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Microbiologists · SOC 19-1022

Microbiologists Salary in the Denver Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area

Figures describe the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Denver city limits.

Median annual wage$95,980
Median hourly wage$46.14

Microbiologists in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earned a median of $95,980 per year ($46.14 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $65,030 at the 10th percentile to $161,130 at the 90th. BLS estimates 130 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Microbiologists in the Denver metro area earn more than $95,980 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $80,250 and $129,230.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$65,030$80,250$95,980$129,230$161,130
Hourly$31.27$38.58$46.14$62.13$77.47

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Denver metro areathis metro area
    $95,980
  • Coloradostate (CO)
    $81,640
  • United Statesnational
    $87,990

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +18% vs Colorado overall and +9% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$51,520$77,703$103,887$130,070Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $51,520Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $55,090Modesto, CA — $59,470Pittsburgh, PA — $59,940Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $61,310Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $61,710Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $61,840Boise City, ID — $61,860Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $62,090Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $62,790San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $63,960Bozeman, MT — $65,120Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $65,160Urban Honolulu, HI — $65,650Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $65,910Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $66,450Lexington-Fayette, KY — $66,500Champaign-Urbana, IL — $66,560Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $66,730Madison, WI — $67,940Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $67,960Rochester, NY — $68,850Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $69,880Kansas City, MO-KS — $70,220Cleveland, OH — $73,600Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $73,690Reno, NV — $75,310Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $76,220Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $77,620Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $77,690Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $77,770Columbus, OH — $78,030Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $78,120Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $79,910Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $79,990Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $80,270Wilmington, NC — $80,470Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $80,540San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $80,870Manhattan, KS — $81,330Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $84,880Raleigh-Cary, NC — $85,010Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $85,120Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $85,340Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $85,470New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $85,710Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $85,860Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $86,120Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $89,240St. Louis, MO-IL — $89,630Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $90,460Richmond, VA — $90,930Fresno, CA — $91,890Peoria, IL — $93,240Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $95,980Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $100,420Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $100,620Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $101,990Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $102,590San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $108,900Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $109,320Athens-Clarke County, GA — $112,440Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $112,470Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $114,800Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $114,840Worcester, MA — $115,660Vallejo, CA — $115,980Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $122,350Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $123,590San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $123,910San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $130,070

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Denver metro area has the 17th-highest published median for this occupation among the 71 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$102,120Biological Technicians$65,140Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$95,780Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$120,480Chemists$102,390School Psychologists$129,340

Highest-paying metro areas for microbiologistss · Highest-paying occupations in Denver Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

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.