Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
SHARE ON:
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
19-4021 Biological Technicians
Assist biological and medical scientists in laboratories. Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, monitor experiments, make observations, and calculate and record results. May analyze organic substances, such as blood, food, and drugs.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 77,450 |
2.8 % |
$23.10 |
$48,060 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$14.10 |
$16.92 |
$21.39 |
$27.60 |
$34.35 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$29,330 |
$35,190 |
$44,500 |
$57,400 |
$71,440 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
24,410 |
3.62 |
$24.34 |
$50,630 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
18,750 |
0.62 |
$22.63 |
$47,070 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
8,570 |
0.43 |
$20.26 |
$42,140 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
6,340 |
0.11 |
$23.96 |
$49,830 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
4,760 |
1.62 |
$25.20 |
$52,420 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
24,410 |
3.62 |
$24.34 |
$50,630 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
4,760 |
1.62 |
$25.20 |
$52,420 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,780 |
0.68 |
$25.73 |
$53,520 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
18,750 |
0.62 |
$22.63 |
$47,070 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
1,470 |
0.54 |
$21.81 |
$45,360 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
10,990 |
0.65 |
1.21 |
$25.59 |
$53,230 |
| Texas |
5,890 |
0.49 |
0.91 |
$22.14 |
$46,060 |
| Massachusetts |
5,560 |
1.56 |
2.91 |
$29.71 |
$61,790 |
| Ohio |
4,110 |
0.76 |
1.42 |
$22.06 |
$45,890 |
| Pennsylvania |
3,750 |
0.64 |
1.20 |
$23.56 |
$49,010 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
5,560 |
1.56 |
2.91 |
$29.71 |
$61,790 |
| Oregon |
2,740 |
1.45 |
2.72 |
$20.32 |
$42,270 |
| Maryland |
3,520 |
1.31 |
2.45 |
$25.22 |
$52,460 |
| Montana |
580 |
1.25 |
2.34 |
$16.82 |
$34,990 |
| Alaska |
380 |
1.20 |
2.24 |
$21.28 |
$44,250 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
5,560 |
1.56 |
2.91 |
$29.71 |
$61,790 |
| Connecticut |
990 |
0.60 |
1.12 |
$27.58 |
$57,380 |
| New Jersey |
770 |
0.19 |
0.36 |
$26.22 |
$54,530 |
| Illinois |
1,830 |
0.31 |
0.57 |
$25.70 |
$53,450 |
| California |
10,990 |
0.65 |
1.21 |
$25.59 |
$53,230 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,050 |
1.83 |
3.42 |
$30.46 |
$63,350 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
3,440 |
1.15 |
2.16 |
$22.09 |
$45,960 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,830 |
0.46 |
0.87 |
$25.92 |
$53,910 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,580 |
0.27 |
0.51 |
$25.61 |
$53,270 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,500 |
0.88 |
1.64 |
$25.80 |
$53,660 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
2,250 |
1.54 |
2.88 |
$24.35 |
$50,640 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
2,220 |
1.50 |
2.80 |
$21.10 |
$43,880 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
2,120 |
0.88 |
1.64 |
$28.47 |
$59,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,100 |
0.67 |
1.25 |
$27.95 |
$58,130 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
2,060 |
1.04 |
1.94 |
$22.59 |
$46,990 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Corvallis, OR |
270 |
7.21 |
13.48 |
$20.67 |
$43,000 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA |
500 |
5.72 |
10.68 |
$25.42 |
$52,880 |
| Ames, IA |
210 |
4.83 |
9.03 |
$23.47 |
$48,810 |
| Iowa City, IA |
390 |
4.20 |
7.84 |
$22.08 |
$45,940 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
340 |
3.03 |
5.67 |
$22.21 |
$46,190 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
640 |
2.92 |
5.46 |
$19.02 |
$39,550 |
| Wilmington, NC |
360 |
2.83 |
5.29 |
$21.31 |
$44,320 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
770 |
2.49 |
4.65 |
$21.47 |
$44,660 |
| Ithaca, NY |
120 |
2.44 |
4.57 |
$22.80 |
$47,430 |
| Fairbanks, AK |
80 |
2.13 |
3.98 |
$21.58 |
$44,880 |
United States Department of Labor
