How much does a Bacteriologist make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Bacteriologist in the United States is $59,059 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $28.
However, a Bacteriologist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $69,313
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $52,739 to $64,426
Key Factors That Influence Bacteriologist Salaries
A Bacteriologist'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 Bacteriologist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Bacteriologist'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:
How Do Bacteriologist Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Bacteriologists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
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: $74,491
San Francisco: $73,675
Oakland: $72,122
San Jose, CA$74,491
San Francisco, CA$73,675
Oakland, CA$72,122
New York, NY$68,000
Paramus, NJ$67,173
Queens Village, NY$67,170
Passaic, NJ$67,114
Bergenfield, NJ$67,108
Stamford, CT$66,978
Huntington, NY$66,954
Newark, NJ$66,518
Bridgeport, CT$66,393
Vallejo, CA$66,276
New Brunswick, NJ$66,252
Petaluma, CA$66,217
Middlesex, NJ$66,104
Somerset, NJ$66,063
Santa Cruz, CA$65,986
Boston, MA$65,626
Monterey, CA$65,419
Seattle, WA$65,283
Santa Rosa, CA$65,272
Los Angeles, CA$65,254
Juneau, AK$65,100
Washington, DC$65,035
Orange, CA$64,825
Santa Ana, CA$64,669
Long Beach, CA$64,610
Anaheim, CA$64,598
Anchorage, AK$64,569
Santa Maria, CA$64,392
Everett, WA$64,380
Danbury, CT$64,172
Bremerton, WA$64,091
Tacoma, WA$63,878
New Suffolk, NY$63,877
Sacramento, CA$63,860
Santa Barbara, CA$63,795
Trenton, NJ$63,730
San Diego, CA$63,730
Brockton, MA$63,665
Fairbanks, AK$63,521
Lompoc, CA$63,370
Lowell, MA$63,322
Ventura, CA$63,311
Nashua, NH$63,299
Stockton, CA$63,293
Modesto, CA$62,862
Poughkeepsie, NY$62,732
Olympia, WA$62,620
Kennewick, WA$62,620
New Haven, CT$62,596
Lawrence, MA$62,384
Hartford, CT$62,325
Riverside, CA$62,313
New Bedford, MA$62,254
Richland, WA$62,254
Bakersfield, CA$62,171
San Bernardino, CA$62,147
New Britain, CT$62,142
Atlantic City, NJ$62,142
New London, CT$62,118
Norwich, CT$62,100
Portsmouth, NH$62,088
Boulder, CO$61,963
Portland, OR$61,882
Worcester, MA$61,876
Minneapolis, MN$61,693
Philadelphia, PA$61,610
Honolulu, HI$61,415
Saint Paul, MN$61,387
Vineland, NJ$61,374
Providence, RI$61,203
Chicago, IL$61,031
Bellingham, WA$60,960
Springfield, MA$60,913
Baltimore, MD$60,895
Chico, CA$60,748
Pittsfield, MA$60,588
Manchester, NH$60,476
Spokane, WA$60,216
Denver, CO$60,210
Albany, NY$59,933
Troy, NY$59,909
Nassau, NY$59,846
Schenectady, NY$59,785
Wilmington, DE$59,738
Burlington, VT$59,655
Salem, OR$59,632
Portland, ME$59,448
Yakima, WA$59,389
Rochester, MN$59,206
Reno, NV$59,177
Fresno, CA$59,177
Milwaukee, WI$59,124
Detroit, MI$59,065
Ann Arbor, MI$59,055
Allentown, PA$59,047
Colorado Springs, CO$58,946
Syracuse, NY$58,917
Carson City, NV$58,917
Houston, TX$58,834
Eugene, OR$58,805
Gary, IN$58,734
Springfield, OR$58,687
Bismarck, ND$58,675
Galveston, TX$58,633
Medford, OR$58,545
Fort Collins, CO$58,521
Concord, NH$58,492
Austin, TX$58,474
Mesa, AZ$58,350
Reading, PA$58,344
Phoenix, AZ$58,338
Dallas, TX$58,320
Saint Cloud, MN$58,264
Madison, WI$58,185
Utica, NY$58,025
Rochester, NY$57,931
Des Moines, IA$57,925
Raleigh, NC$57,919
