Two Benchmark Occupations Inside a Larger Category
Life sciences and clinical research staffing spans a wide range of specific occupations under the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ broader Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations major group, SOC series 19-1000. This page benchmarks two of the roles most relevant to a staffing agency’s life sciences desk, Biological Scientists and Medical Scientists, rather than presenting a single aggregate figure for the entire category, since no such total was located.
Biological Scientists: Steady Pay, Slower Growth
Biological Scientists, All Other, SOC 19-1029.00, report a median annual wage of $98,920, or $47.56 an hour, per O*NET OnLine’s 2025 wage data. National employment stood at 63,700 in 2024, with projected 2024 to 2034 growth described as slower than average, 1% to 2%, and 4,800 projected annual job openings.
Medical Scientists: Higher Pay, Much Faster Growth
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, SOC 19-1042.00, report a higher median annual wage of $103,410, or $49.72 an hour, also 2025 wage data per O*NET OnLine. This occupation is both larger and faster-growing than Biological Scientists: national employment reached 165,300 in 2024, more than double the biological scientists figure, with 2024 to 2034 growth projected much faster than average, 7% or higher, and 9,600 projected annual job openings.
The contrast between the two occupations is the more useful signal for a staffing desk than either number alone. A specialty with the wage profile of biological science but the growth trajectory of medical science reflects a genuinely different demand curve, worth pricing and prospecting differently even within the same broad life sciences category.
Where This Data Comes From, and Its Limits
Direct access to bls.gov’s own Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics pages was blocked on every attempt for this research. O*NET OnLine, a US Department of Labor and Employment and Training Administration-sponsored resource that republishes BLS OEWS wage data and BLS-based employment projections directly, supplied both figures above. Re-verify against bls.gov/oes directly if it becomes reachable, since O*NET is a primary-adjacent secondary rather than a direct BLS citation.
Clinical Research Coordinators, a role many life sciences staffing desks place heavily, fall outside the SOC 19-1000 series entirely and are not represented in either figure above. A fuller page could add Epidemiologists, SOC 19-1041.00, or Microbiologists, SOC 19-1022.00, through the same O*NET URL pattern.
A Different Credentialing Stack Behind These Numbers
The wage and growth data above sits behind a credentialing structure that looks nothing like standard healthcare staffing licensure, ACRP-issued certifications specific to clinical trial roles, GxP and GCP regulatory fluency, and PhD-level scientific vetting. A staffing desk pricing into this specialty is pricing into that credentialing depth as much as the wage figures themselves.
The Numbers
Biological Scientists, All Other (SOC 19-1029.00): median annual wage $98,920 ($47.56/hr, 2025 data); national employment 63,700 (2024); projected 2024-2034 growth 1% to 2% (slower than average); 4,800 projected annual job openings.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (SOC 19-1042.00): median annual wage $103,410 ($49.72/hr, 2025 data); national employment 165,300 (2024); projected 2024-2034 growth 7% or higher (much faster than average); 9,600 projected annual job openings.
Sources
The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.
- O*NET OnLine, Biological Scientists, All Other
- O*NET OnLine, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists