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Biologists Salary in IL

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Biologists in IL have a median annual salary of $82,640, with 1,300 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $56,520 at the 10th percentile to $134,530 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$82,640

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$39.73

Employment

1,300

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$56,520
10th
$64,010
25th
$82,640
Median
$106,020
75th
$134,530
90th

Local compared with national

IL

$82,640

Median annual · 2025

United States

$98,920

Median annual · 2025

The IL median is 16.5% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $16,280).

Top skills

  1. 1.ScienceImportance 4.6
  2. 2.Reading ComprehensionImportance 4.1
  3. 3.WritingImportance 4.1
  4. 4.Active ListeningImportance 4.0
  5. 5.SpeakingImportance 4.0
  6. 6.Critical ThinkingImportance 4.0
  7. 7.MathematicsImportance 3.9
  8. 8.Active LearningImportance 3.9
  9. 9.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.8
  10. 10.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.8
  11. 11.Learning StrategiesImportance 3.1
  12. 12.MonitoringImportance 3.0

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
Master's Degree
Experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
Job zone
5

Technology used

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Agilent Technologies GeneSpring GX
  • Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST
  • BioKin PlateKi
  • BLAT
  • Blue Tractor Software DNADynamo
  • C++
  • CUBIC
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequence analysis software
  • EMBOSS
  • EnzymeX
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Excavator
  • FASTA
  • FoldX

Common tasks

  • Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.
  • Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.
  • Supervise biological technicians and technologists and other scientists.
  • Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
  • Identify, classify, and study structure, behavior, ecology, physiology, nutrition, culture, and distribution of plant and animal species.
  • Study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and function.
  • Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment.
  • Review reports and proposals, such as those relating to land use classifications and recreational development, for accuracy, adequacy, or adherence to policies, regulations, or scientific standards.
  • Write grant proposals to obtain funding for biological research.
  • Teach or supervise students and perform research at universities and colleges.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Biologists salary in other locations

Other occupations in IL