Microbiologist 1 pay range
State of Washington · class code 515J
- Class code
- 515J
- Salary range
- 50
- Pay unit
- Year
- State
- Washington
- The State of Washington published pay range for Microbiologist 1 is $55,596 to $74,748 per year.
- Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) keys this classification as class code 515J.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Step progression
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) assigns this class to salary range 50 in the General Service Salary Schedule. The range pays 13 steps; a step is normally earned on a periodic increment date, not negotiated.
| Basis | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $55,596 | $56,952 | $58,392 | $59,760 | $61,332 | $62,880 | $64,512 | $66,072 | $67,704 | $69,348 | $71,136 | $72,900 | $74,748 |
| Monthly | $4,633 | $4,746 | $4,866 | $4,980 | $5,111 | $5,240 | $5,376 | $5,506 | $5,642 | $5,779 | $5,928 | $6,075 | $6,229 |
| Hourly | $26.63 | $27.28 | $27.97 | $28.62 | $29.37 | $30.11 | $30.90 | $31.64 | $32.43 | $33.21 | $34.07 | $34.91 | $35.80 |
Steps as published. The monthly and hourly rows are the state's own, not conversions of the annual row.
Class specification
The OFM classified job specification for this class is published by Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications.
What the state says the job is
Performs basic microbiological analysis. Cultivates, isolates, and assists in identifying bacterial and other micro-organisms present in plants, fish, wildlife and/or body fluids, exudates, skin scraping, or autopsy and surgical specimens and performs various microbiological tests to provide data on cause and progress of disease and other public health/safety issues.
Examples of the work
Performs primary isolation techniques of microorganisms; prepares media and reagents; Performs microscopic, serological molecular techniques and biochemical or related procedures on samples referred by private or public laboratories for initial identification or confirmation; compiles and maintains records of the characteristics of the organisms identified; Conducts a variety of standardized bacteriologic and serologic or related subdiscipline examinations with supervisory review of methods, accuracy, and the quantity of output; Assists with serologic tests by preparing antigen emulsions, pipetting serums, and making preliminary readings of test results; Determines proper dispositions of tis ...
Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, microbiology, biochemistry, zoology, or a related science OR Equivalent education/experience.
Quoted from the OFM classified job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) publishes this figure in Classified Job Listing joined to the OFM salary schedules effective July 1, 2026. Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The dollar figures come from the salary schedule the listing assigns this range to.
Nearby classes in Washington
Microbiologist 1 in other states
| State | Minimum | Maximum | Per year at full time |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $60,876 | $88,743 | $60,876 to $88,743 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,008 | $80,646 | $53,008 to $80,646 |
Each state publishes its own range for a classification with this exact title. Duties, grade structures and bargaining units differ between states, so read each class page before comparing.