Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists · SOC 19-1023

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for zoologists and wildlife biologists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (3 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 97 metro areas

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$129,940	40	0.0
2	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$122,170	30	0.3
3	Gulfport-Biloxi, MS	$113,800	30	0.2
4	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$104,330	270	0.1
5	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$99,490	100	0.1
6	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$99,230	300	0.1
7	Salem, OR	$98,110	80	0.4
8	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$97,040	80	0.1
9	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$96,450	720	0.3
10	Worcester, MA	$93,930	70	0.2
11	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$93,500	250	0.2
12	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$89,880	350	0.3
13	Fairbanks-College, AK	$88,740	100	2.7
14	Urban Honolulu, HI	$88,240	130	0.3
15	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$86,670	70	0.3
16	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$86,400	160	0.0
17	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$85,940	60	0.6
18	Bismarck, ND	$85,330	40	0.6
19	Corvallis, OR	$85,150	80	2.1
20	Anchorage, AK	$85,130	180	1.0
21	Salinas, CA	$84,900	50	0.3
22	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$84,620	190	0.2
23	Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	$84,500	80	1.5
24	Grand Junction, CO	$84,360	30	0.4
25	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$84,240	140	0.8

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.