Start with the answer
Microbiologists pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Microbiologists is $130,070 per year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. It is $114,800 per year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 13.3% above Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 19-1022 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 700 wage and salary jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA and 1,370 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings