Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

19-4031 Chemical Technicians

Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences.


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)
65,500 1.9 % $24.84 $51,670 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.39 $17.74 $23.15 $30.22 $38.03
Annual Wage (2) $29,920 $36,900 $48,160 $62,860 $79,100


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)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 13,260 3.66 $28.28 $58,830
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 12,890 0.89 $20.90 $43,470
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 5,880 2.00 $23.73 $49,350
Scientific Research and Development Services 5,810 0.86 $27.82 $57,860
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 3,640 2.13 $23.20 $48,260

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 13,260 3.66 $28.28 $58,830
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 3,640 2.13 $23.20 $48,260
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 5,880 2.00 $23.73 $49,350
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,890 1.68 $28.67 $59,640
Metal Ore Mining 670 1.67 $28.72 $59,740

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 680 0.17 $34.94 $72,670
Oil and Gas Extraction 200 0.14 $30.82 $64,100
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 90 0.18 $29.81 $62,000
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,600 0.07 $29.35 $61,040
Metal Ore Mining 670 1.67 $28.72 $59,740


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)
Texas 7,050 0.58 1.29 $28.68 $59,660
California 6,100 0.36 0.79 $23.21 $48,280
Pennsylvania 3,880 0.66 1.47 $24.09 $50,110
New Jersey 3,510 0.87 1.92 $29.19 $60,720
Ohio 3,220 0.59 1.31 $22.62 $47,060




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)
Louisiana 3,020 1.58 3.49 $31.27 $65,030
Delaware 630 1.40 3.10 $30.18 $62,760
Wyoming 370 1.36 3.00 $23.99 $49,900
West Virginia 810 1.16 2.56 $25.24 $52,500
Nevada 1,230 0.91 2.01 $25.41 $52,860




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 3,020 1.58 3.49 $31.27 $65,030
Delaware 630 1.40 3.10 $30.18 $62,760
New Jersey 3,510 0.87 1.92 $29.19 $60,720
Texas 7,050 0.58 1.29 $28.68 $59,660
Massachusetts 1,610 0.45 1.00 $27.00 $56,160





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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4,090 0.43 0.95 $27.31 $56,800
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,160 1.06 2.34 $30.41 $63,260
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,900 1.02 2.25 $28.24 $58,740
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,130 0.46 1.02 $24.30 $50,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,090 0.34 0.76 $22.05 $45,850
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,400 0.51 1.12 $26.91 $55,970
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,310 0.67 1.48 $25.40 $52,830
Baton Rouge, LA 1,070 2.70 5.98 $35.26 $73,350
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,030 0.52 1.16 $19.42 $40,400
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,000 0.28 0.62 $25.58 $53,200




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)
Kankakee, IL 270 6.38 14.09 $25.82 $53,710
Lake Charles, LA 550 4.78 10.56 $30.19 $62,790
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 630 3.94 8.71 $34.20 $71,130
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 120 3.23 7.14 $32.04 $66,630
Baton Rouge, LA 1,070 2.70 5.98 $35.26 $73,350
Danbury, CT 160 2.08 4.61 $27.52 $57,230
Charleston, WV 210 1.84 4.07 $28.35 $58,970
Idaho Falls, ID 120 1.81 4.01 $26.91 $55,960
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 790 1.44 3.17 $28.90 $60,120
Reno, NV 310 1.32 2.91 $18.05 $37,530




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Baton Rouge, LA 1,070 2.70 5.98 $35.26 $73,350
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 630 3.94 8.71 $34.20 $71,130
Kennewick-Richland, WA 140 1.19 2.63 $33.33 $69,320
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 120 3.23 7.14 $32.04 $66,630
Corpus Christi, TX 240 1.29 2.86 $30.81 $64,090
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,160 1.06 2.34 $30.41 $63,260
Lake Charles, LA 550 4.78 10.56 $30.19 $62,790
Lafayette, LA (8) (8) (8) $29.74 $61,860
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY (8) (8) (8) $29.40 $61,150
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 220 0.40 0.88 $29.25 $60,850

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 680 7.08 15.63 $28.81 $59,930
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 250 0.74 1.63 $22.44 $46,680
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 230 0.84 1.85 $27.40 $56,990
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 220 2.61 5.77 $21.22 $44,130
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 210 1.45 3.20 $30.04 $62,480

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 680 7.08 15.63 $28.81 $59,930
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 220 2.61 5.77 $21.22 $44,130
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 210 1.45 3.20 $30.04 $62,480
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 100 1.41 3.11 $14.54 $30,240
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 100 1.08 2.40 $31.17 $64,840

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 40 0.24 0.53 $33.65 $70,000
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 100 0.97 2.14 $31.19 $64,880
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 100 1.08 2.40 $31.17 $64,840
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 50 0.38 0.85 $31.16 $64,810
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 40 0.49 1.08 $31.09 $64,670


About May 2018 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019