Biologists study plants, animals, and their environments.
| Quick Facts: Biologists | |
|---|---|
| Wages | Earn $78,326 - $95,444 per year |
| Employment | Small occupation |
| 10 Year Growth | More slowly than average |
| Annual Openings | Few |
Preparation 
Preparation
The Preparation section describes the education, training, and experience you need to prepare for work in an occupation. This section covers the types of formal and informal training programs you should take. In addition, this topic covers the amount of experience you need to enter an occupation.
For more information see the Preparation topic.
A biologist typically needs to:
- have a high school diploma or equivalent
- have at least a bachelor’s degree in a biological science
Working Conditions
Working Conditions
The Working Conditions section describes an occupation's characteristics. This section covers the conditions and settings that workers in an occupation are exposed to. This list also shows characteristics that a worker needs to do well in the occupation.
For more information see the Working Conditions topic.
In a typical work setting, biologists:
- Have a moderate level of social contact. Biologists often work alone while collecting and analyzing data.
- Work indoors in laboratories. However, wildlife biologists do fieldwork outdoors.
- Must be very exact in their work and follow precise steps in their observations. Errors could ruin months of work or endanger the environment.
- May travel to remote areas and live in primitive conditions while conducting studies. This mainly applies to wildlife biologists.
Wages
Wages
Multiple SOC version:
The Wage section gives you a sense of how much money workers earn in an occupation. Annual wage data appear for most occupations. The annual amount is based on working full time for 12 months.
Two types of information are given about wages--the median wage and the wage range. The median wage is represented by the line in the bar. The median wage is the amount above which half of all workers are paid and below which half of all workers are paid. This is similar to an average. The wage range from the 25% to the 75% is represented by the bar. The 25% means that one-quarter of workers in the occupation earn less than that amount. Similarly, one-quarter of workers in the occupation earn more than the 75%. Move your cursor over the bar to see the wage values.
For more information see the Wages topic.
In Illinois, biologists earn a median wage of $78,326 - $95,444 per year.
| $0 | $50 | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| Illinois |
$ amounts are in thousands of dollars.
Employment and Outlook
Employment and Outlook
The Employment and Outlook section gives you information about the size of an occupation, whether it is growing or declining in size, and how many job openings there may be each year.
There are five size categories for occupations in CIS: very small, small, medium, large, and very large. Similarly, five categories are used for the number of job openings: very few, few, moderate, high, and very high.
Five categories are also used for growth: declining, more slowly than average, average, faster than average, and much faster than average. The growth rate tells you how rapidly an occupation is expected to grow in comparison to all other occupations. This information is an estimate. No one can predict exactly how many jobs will be available. The rate of growth of an occupation is determined by several factors. A few major factors are the state of the economy, competition, technological advances, and environmental rules.
For more information see the Employment and Outlook topic.
In Illinois, 1,689 biologists work in this small occupation.
| Location | Employment | 10 Year Growth | Annual Openings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1,689 Small | 4.7% Slow | 158 Few |