Pay by state · 48 states
Wildlife Biologist Salary by State (2026)
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earn the most in Maryland at $107,500 a year and the least in Texas at $49,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $76,780. All 48 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $107,500Maryland
- National median
- $76,780BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $49,100Texas
- States reporting
- 48of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Wildlife Biologist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of zoologists and wildlife biologists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MDMaryland | $107,500 | $74,130 | $114,860 | 250 | $102,421 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $107,050 | $85,200 | $140,670 | 140 | $97,406 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $98,530 | $75,250 | $168,170 | 2,210 | $88,990 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $90,370 | $71,390 | $106,870 | 650 | $88,287 |
| 5 | MSMississippi | $88,710 | $63,030 | $115,210 | 110 | $102,021 |
| 6 | LALouisiana | $87,460 | $73,920 | $97,470 | 50 | $99,153 |
| 7 | OROregon | $85,150 | $68,160 | $98,110 | 1,010 | $82,381 |
| 8 | HIHawaii | $84,910 | $71,150 | $105,100 | 170 | $77,225 |
| 9 | MAMassachusetts | $84,350 | $67,710 | $104,080 | 470 | $79,758 |
| 10 | WAWashington | $83,780 | $69,380 | $104,750 | 1,840 | $78,290 |
| 11 | COColorado | $83,300 | $69,620 | $99,850 | 730 | $80,833 |
| 12 | NJNew Jersey | $83,030 | $68,040 | $105,930 | 90 | $76,311 |
| 13 | IAIowa | $83,000 | $73,520 | $83,000 | 90 | $94,574 |
| 14 | NYNew York | $82,640 | $69,240 | $99,100 | 370 | $76,575 |
| 15 | NDNorth Dakota | $81,330 | $67,210 | $95,840 | 100 | $91,424 |
| 16 | ILIllinois | $79,780 | $61,220 | $97,470 | 250 | $79,814 |
| 17 | VTVermont | $79,620 | $72,450 | $89,980 | 70 | $81,280 |
| 18 | MIMichigan | $79,150 | $63,520 | $92,600 | 330 | $82,262 |
| 19 | MTMontana | $78,850 | $65,130 | $86,320 | 430 | $83,311 |
| 20 | PAPennsylvania | $78,540 | $61,710 | $91,770 | 200 | $80,494 |
| 21 | CTConnecticut | $77,300 | $68,060 | $98,980 | 110 | $74,607 |
| 22 | MOMissouri | $76,400 | $62,060 | $97,470 | 120 | $84,125 |
| 23 | NVNevada | $75,180 | $61,110 | $88,110 | 190 | $75,196 |
| 24 | OHOhio | $74,550 | $58,160 | $82,280 | 220 | $80,357 |
| 25 | MEMaine | $74,490 | $61,530 | $86,960 | 330 | $76,754 |
| 26 | ALAlabama | $74,290 | $55,640 | $81,670 | 290 | $83,638 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $74,150 | $64,740 | $81,330 | 320 | $79,997 |
| 28 | UTUtah | $73,920 | $61,110 | $83,780 | 370 | $74,769 |
| 29 | TNTennessee | $73,570 | $59,210 | $87,730 | 310 | $80,081 |
| 30 | NHNew Hampshire | $73,560 | $60,600 | $89,960 | 40 | $70,619 |
| 31 | IDIdaho | $73,360 | $61,110 | $88,710 | 380 | $76,822 |
| 32 | VAVirginia | $72,340 | $59,440 | $90,230 | 290 | $71,550 |
| 33 | MNMinnesota | $68,620 | $55,650 | $84,910 | 720 | $69,580 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $68,370 | $65,290 | $81,330 | 360 | $72,661 |
| 35 | NMNew Mexico | $68,220 | $63,480 | $80,290 | 170 | $73,982 |
| 36 | AZArizona | $66,880 | $51,720 | $82,870 | 410 | $66,430 |
| 37 | KSKansas | $66,440 | $60,300 | $73,570 | 160 | $73,766 |
| 38 | GAGeorgia | $66,210 | $56,920 | $77,540 | 200 | $68,759 |
| 39 | SDSouth Dakota | $65,890 | $56,970 | $78,830 | 170 | $74,380 |
| 40 | NCNorth Carolina | $64,620 | $56,470 | $81,330 | 350 | $68,507 |
| 41 | SCSouth Carolina | $64,090 | $53,290 | $80,890 | 250 | $68,363 |
| 42 | OKOklahoma | $62,730 | $54,290 | $69,990 | 120 | $71,411 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $61,950 | $51,680 | $75,780 | 150 | $68,712 |
| 44 | NENebraska | $57,890 | $50,860 | $63,560 | 140 | $64,249 |
| 45 | PRPuerto Rico | $57,110 | $43,770 | $71,280 | N/A | N/A |
| 46 | INIndiana | $54,670 | $46,600 | $66,080 | 120 | $58,578 |
| 47 | FLFlorida | $52,750 | $45,690 | $65,170 | 1,400 | $51,009 |
| 48 | TXTexas | $49,100 | $42,820 | $84,640 | 580 | $50,589 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, that changes the ranking: Maryland leads on raw pay at $107,500, while Maryland leads once prices are taken into account at $102,421.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Wildlife Biologist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists the most?
Maryland reports the highest median wage for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists at $107,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($107,050) and California ($98,530).
Which state pays Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists the least?
Texas reports the lowest median for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists at $49,100 a year, $58,400 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Maryland first at $102,421 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $107,500. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.