DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 4,176 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 19,760 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Microbiologists
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco, CA | $92,539 | +81.4% | 25 | 14 |
| Hamilton, MT | $83,133 | +63% | 10 | 2 |
| BETHESDA, MA | $77,225 | +51.4% | 16 | 5 |
| San Francisco, CA | $74,859 | +46.8% | 23 | 9 |
| Frederick, MD | $74,256 | +45.6% | 11 | 4 |
| Emeryville, CA | $71,316 | +39.8% | 36 | 10 |
| Skokie, IL | $70,000 | +37.2% | 11 | 3 |
| Bethesda, MD | $69,182 | +35.6% | 66 | 7 |
| NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ | $65,125 | +27.7% | 10 | 3 |
| New York, NE | $65,000 | +27.4% | 20 | 10 |
| Cambridge, MA | $65,000 | +27.4% | 94 | 46 |
| San Diego, CA | $62,621 | +22.8% | 33 | 19 |
| Fremont, CA | $61,797 | +21.2% | 15 | 6 |
| Stanford, CA | $60,337 | +18.3% | 25 | 2 |
| Rockville, MD | $59,372 | +16.4% | 24 | 11 |
| Tucson, AZ | $57,990 | +13.7% | 10 | 3 |
| Los Alamos, NM | $57,502 | +12.7% | 14 | 2 |
| Boston, MA | $55,000 | +7.8% | 23 | 13 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $54,000 | +5.9% | 15 | 1 |
| New Haven, CT | $53,950 | +5.8% | 16 | 3 |
| Atlanta, GA | $53,000 | +3.9% | 65 | 8 |
| Tempe, AZ | $53,000 | +3.9% | 12 | 1 |
| BERKELEY, CA | $52,584 | +3.1% | 45 | 3 |
| La Jolla, CA | $52,278 | +2.5% | 71 | 9 |
| Baltimore, MD | $52,140 | +2.2% | 51 | 7 |
| Davis, CA | $52,116 | +2.2% | 27 | 2 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $51,618 | +1.2% | 24 | 9 |
| Crete, IL | $51,500 | +1% | 10 | 1 |
| New York, NY | $51,438 | +0.9% | 40 | 9 |
| PISCATAWAY, NJ | $50,356 | -1.3% | 11 | 1 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $65,000 | -48.5% | 216 |
| Maryland | $60,000 | -40.6% | 190 |
| Montana | $60,000 | -32.4% | 19 |
| California | $58,272 | -45.7% | 518 |
| Arizona | $57,000 | N/A | 39 |
| Connecticut | $55,286 | -32.6% | 41 |
| New Jersey | $55,000 | -33% | 96 |
| New Mexico | $54,995 | N/A | 19 |
| Colorado | $52,000 | -24.7% | 45 |
| Alaska | $52,000 | -32.4% | 5 |
| Nebraska | $51,178 | -29.9% | 126 |
| Illinois | $50,762 | -31.7% | 114 |
| Oregon | $50,760 | -43.1% | 28 |
| Michigan | $50,232 | -28.9% | 96 |
| Arkansas | $50,004 | -17.6% | 27 |
| Hawaii | $50,004 | -23.1% | 11 |
| Washington | $50,000 | -35.2% | 59 |
| Florida | $49,651 | -33.1% | 90 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,275 | -30.6% | 92 |
| Mississippi | $49,000 | -35.2% | 5 |
| South Dakota | $48,880 | -37.1% | 8 |
| District of Columbia | $48,579 | N/A | 18 |
| Wisconsin | $48,432 | -23.7% | 43 |
| Georgia | $48,131 | -50.4% | 139 |
| North Carolina | $47,986 | -41.6% | 53 |
| New York | $47,960 | -44.1% | 236 |
| Tennessee | $47,937 | -32.6% | 24 |
| Indiana | $47,670 | -40.5% | 26 |
| Missouri | $47,476 | -30.8% | 60 |
| Kansas | $47,476 | -24% | 26 |
| Minnesota | $47,476 | -44.4% | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $47,466 | -45.1% | 13 |
| Iowa | $46,884 | -38.7% | 43 |
| Maine | $46,475 | -51% | 4 |
| South Carolina | $46,466 | -19.5% | 14 |
| Utah | $45,771 | -32.5% | 24 |
| Louisiana | $45,343 | N/A | 23 |
| Ohio | $45,055 | -40.7% | 66 |
| Oklahoma | $45,000 | N/A | 19 |
| Virginia | $45,000 | -48.9% | 27 |
| Idaho | $45,000 | -25.6% | 9 |
| Texas | $44,780 | -28.6% | 172 |
| Kentucky | $44,670 | -29% | 12 |
| West Virginia | $42,863 | N/A | 2 |
| Wyoming | $42,756 | N/A | 9 |
| Vermont | $42,000 | N/A | 5 |
| Rhode Island | $41,709 | N/A | 4 |
| Nevada | $41,600 | -42.5% | 5 |
| Delaware | $41,250 | -45.5% | 12 |
| North Dakota | $40,000 | -34.9% | 7 |
| Alabama | $38,896 | -30% | 25 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Microbiologists positions, 32% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 39% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Georgia | Not specified | $47,476 |
| National Institutes of Health, HHS | Not specified | $70,150 |
| ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE OF YESHIVA UNI | Not specified | $47,155 |
| University of California, Berkeley | Not specified | $51,750 |
| University of Michigan | Master's | $49,502 |
| University of California, San Diego | Not specified | $51,534 |
| Emory University | Not specified | $49,008 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Not specified | $45,873 |
| University of California, Davis | Not specified | $52,116 |
| The Ohio State University | Master's | $45,055 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Microbiologists is Manufacturing at $74,840. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $49,948.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 4,176 DOL filings, the median salary for a Microbiologists is $51,004, ranging from $45,100 to $63,000.
The 90th percentile salary is $150,650 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, South San Francisco, CA offers the highest median at $92,539.
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Microbiologists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
Are you a Microbiologists wondering if your salary is competitive?
Compare your pay against government-filed salary data for this role.
Find Open Positions
Browse current openings and compare them against the government-filed salary data above.