's
- 64% bachelor's
- 9% post-bachelor's certificate
- 14% master's
- 5% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 47% bachelor's
- 30% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 20% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Biological scientists” · 1,217 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Biological scientists”
9 programs, such as Soil Microbiology, Structural Biology and Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other.
See all
- Soil Microbiology
- Structural Biology
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
- Microbiology, General
- Virology
- Parasitology
- Immunology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/19-1022.00