Biologists Salary in San Francisco, CA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Biologists in San Francisco, CA have a median annual salary of $138,160, with 4,280 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $84,200 at the 10th percentile to $215,860 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

$138,160

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$66.42

Employment

4,280

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$84,200
10th
$102,300
25th
$138,160
Median
$174,140
75th
$215,860
90th

Local compared with national

San Francisco, CA

$138,160

Median annual · 2025

United States

$98,920

Median annual · 2025

The San Francisco, CA median is 39.7% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $39,240).

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 San Francisco, CA