Vocational Index

Career

Microbiologists

Study bacteria, viruses and other microscopic life.

$87,990
Median pay
+6.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,500
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.
  • Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection.
  • Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, water, and food specimens.
  • Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+4.1%2025–35 edition+6.2%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 1,700 → 1,500 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Ideas & analysis
7.0
Objects & tools
5.3
Information & systems
3.9
People & care
2.0
Creation & expression
1.9
Persuasion & leadership
1.1

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Science, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $87,990 a year and 1,500 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Biochemistry and Molecular BiologySee the degree →
  • Soil MicrobiologyCIP 01.1203
  • Structural BiologyCIP 26.0207
  • Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, OtherCIP 26.0499
  • Microbiology, GeneralCIP 26.0502
  • VirologyCIP 26.0504

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.