Microbiologists
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-1022
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 19-1022 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 9.7%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 53/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $87,990
- H-1B offered wage $73,998; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 2,100
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +4.1%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 343
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 3,288 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~39.6% of this role but only ~9.7% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. Includes medical microbiologists who study the relationship between organisms and disease or the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms.
Common titles: Bacteriologist, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Clinical Microbiologist, Medical Technologist, Microbiological Analyst, Microbiologist
Representative Tasks
- •Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition.
- •Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment.
- •Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection.
- •Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, water, and food specimens.
- •Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Cultivate micro-organisms for study, testing, or medical preparations.
- •Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
- •Analyze biological samples.
- •Classify organisms based on their characteristics or behavior.
- •Inspect condition of natural environments.
Tools & Technologies
Related Occupations
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 9.7% | 9.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 37% Bright |
| Median Salary | $87,990 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 90/100 | N/A |