Fish Biologist Salary in the United States

How much does a Fish Biologist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Fish Biologist in the United States is $83,347 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $40.

However, a Fish Biologist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $99,777
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $74,801 to $91,947
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $67,020

Key Factors That Influence Fish Biologist Salaries

A Fish Biologist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Fish Biologist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Fish Biologist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $59,017
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $68,204
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $85,128
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $123,352
  • Expert (over 8 years): $139,796
Levels Salary
Biologist... Level Fish Biologist$59,017
Biologist... Level Fish Biologist$68,204
Fish Biol... Level Fish Biologist$85,128
Biologist... Level Fish Biologist$123,352
Biologist... Level Fish Biologist$139,796

Top Paying Cities for Fish Biologists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $105,126
  • San Francisco: $103,975
  • Oakland: $101,784

What Skills Can Increase a Fish Biologist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 11.94% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Microbiology (Mentioned in 2.56% Job Postings): Microbiology (from Greek μῑκρος, mīkros, "small"; βίος, bios, "life"; and -λογία, -logia) is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, parasitology, mycology and bacteriology. Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound cell organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea. Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy. However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means. Microbiologists often rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence based identification, for example 16s rRNA gene sequence used for bacteria identification.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 1.94% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 11.94%
Microbiology 2.56%
Data Analysis 1.94%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Fish Biologist's salary.

  • Cell Biology: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Immunology: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Cell Biology $100,017
20%
Immunology $95,850
15%
Innovation $95,016
14%

Fish Biologist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Fish Biologist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Financial Services sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average. In contrast, Fish Biologist positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Fish Biologist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Fish Biologist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals$108,352$52.030%
Financial Services$104,184$50.025%
Biotechnology$100,017$48.020%
Energy & Utilities$95,850$46.015%
Chemicals$91,682$44.010%

How Education impacts a Fish Biologist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Fish Biologists enter the field with a Master's Degree or MBA degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Fish Biologist with a Master's Degree or MBA is between $80,488 and $87,513).

Fish Biologist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Fish Biologist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.9%
High School 18.4%
Associates 0.9%
Bachelors 18.4%
Masters 44.3%
Doctorate 36.3%

Fish Biologist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Fish Biologist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$74,801
Average $83,347/year
$91,947
$6,233
Average $6,946/month
$7,662
$1,438
Average $1,603/week
$1,768
$36
Average $40/hour
$44
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $91,947 $7,662 $1,768 $44
Average $83,347 $6,946 $1,603 $40
25th Percentile $74,801 $6,233 $1,438 $36

Most common benefits for Fish Biologist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Fish Biologist

Here are companies hiring for Fish Biologist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Fish Biologist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Fish Biologist?

The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Fish Biologist roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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