Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Microbiologists

Investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Includes medical microbiologists who study the relationship between organisms and disease or the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.

Also called: Bacteriologist, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Microbiological Analyst, Microbiologist, Clinical Microbiologist, Medical Technologist, Public Health Microbiologist, Quality Control Microbiologist (QC Microbiologist).

O*NET 19-1022.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $87,990; Middle half earn $67,100 to $122,350. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 64% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 20,700 jobs in 2024, projected 21,600. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Microbiologists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence-activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers.
Investigate the relationship between organisms and disease, including the control of epidemics and the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.
Prepare technical reports and recommendations, based upon research outcomes.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Science4.6 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.7 / 5
Chemistry3.8 / 5
English Language3.6 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.6 / 5
Education and Training3.5 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic72
Investigative100
Artistic15
Social16
Enterprising1
Conventional48

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

biologist · DE Biologe/Biologin · FR biologiste
microbiologist · DE Mikrobiologe/Mikrobiologin · FR microbiologiste
specialist biomedical scientist · DE Experte Biomedizinische Wissenschaften/Expertin Biomedizinische Wissenschaften · FR médecin d’études cliniques
biochemist · DE Biochemiker/Biochemikerin · FR biochimiste
immunologist · DE Immunologe/Immunologin · FR immunologiste
chromatographer · DE Chromatografie-Fachmann/Chromatografie-Fachfrau · FR chromatographiste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed
Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 employed
Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.70. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-1022).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test