Geneticists employed in the United States generally report earning salaries in the range from $28,617 to $135,741 a year including bonuses based on the salary information provided by Payscale. The basic annual salary for geneticists is typically in the range from $26,889 to $137,020 a year and the yearly bonus earnings can amount to up to $10,101 based on Payscale’s salary data.
Geneticists’ yearly income depends on a wide range of factors, from area of specialty and work experience in the field to geographical location, employer type, and industry. These professionals are most commonly employed in the health care sector and in biotechnology research and development.
Average salary
The average salary for geneticists working in the United States is $82,000 a year according to Payscale, $73,000 a year according to Recruiter.com, $62,041 a year according to Jobstat, and $81,000 a year according to the salary data provided by Indeed.
Jobstat reports that the highest annual salary recorded for this occupation is $128,881 and the lowest, $29,361.
The average annual salary for geneticists depends to a large degree on sector and job title. Based on the 2011 Salary Survey Report from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, newly ABMG or MGP certified geneticists hired in the previous two years working as clinical geneticists in the public sector earn a median yearly pay of $128,000. Geneticists working as lab directors make $135,000 a year on average and those working as researchers in the public sector earn a median annual salary of $130,000.
The maximum pay for clinical geneticists in the public sector is $195,000 a year and the minimum wage recorded is $75,000 a year. The top annual salary for researchers in the public sectors is $135,000 and the lowest yearly pay recorded is $100,000.
Professionals working as clinical geneticists in the private sector earn a median yearly salary of $202,500 and those working as lab directors in the private sector make $167,500 a year.
Salary range
Geneticists working in the U.S. typically make between $56,000 and $84,000 a year based on the salary data reported by Recruiter.com. Geneticists with 5 to 9 years of experience in the field generally earn an annual pay in the range from $28,165 to $100,000 according to Payscale’s data.
Image by Hamidreza Ghadimi
Professionals working in the private sector earn basic annual salaries in the range from $265,000 to $274,000, with total compensation (including bonus earnings) typically in the range between $280,500 and $317,600 a year.
The middle 50% of clinical geneticists employed in the public sector earn salaries in the range from $120,000 to $155,000 a year, while the middle 50% of researchers in the public sector make between $125,000 and $135,000 annually.
Geneticists’ annual pay also varies depending on work experience. Professionals working in the public sector, who have up to 5 years of experience, typically earn base salaries in the range from $75,000 to $380,000 a year and those with 6 to 10 years of experience generally make between $90,000 and $240,000 annually. Geneticists with 11 to 15 years of work experience under their belt are usually paid between $65,000 and $286,000 a year and those with 16 to 20 years of professional experience typically make between $126,000 and $600,000 a year. Professionals with 21 or more years of experience generally report earning a yearly income in the range from $70,000 to $520,000.
Geneticists with over 21 years of experience who are employed in the private sector typically earn salaries in the range from $225,000 to $350,000 a year not including bonuses.
In terms of geographical location, geneticists working in the Midwest-Great Plains region earn base salaries in the range from $113,000 to $286,000 a year, those working in the Northeast region make between $65,000 and $600,000 annually, and professionals employed in the Southern region are generally paid between $70,000 and $440,000 a year.
Geneticists working in the Western region (including Alaska and Hawaii) are paid between $75,000 and $520,00.
Professionals working in the Western region who are employed in the private sector typically earn an annual pay in the range from $182,000 to $350,000 a year not including bonuses.
The salaries of geneticists employed in the public sector also vary depending on the department of primary appointment. Professionals employed in Genetics departments typically earn salaries in the range from $80,000 to $440,000 a year without bonuses, those working in Internal Medicine departments are generally paid between $70,000 and $380,000 a year, and geneticists employed in Medical Genetics or Human Genetics departments earn an annual pay in the range from $130,000 to $520,000 a year. Professionals working in OB/GYN departments earn between $240,000 and $600,000 annually and those employed in Pathology or Lab Medicine departments are paid between $169,000 and $286,000 a year. Geneticists employed in Pediatric departments typically make between $75,000 and $255,000 a year according to the ACMG salary report.
