Biology

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2020

169,859

growing 4.23%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,681

growing 2.06%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$39,820

growing 3.24%

Average Wage

$108,792

growing 0.626%

People in Workforce

2.84M

growing 4.1%

Average Employee Age

41.2

declining 0.766%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Biology degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and San Diego, CA. The locations with a relatively high number of Biology degree recipients are Duarte, CA, Manhasset, NY, and Penngrove, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Biology is a bachelors degree.

Photo by e-Magine Art

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Biology and the types of students that study this field. University of California-San Diego awards the most degrees in Biology in the US, but Rockefeller University and Arkansas Colleges of Health Education have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Biology.

Tuition costs for Biology majors are, on average, $8,681 for in-state public colleges, and $39,820 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Biology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (905 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (110,722 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Biology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Biology, is Public, 4-year or above (110,722 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Biology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,681

Median In-State Public

$39,820

Median Out of State Private

University of California-San Diego has the most Biology degree recipients, with 1,868 degrees awarded in 2020.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Biology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Biology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Rockefeller University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Biology, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Biology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Biology by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Biology.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Biology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Biology majors is $108,792 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

The industry that employs the most Biology majors is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$108,792

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,771

0.626%

1 Year Growth

± 2.32%

The average salary for Biology majors is $108,792 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Biology majors.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Biology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The most common occupations Biology majors, by number of employees, are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Biology majors working as Biological scientists, Optometrists, and Surgeons.

Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Biology majors are Surgeons, Actuaries, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

2.84M

2019 Workforce

± 40,983

4.1%

1 Year Growth

± 1.98%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.1%, from 2.73M in 2018 to 2.84M in 2019.

The largest single share of Biology graduates go on to work as Physicians (14.9%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Biology by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Biology majors, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Offices of physicians.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Biology majors, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Sugar & confectionery products, and Offices of dentists.

Industries by Share

2.84M

2019 Workforce

± 40,983

4.1%

1 Year Growth

± 1.98%

The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.1%, from 2.73M in 2018 to 2.84M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Biology graduates by share is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Biology.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Biology majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Biology majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Biology in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Biology is 41.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Biology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Biology (85,926 students).

Workforce Age

41.2

Average Age in 2019

± 0.194 Years

0.766%

1 Year Change

± 0.675%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 29 and 30 years old, which represent 3.55% and 3.44% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Biology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Biology are Bachelors Degree, Professional degree, and Masters Degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (63.9%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Biology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
85,926 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
25,570 degrees awarded
Asian
22,971 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Biology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
44,098 degrees awarded
White Male
25,076 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
13,091 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Biology. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
93,719 degree recipients
China
52,039 degree recipients
Korea
24,142 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Other Europe, not specified
5.25 times more than expected
Other Asia, not specified
4.49 times more than expected
Zambia
4.41 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Other Europe, not specified that hold Biology degrees (5.25 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (93,719 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Biology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Biology majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Biology majors need more than the average amount of Programming, Science, and Quality Control Analysis.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Biology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Programming is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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