Atlanta, GA$57,830
Battle Creek, MI$57,813
Salt Lake City, UT$57,795
Lancaster, PA$57,706
Harrisburg, PA$57,624
Kansas City, MO$57,565
Champaign, IL$57,553
Kansas City, KS$57,553
Fort Worth, TX$57,547
Columbus, OH$57,537
Boca Raton, FL$57,523
Pittsburgh, PA$57,500
Richmond, VA$57,476
Indianapolis, IN$57,464
Cleveland, OH$57,458
Las Vegas, NV$57,387
Cincinnati, OH$57,387
Petersburg, VA$57,299
Huntsville, AL$57,210
Lansing, MI$57,171
Lebanon, PA$57,163
Pueblo, CO$57,157
Appleton, WI$57,139
Buffalo, NY$57,116
Dayton, OH$57,098
Racine, WI$57,086
Charlotte, NC$57,080
Saint Louis, MO$57,063
York, PA$57,027
Elkhart, IN$57,027
Gastonia, NC$57,016
Billings, MT$57,002
Beaumont, TX$56,986
Lorain, OH$56,974
Benton Harbor, MI$56,962
Toledo, OH$56,950
Binghamton, NY$56,921
Rock Hill, SC$56,915
Rockford, IL$56,885
Springfield, IL$56,862
Elyria, OH$56,856
Fargo, ND$56,856
Flagstaff, AZ$56,814
Fort Lauderdale, FL$56,779
Duluth, MN$56,744
Miami, FL$56,744
Cheyenne, WY$56,702
Grand Forks, ND$56,702
Bangor, ME$56,572
Cedar Rapids, IA$56,507
Durham, NC$56,483
Louisville, KY$56,478
Grand Rapids, MI$56,466
Hialeah, FL$56,460
Casper, WY$56,377
Scranton, PA$56,307
New Orleans, LA$56,289
Virginia Beach, VA$56,283
Akron, OH$56,253
Peoria, IL$56,177
Sarasota, FL$56,165
Nashville, TN$56,123
Omaha, NE$56,123
Green Bay, WI$56,123
Baton Rouge, LA$56,094
Charleston, SC$56,082
Jamestown, NY$56,053
Davenport, IA$56,053
Tucson, AZ$56,023
Saint Petersburg, FL$55,988
Tampa, FL$55,976
Evansville, IN$55,940
Port Arthur, TX$55,940
Bradenton, FL$55,917
Santa Fe, NM$55,810
Orlando, FL$55,704
Clearwater, FL$55,686
Canton, OH$55,562
La Crosse, WI$55,562
Albuquerque, NM$55,527
Newport News, VA$55,521
High Point, NC$55,503
Ogden, UT$55,480
Corpus Christi, TX$55,432
Norfolk, VA$55,397
Laramie, WY$55,397
Rock Island, IL$55,362
Saginaw, MI$55,350
Jacksonville, FL$55,344
Salisbury, NC$55,332
Boise, ID$55,320
Moline, IL$55,291
Fort Myers, FL$55,273
Memphis, TN$55,261
Tulsa, OK$55,232
Waterloo, IA$55,196
Spartanburg, SC$55,137
Lincoln, NE$55,108
Fort Wayne, IN$55,096
Provo, UT$55,090
Cedar Falls, IA$55,019
San Antonio, TX$54,995
Greensboro, NC$54,972
South Bend, IN$54,966
Savannah, GA$54,901
Muskegon, MI$54,877
Birmingham, AL$54,871
Winston Salem, NC$54,842
Lake Charles, LA$54,700
Anderson, IN$54,688
Lexington, KY$54,671
Augusta, GA$54,653
Greenville, SC$54,653
Lima, OH$54,606
Wichita, KS$54,600
Tuscaloosa, AL$54,600
Columbia, SC$54,547
Springfield, OH$54,535
Asheville, NC$54,440
Bloomington, IN$54,399
Knoxville, TN$54,186
Shreveport, LA$54,180
Wilmington, NC$54,104
Roanoke, VA$54,104
Topeka, KS$53,997
Frankfort, KY$53,991
Oklahoma City, OK$53,950
Chillicothe, OH$53,926
Longview, TX$53,921
Melbourne, FL$53,915
Sioux Falls, SD$53,820
Mobile, AL$53,814
Terre Haute, IN$53,791
Altoona, PA$53,755
Amarillo, TX$53,714
Killeen, TX$53,696
Fayetteville, AR$53,649
Chattanooga, TN$53,631
Sioux City, IA$53,578
Idaho Falls, ID$53,566
Lynchburg, VA$53,519
Gainesville, FL$53,442
Portsmouth, OH$53,413
Little Rock, AR$53,401
Lafayette, LA$53,377
Youngstown, OH$53,377
Daytona Beach, FL$53,342
Clarksville, TN$53,336
Pensacola, FL$53,330
Temple, TX$53,326
Hopkinsville, KY$53,153
Erie, PA$53,141
Florence, SC$53,117
Charleston, WV$53,023
Great Falls, MT$52,993
Macon, GA$52,911
Tallahassee, FL$52,905
Fayetteville, NC$52,893
Waco, TX$52,881
Helena, MT$52,840
