Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Also called: Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Wildlife BiologistStudy 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 8 of its 12 rated tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 3.6% 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, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 67% 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.4.3 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 | $74,290 | $55,640 to $81,670 | 290 |
| Alaska | $90,370 | $71,390 to $106,870 | 650 |
| Arizona | $66,880 | $51,720 to $82,870 | 410 |
| California | $98,530 | $75,250 to $168,170 | 2,210 |
| Colorado | $83,300 | $69,620 to $99,850 | 730 |
| Connecticut | $77,300 | $68,060 to $98,980 | 110 |
| District of Columbia | $107,050 | $85,200 to $140,670 | 140 |
| Florida | $52,750 | $45,690 to $65,170 | 1,400 |
| Georgia | $66,210 | $56,920 to $77,540 | 200 |
| Hawaii | $84,910 | $71,150 to $105,100 | 170 |
| Idaho | $73,360 | $61,110 to $88,710 | 380 |
| Illinois | $79,780 | $61,220 to $97,470 | 250 |
| Indiana | $54,670 | $46,600 to $66,080 | 120 |
| Iowa | $83,000 | $73,520 to $83,000 | 90 |
| Kansas | $66,440 | $60,300 to $73,570 | 160 |
| Kentucky | $61,950 | $51,680 to $75,780 | 150 |
| Louisiana | $87,460 | $73,920 to $97,470 | 50 |
| Maine | $74,490 | $61,530 to $86,960 | 330 |
| Maryland | $107,500 | $74,130 to $114,860 | 250 |
| Massachusetts | $84,350 | $67,710 to $104,080 | 470 |
| Michigan | $79,150 | $63,520 to $92,600 | 330 |
| Minnesota | $68,620 | $55,650 to $84,910 | 720 |
| Mississippi | $88,710 | $63,030 to $115,210 | 110 |
| Missouri | $76,400 | $62,060 to $97,470 | 120 |
| Montana | $78,850 | $65,130 to $86,320 | 430 |
| Nebraska | $57,890 | $50,860 to $63,560 | 140 |
| Nevada | $75,180 | $61,110 to $88,110 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $73,560 | $60,600 to $89,960 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $83,030 | $68,040 to $105,930 | 90 |
| New Mexico | $68,220 | $63,480 to $80,290 | 170 |
| New York | $82,640 | $69,240 to $99,100 | 370 |
| North Carolina | $64,620 | $56,470 to $81,330 | 350 |
| North Dakota | $81,330 | $67,210 to $95,840 | 100 |
| Ohio | $74,550 | $58,160 to $82,280 | 220 |
| Oklahoma | $62,730 | $54,290 to $69,990 | 120 |
| Oregon | $85,150 | $68,160 to $98,110 | 1,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,540 | $61,710 to $91,770 | 200 |
| Puerto Rico | $57,110 | $43,770 to $71,280 | not published |
| South Carolina | $64,090 | $53,290 to $80,890 | 250 |
| South Dakota | $65,890 | $56,970 to $78,830 | 170 |
| Tennessee | $73,570 | $59,210 to $87,730 | 310 |
| Texas | $49,100 | $42,820 to $84,640 | 580 |
| Utah | $73,920 | $61,110 to $83,780 | 370 |
| Vermont | $79,620 | $72,450 to $89,980 | 70 |
| Virginia | $72,340 | $59,440 to $90,230 | 290 |
| Washington | $83,780 | $69,380 to $104,750 | 1,840 |
| Wisconsin | $68,370 | $65,290 to $81,330 | 360 |
| Wyoming | $74,150 | $64,740 to $81,330 | 320 |
Nationally: $76,780. 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 12 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations. | Not published |
| Not rated | Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options. | Not published |
| AI alone | Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry. | Not published |
| AI alone | Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. | Not published |
| Not rated | Conduct literature reviews. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| AI + software | Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife. | Not published |
| AI + software | Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases. | Not published |
| AI + software | Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope. | 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. 1 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 16 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.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
- #20 Present research or technical information
- and 1 more, in the table below
| 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 | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data | |||
| Communicate environmental or sustainability information | |||
| Develop research plans or methodologies | |||
| Manage budgets or finances |
Show all 16 activities
| Monitor environmental conditions | |||
| Coordinate regulatory compliance activities | |||
| Advise others on environmental sustainability or green practices | |||
| Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Prepare specimens or materials for testing | |||
| Assess compliance with environmental standards or regulations | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer88%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
- An analysis or summary2%
- A chart or visualization1%
- Data or a spreadsheet0%
How they worked with Claude
3% 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 zoologists and wildlife biologists 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 2,099 moves out
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 13%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 6%
- 4 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 2,343 moves in
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 8%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 8%
- 3 Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 5 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 6%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
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.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Biological scientists”
12 programs, such as Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management, Zoology/Animal Biology and Entomology.
See all
- Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
- Zoology/Animal Biology
- Entomology
- Animal Physiology
- Animal Behavior and Ethology
- Wildlife Biology
- Zoology/Animal Biology, Other
- Ecology
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- Evolutionary Biology
- Environmental Biology
- Marine Sciences
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/19-1023.00