Salary by state
Geneticists’ salaries depend on location among other factors and can vary considerably from state to state. The top paying states for geneticists, as reported by Recruiter.com, are District of Columbia, where these professionals earn $104,350 a year on average, followed by Maryland, where they are paid around $91,000 annually, and Virginia, where the median annual salary for this occupation is $86,950. Other states with a high average yearly income for geneticists are New Jersey ($79,270), Illinois ($76,350), North Carolina ($73,850), and Iowa (73,010).
The states with the lowest median annual wage for this profession are Delaware ($52,680), Florida ($54,560), Montana ($56,120), Massachusetts ($56,710), Kentucky ($57,020), and Indiana ($57,200).
Based on the salary data reported by Indeed, geneticists employed in California earn $87,000 a year on average, those based in New York are paid around $98,000 a year, and professionals working in Texas earn a median yearly pay of $78,000. Geneticists based in Washington earn around $80,000 annually, those employed in Illinois make $89,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Florida earn an average annual salary of $76,000.
Salary by city
Geneticists’ salaries also vary from city to city. Professionals working in Chicago are paid around $91,000 annually, those based in Miami make $74,000 a year on average, and geneticists employed in Los Angeles earn around $83,000 a year according to the salary figures reported by Indeed.
Geneticists in Atlanta, Washington and Boston make $96,000 a year on average, those based in New York and San Francisco earn around $104,000 a year, and professionals working in Detroit earn an average annual pay of $80,000. Geneticists employed in Houston earn around $86,000 annually, those based in San Diego make $78,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Memphis earn a median yearly salary of $69,000.
Geneticists employed in Dallas are paid around $79,000 annually, those working in Indianapolis make $66,000 a year on average, and professionals based in Tampa earn around $67,000 a year. Geneticists in Baltimore earn $81,000 a year on average, those employed in Austin make $72,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Denver earn an average annual salary of $74,000 based on Indeed’s salary data.
Hourly wage
The median hourly salary for geneticists employed in the U.S. is $30.85 according to the salary data reported by Jobstat. The highest hourly rate recorded for this occupation is $64.09 and the lowest, $14.60 per hour.
Other income factors
Geneticists typically get bonuses along with their basic annual salary, and these depend on a number of factors, including work experience. Geneticists with 1 to 4 years of experience get $2,345 a year on average, those with 5 to 9 years of experience are paid $1,456 a year on average, and professionals with 10 to 19 years of work experience under their belt receive $5,250 a year on average in bonus money based on Payscale’s salary statistics.
The annual bonuses for these professionals can vary from state to state. For example, geneticists employed in California typically get about $1,728 a year and those based in New York receive $2,345 a year on average in bonuses.
Bonuses also vary from industry to industry. For instance, geneticists working in biotechnology research and development are paid $7,500 a year on average and those working in the health care industry generally get around $1,000 a year in bonus earnings.
Women report receiving $3,500 a year on average in bonuses and men typically get about $5,250 annually.
The yearly bonuses also depend on the type of employer. Professionals employed by universities and colleges get $1,456 a year on average, those employed by companies receive around $5,000 a year, and geneticists working at hospitals typically get around $2,000 a year in bonuses.
Bonuses can also vary depending on benefits packages. Geneticists who have 401(k) plans typically get about $2,750 a year, those who have life and disability insurance are paid around $5,000 annually, professionals who have a defined benefits (DB) retirement plan earn $6,000 a year on average, and those who have paid vacations and holidays typically receive around $5,250 a year in bonus money based on Payscale’s salary data.
Vacation weeks also depend on a variety of factors, including work experience. For example, geneticists with 1 to 4 years of experience get 3.5 weeks off on average and professionals with 10 to 19 years of experience in the field typically get about three weeks off per year.