Pine Bluff, AR$52,817
Vincennes, IN$52,745
Lubbock, TX$52,722
Alamogordo, NM$52,686
Twin Falls, ID$52,633
Rapid City, SD$52,615
Jackson, MS$52,509
Huntington, WV$52,505
Greenville, MS$52,503
Parkersburg, WV$52,443
Montgomery, AL$52,432
Wichita Falls, TX$52,373
Springfield, MO$52,373
Biloxi, MS$52,344
Monroe, LA$52,285
Johnstown, PA$52,243
Sumter, SC$52,220
Columbus, GA$52,214
Pascagoula, MS$52,102
Abilene, TX$52,102
Kingsport, TN$51,948
Albany, GA$51,948
Gulfport, MS$51,930
Alexandria, LA$51,735
Fort Smith, AR$51,588
El Paso, TX$51,428
Las Cruces, NM$51,163
Harlingen, TX$51,013
Pocatello, ID$51,003
Florence, AL$50,926
Brownsville, TX$50,915
Mcallen, TX$50,790
Dothan, AL$50,708
Columbus, MS$50,357
Altus, OK$50,082
Lawton, OK$49,970
Pierre, SD$49,757
What Skills Can Increase a Bacteriologist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 11.99% 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 2.67% 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.
SOP (Mentioned in 2% Job Postings): SOP is A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations.
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 Bacteriologist's salary.
Cell Biology: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
Biochemistry: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Bacteriologist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Bacteriologist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average.
In contrast, Bacteriologist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Bacteriologist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Bacteriologist
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$88,588
$43.0
50%
How Education impacts a Bacteriologist's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Bacteriologists enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree 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 Bacteriologist with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$55,345
and $58,563).
Bacteriologist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Bacteriologist'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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$52,739
Average$59,059/year
$64,426
$4,395
Average$4,922/month
$5,369
$1,014
Average$1,136/week
$1,239
$25
Average$28/hour
$31
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$64,426
$5,369
$1,239
$31
Average
$59,059
$4,922
$1,136
$28
25th Percentile
$52,739
$4,395
$1,014
$25
Salary Trends for Bacteriologist
Salaries for a Bacteriologist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $55,521 in 2023
to around $55,283 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Bacteriologist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Bacteriologist Over Time
$???
$55,521
$55,492
$55,283
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$55,521
2024
$55,492
2025
$55,283
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Bacteriologist
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Bacteriologist
Here are companies hiring for Bacteriologist and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Bacteriologist
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Bacteriologist?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Bacteriologist roles,
with salaries approximately 50% 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.
