Geneticists: Career Overview
Research and study the inheritance of traits at the molecular, organism or population level. May evaluate or treat patients with genetic disorders.
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What Tasks Do Geneticists Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of geneticists span:
- Supervise or direct the work of other geneticists, biologists, technicians, or biometricians working on genetics research projects.
- Plan or conduct basic genomic and biological research related to areas such as regulation of gene expression, protein interactions, metabolic networks, and nucleic acid or protein complexes.
- Prepare results of experimental findings for presentation at professional conferences or in scientific journals.
- Maintain laboratory notebooks that record research methods, procedures, and results.
- Write grants and papers or attend fundraising events to seek research funds.
- Search scientific literature to select and modify methods and procedures most appropriate for genetic research goals.
- Review, approve, or interpret genetic laboratory results.
- Attend clinical and research conferences and read scientific literature to keep abreast of technological advances and current genetic research findings.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful geneticists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Geneticists Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Academic Pediatric Geneticist
- Behavioral Geneticist
- Cardiovascular Geneticist
- Clinical Biochemical Geneticist
- Clinical Cytogeneticist
- Clinical Geneticist
- Clinical Molecular Geneticist
- Computational Geneticist
How Many Geneticists Are There?
There are about 185,801 geneticists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -1.1% over the projection horizon.
Geneticists Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $48,526 |
| Hourly median | $23.33 |
| 10th percentile | $31,711 |
| 25th percentile | $40,119 |
| 75th percentile | $56,934 |
| 90th percentile | $65,342 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Geneticists Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $120,880 |
| Maryland | $115,710 |
| California | $112,010 |
| New Jersey | $102,760 |
| Massachusetts | $101,140 |
| Rhode Island | $98,990 |
| Alaska | $98,220 |
| North Carolina | $97,020 |
| Colorado | $96,680 |
| Washington | $96,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $95,640 |
| Hawaii | $94,700 |
| New York | $93,070 |
| Georgia | $91,890 |
| Utah | $89,860 |
| Arizona | $88,610 |
| Indiana | $87,050 |
| Wyoming | $87,050 |
| South Carolina | $86,940 |
| Oregon | $85,840 |
| Montana | $84,640 |
| Mississippi | $84,610 |
| Maine | $84,550 |
| Virginia | $83,370 |
| District of Columbia | $82,760 |
| West Virginia | $82,760 |
| New Hampshire | $82,450 |
| Kansas | $81,780 |
| Michigan | $81,200 |
| Texas | $81,020 |
| Alabama | $80,230 |
| Puerto Rico | $79,790 |
| Idaho | $79,790 |
| Iowa | $79,170 |
| Illinois | $78,600 |
| New Mexico | $78,190 |
| Ohio | $78,170 |
| Minnesota | $77,650 |
| Wisconsin | $77,520 |
| Delaware | $76,970 |
| Oklahoma | $76,670 |
| Vermont | $76,340 |
| Nebraska | $75,670 |
| Guam | $74,960 |
| Arkansas | $74,960 |
| Kentucky | $74,960 |
| North Dakota | $74,960 |
| Nevada | $74,050 |
| Tennessee | $72,550 |
| Louisiana | $69,950 |
| South Dakota | $67,180 |
| Florida | $65,060 |
| Missouri | $63,290 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for geneticists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $107,160 | 27.4% | 1.72 |
| Middle Atlantic | $103,177 | 20.0% | 2.80 |
| New England | $99,652 | 5.8% | 1.45 |
| Rocky Mountains | $89,061 | 4.4% | 1.38 |
| Southeast | $82,733 | 19.5% | 0.99 |
| Southwest | $81,496 | 6.7% | 0.64 |
| Great Lakes | $80,619 | 6.9% | 0.55 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $78,927 | 0.5% | 0.89 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Geneticists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | CO | $137,940 | 180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $132,670 | 4,320 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $132,630 | 730 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | MI | $131,250 | 70 |
| New Haven, CT | CT | $124,400 | 120 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $123,080 | 40 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | OH | $119,450 | 80 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $111,840 | 50 |
Which Industries Hire Geneticists
Most geneticists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 21,620 | $97,840 |
| Educational Services | 5,590 | $63,290 |
| Manufacturing | 4,180 | $108,160 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,440 | $91,830 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,200 | $103,890 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 900 | $92,020 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 550 | $122,580 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 200 | $64,090 |
Below are examples of industries where geneticists work:
Software Geneticists Use
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- File versioning software: Git (hot technology)
- Application server software: GitHub (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: Oracle Java (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: Perl (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: Python (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for geneticists reflects the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Education and Training
The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Clinical Research Coordinators (Supplemental)
- Statisticians (Supplemental)
- Biostatisticians (Supplemental)
- Data Scientists (Supplemental)
- Bioinformatics Technicians (Supplemental)
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers (Supplemental)
- Biochemists and Biophysicists (Primary-Short)
- Microbiologists (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Aspiring geneticists often complete programs in:
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
59 programs across 14 majors
- General Biology
- Neurobiology & Neurosciences
- Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences
- Ecology & Systematics Biology
- Other Biological Sciences
- Biotechnology
- Biochemistry & Biophysics
- Biomathematics & Bioinformatics
- Microbiology Science & Immunology
- Genetics
- Botany/Plant Biology
- Pharmacology & Toxicology
- Zoology
- Physiology & Pathology Sciences
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
3 programs across 3 majors
Psychology
1 programs across 1 majors
Mathematics and Statistics
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 19-1029.03 (Biological Scientists, All Other).
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