Botanist Salary

The person who scientifically studies plant life ranging from big trees to small algae is known as a botanist. According to national statistics, the median salary in the US ranges between USD 32,000 to USD 69,000. Botany is a branch of biology and is considered to be a very old science when early humans studied plants for their medicinal and nutritional value. The job may involve extensive field work at times in remote locations and may also include lot of laboratory work. To get into this profession you need to have a great deal of fascination for plant life and an innate interest in biology. A few other qualities that you might need are good data collection skills and acumen to interpret data.

Qualification and Job Description

Like most professions, salary of a botanist also depends on the educational qualification and experience of the candidate. For an entry-level job as a botanist, you will at least need a bachelor's degree in biological sciences which are offered by many colleges. There are colleges who offer masters programs and sub specializations in sectors like horticulture, plant pathology, agronomy, forestry, etc. Students can also upgrade their education with a doctorate and take up teaching jobs with universities.

Botanist are mostly hired by federal, state governments, teaching institutions, museums, etc to undertake different work profiles. The salary of a botanist greatly depends on the employer and the geographical location of the job. According to the job profile, the work can vary from studying small algae species, plant DNA to working on large ecosystems. Under laboratory conditions, a botanist could be required to study plant samples, plant cell parts, work on finding its medicinal or nutritional values. On the field a botanist would have to study the plants natural environment, life cycle of a plant and the effects of climatic conditions.

Average Salary

The salary of a botanist is quite remunerative with people having experience known to earn upwards of USD 80,000. Although the percentage of botanist earning this amount is as low as 10 percent. Almost 50 percent of salaries range between the figures of USD 35,000 to USD 65,000. Most of these jobs are with government agencies and statistics indicate that there is going to be good growth in the salary in the coming 10 years. Some entry-level jobs for botanist pay as much as USD 32,000 annually for inexperienced candidates. Educational institutes also offer a good avenue for employment of botanists. Botanist teaching in colleges as professors earn good salaries around USD 75,000 and have good growth opportunities. Research positions mostly open for post doctoral students have high remuneration. Experienced candidates in the research field are known to earn upwards of USD 100,000 annually.

Position	Salary in USD
Research Technicians	32,000
Forensic Technician	39,000
Marine Botanist	36,000
High School Teacher	42,000
College Professor	80,000

When you consider salary ranges for jobs according to state wise statistics there are some variations. According to statistics botanist with experience and educational qualifications earn more in metropolitan areas than rural settings. Here is a state wise estimated salaries for botanist.

State	Salary in USD
New York	85,000
California	75,000
North Carolina	70,000
Texas	69,000
Michigan	65,000
Alaska	58,000

The average salary is quite comparable to other biological sciences like zoology and ornithology. Prediction for the years coming up to 2018 say that this area is going to see more than average growth. People with a liking for plant life and evolution have a good scope in this field.