How Much Do Marine Biologists Make [Based on Actual Job Offers]

Google Marine Biologist Salaries and you’ll find all kinds of information ranging from $30,000 per year to over $100,000. That’s an enormous range. Here’s why I think that happens.

First, there is a lot of diversity among marine biologists. It’s a field that has applications in government agencies, private consulting, aquariums, and much more. Those jobs pay vastly different salaries. (which I’ll talk about a little later).

Second, many sources of information are from the big job boards and that information is heavily based on companies that list jobs on those sites. Here’s the problem. Some marine biologist jobs are more likely to be listed on big sites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter and others aren’t. That skews that data big time.

So today, I’m going to introduce you to a new HR Compensation platform that I love and share with you some of the data they provide. This data comes straight from employers and anonymous employees at those employers. It’s not based on job advertisements, but actual pay for actual people doing these jobs.

So if you are thinking about a career in marine biology and you want to know if your investment will pay off all those student loans before you jump the shark, you’re in the right place.

What is a Marine Biologist

As one person I spoke with put it, a marine biology degree is just a biology degree with water electives which makes it versatile for many different jobs. There are many different types of jobs that marine biologists can do but marine biology at its most basic description is the study of marine organisms and their behaviors and interactions with the environment.

Marine Biologists study biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography to understand marine organisms. This could involve doing plankton tows or waking up at 5 am in the hopes of spotting a manatee.

Marine Biology Career Path Options

Many organizations employ marine biologists. Some of them include:

• Universities

• Government Agencies

• Consulting Firms

• Non-Profit Organizations

• Aquariums

When I spoke to current marine biologists, most of them agreed that aquariums and non-profits typically paid much lower while those that work for government agencies and private consulting firms usually made the most money.

Average Marine Biologist Salary Nationwide (US)

This was a hard article to write because the salary for a marine biologist can vary so much depending on the industry you work in. Like I mentioned earlier, if you work for an aquarium you can expect to be paid slightly above minimum wage. But those who work for private consulting and government agencies often times made over $100,000 per year in some parts of the country.

Education also made a huge difference in salary. The trend was that the more education you had, the more money you made, but that wasn’t always true. In addition, most people I spoke with mentioned that they did not pursue doctorate degrees until they worked for an organization that helped them pay for it.

So what is the average marine biologist's salary in the United States?

The average base salary across all jobs and industries is $85,561 or $41/hour.

Entry-level marine biologists in the United States earn an average salary of $59,978.

Senior-level marine biologists in the United States earn an average salary of $103,957.

I use data from the Economic Research Institute to analyze salaries as I find it to be one of the more accurate sources of data. If you are in human resources or compensation analysis, this is a must-have subscription in my opinion. ERI builds its compensation analysis on salary survey data taken directly from employers and anonymous employees in different geographic areas. Unlike job boards that provide salary data based on their job listings, these are based on real job offers and what employers are actually paying employees.

Among the salaries I listed above, 12% of those surveyed had a doctorate degree and 27% had a master degree.

Marine Biologist Salary Florida

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Florida: $57,138

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in Florida: $81,500

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Florida: $99,034

Marine Biologist Salary Hawaii

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Hawaii: $61,793

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in Hawaii: $88,100

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Hawaii: $107,102

Marine Biologist Salary California

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in California: $67,653

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in California: $96,509

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in California: $117,259

Marine Biologist Salary Texas

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Texas: $58,838

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in Texas: $83,934

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Texas: $101,980

Marine Biologist Salary Georgia

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Georgia: $57,840

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in Georgia: $82,510

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in Georgia: $100,250

Marine Biologist Salary New York

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in New York: $72,458

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in New York: $103,363

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in New York: $125,586

Marine Biologist Salary North Carolina

Entry Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in North Carolina: $56,629

Total Average Marine Biologist Salary in North Carolina: $80,783

Senior Level Average Marine Biologist Salary in North Carolina: $98,151

Marine Biologist Salary Growth

No one can predict the future, but as we continue to struggle with the effects of our warming climate on the oceans, I can only imagine that these roles will become more and more important, and that hopefully will lead to salary growth.

I’ve seen reputable salary growth projections for marine biologists ranging from 5% to 12% salary growth over the next 5 years.

Salary Stories From Real Marine Biologists

Intern in Southern California

One intern worked a paid internship at a marine biology lab in Southern California. She said that she was paid $21 per hour as an intern. Entry-level employees with a bachelor's degree were paid $34 per hour. Second-level lab techs with a master’s degree made around $55,000 per year and Senior Scientists and her Supervisor both made over $100,000 annually. She worked at a lab that does environmental consulting in the public works space.

Marine Biologist in New England

One marine biologist works as an environmental planner for the federal government on the East Coast. They mentioned that they only have a bachelor's degree and they make $85,000 per year. They also said that there are limited positions in their agency, but once you’re in, you’re set for life.

Grad Student in Washington

A current graduate student working at a university made $40,000 per year but also had her tuition and fees paid 100% by the job as well as excellent health insurance coverage. She currently has a bachelor's degree and is studying for her Oceanography PhD.

Environmental Consultant in Canada

One Canadian with a Master's degree and PhD worked in environmental consulting and said they were making $80,000 per year. He also had a friend who worked at government fisheries in Canada who also had a PhD and was making $105,000 per year.

Recent Graduate from an Aquarium

One recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree said they were working at an aquarium and only making $16 per hour.

As you can see, salaries vary quite a bit based on field, education, and location.

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Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.