Compared with the local labor market
Wildlife Biology pay vs. the United States
Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists — about 18,120 people — is $76,780. Smithsonian Institution pays a median base salary of $196,125 for this role, 155% above that figure — above the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Smithsonian Institution sits in the local pay range
$49,100
$61,180
$76,780
$96,100
$126,440
Smithsonian Institution median · $196,125
The bar is the range of annual wages for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Smithsonian Institution’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
Median total compensation for this role at Smithsonian Institution is $196,125, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)
Wildlife Biology is held in 6 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Smithsonian Institution, the median of $196,125 ranks #1 of 6.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Wildlife Biology role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.