Taxonomist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Taxonomist studies organisms, including plants, animals and micro-organisms, and classifies them in to groups. Conducts field research to collect specimens and lab research to analyze and document specimens or samples. May identify and name previously unknown species. May assist with forensics investigations.
Job Outlook
There were 14 Taxonomist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 529 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Biologist industry, which includes the Taxonomist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
Salary
Many new Taxonomist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $79,935.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $79,935.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Taxonomist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $67,838.
Education and Experience
Posted Taxonomist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 45.75% |
| Master's Degree | 51.61% |
| Doctoral Degree | 50.85% |
| Other | 3.02% |
Posted Taxonomist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 45.05% |
| 3 to 5 years | 46.76% |
| 6 to 8 years | 2.05% |
| 9+ years | 6.14% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Taxonomist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (77.5%)
- Management (59.74%)
- Communication (36.67%)
- Writing (27.98%)
- Leadership (20.23%)
- Investigation (17.58%)
- Operations (17.39%)
- Planning (16.64%)
- Mathematics (15.69%)
- Presentations (15.5%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Farm Management (21%)
- Sociology (20.37%)
- Statistics (23.91%)
- Loans (19.54%)
- Finance (20.79%)
- Economics (24.12%)
- Encryption (18.92%)
- Credit Reports (17.26%)
- Biology (45.74%)
- Accounting (19.33%)
- Agriculture (56.34%)
- Agricultural Economics (24.53%)
- Agronomy (22.04%)
- Credit Risk (16.22%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Crop Production (3.12%)
- Soil Science (13.72%)
- Scientific Studies (7.9%)
- Resource Management (10.19%)
- Project Management (7.9%)
- Land Management (9.77%)
- Information Management (6.86%)
- Marketing (14.35%)
- Forestry (10.6%)
- Financial Management (6.86%)
- Performance Appraisal (11.23%)
- Entomology (16.22%)
- Ecology (19.54%)
- Natural Resource Management (10.6%)
- Data Analysis (15.59%)
- Chemistry (12.89%)
- Applied Research (11.43%)
- Dairy Science (12.27%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Farm Management (91.82%)
- Finance (90.91%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Taxonomist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Loan Analyst
- Natural Resources Specialist
- Agricultural Loan Specialist
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Entomologist
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Research Entomologist
- Biologist
- Extension Specialist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Soil / Plant Scientist
- Farm / Ranch Manager
- Wildlife Biologist
- Field Biologist
- Conservation Scientist
- Biological Technician
- Research Associate (General)
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Taxonomist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Farm Service Agency (74)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (39)
- United States Department of Agriculture (27)
- University of California-Davis (26)
- Cornell University (18)
- Agricultural Research Service (16)
- Us Farm Service Center (14)
- Pennsylvania State University (9)
- Natural Resources Conservation (8)
- University of Georgia (8)
North Carolina
- North Carolina State University (4)
- University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain (2)
- University of North Carolina Wilmington (1)
- Metabolon (1)
- North Carolina A & T State University (1)
- Duke University (1)
- Farm Service Agency (1)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (1)
- Us Farm Service Center (1)
- ManpowerGroup (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.