A person working as a Laboratory Technician in Puerto Rico typically earns around 13,900 USD per year. Salaries range from 6,670 USD (lowest) to 21,800 USD (highest).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Laboratory Technician salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Laboratory Technician salaries in Puerto Rico range from 6,670 USD per year (minimum salary) to 21,800 USD per year (maximum salary).
The median salary is 14,400 USD per year, which means that half (50%) of people working as Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 14,400 USD while the other half are earning more than 14,400 USD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 9,500 USD while 75% of them are earning more than 9,500 USD. Also from the diagram, 75% of Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 18,800 USD while 25% are earning more than 18,800 USD.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Laboratory Technician salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Laboratory Technician with less than two years of experience makes approximately 7,800 USD per year.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 11,100 USD per year, 42% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 14,500 USD per year, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Laboratory Technician(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 17,900 USD per year, 23% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 19,000 USD per year, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 20,800 USD per year, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 7,800 USD | |
2 - 5 Years | +42% | 11,100 USD |
5 - 10 Years | +31% | 14,500 USD |
10 - 15 Years | +23% | 17,900 USD |
15 - 20 Years | +6% | 19,000 USD |
20+ Years | +10% | 20,800 USD |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Laboratory Technician salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of a Laboratory Technician is 12,300 USD per year.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 17,600 USD per year, 43% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 12,300 USD | |
Master's Degree | +43% | 17,600 USD |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Puerto Rico costs anywhere from 8,390 US Dollar(s) to 25,200 US Dollar(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Laboratory Technician employees in Puerto Rico earn 9% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 14,700 USD | |
Female | -8% | 13,500 USD |
Laboratory Technician(s) in Puerto Rico are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 5% every 29 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 4% | |
Energy | 8% | |
Information Technology | 3% | |
Healthcare | 7% | |
Travel | 2% | |
Construction | 6% | |
Education | 1% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Puerto Rico for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Laboratory Technician is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
86% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 14% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 14% | |
No Bonus | 86% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Laboratory Technician is 45% less than that of Healthcare Technical. Also, Healthcare Technical salaries are 17% less than those of Health and Medical.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Academic Clinician | 38,000 USD | ![]() |
Admitting Officer | 14,400 USD | ![]() |
Ambulance Dispatcher | 14,100 USD | ![]() |
Ambulance Driver | 14,000 USD | ![]() |
Ambulance Officer and Paramedic | 15,000 USD | ![]() |
Ambulatory Services Director | 30,000 USD | ![]() |
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor | 34,100 USD | ![]() |
Anesthesia Technician | 21,000 USD | ![]() |
Anesthesiologist | 57,900 USD | ![]() |
Anesthesiology Assistant | 20,500 USD | ![]() |
Assistant Optometrist | 17,500 USD | ![]() |
Audiologist | 35,100 USD | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineering Director | 26,200 USD | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineering Technician | 13,400 USD | ![]() |
Cardiac Technician | 14,000 USD | ![]() |
Cardiovascular Specialist | 71,700 USD | ![]() |
Cardiovascular Technologist | 29,400 USD | ![]() |
Central Sterile Processing Technician | 15,700 USD | ![]() |
Charge Entry Specialist | 17,400 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Application Specialist | 18,000 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Biochemist | 32,800 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Cytogeneticist | 27,200 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Data Reviewer | 17,600 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Development Specialist | 21,400 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Field Associate | 18,500 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Genetic Technologist | 28,500 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Microbiologist | 38,700 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Molecular Geneticist | 31,400 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Neuropsychologist | 39,800 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Research Coordinator | 20,800 USD | ![]() |
Clinical Scientist | 37,600 USD | ![]() |
CME Specialist | 29,900 USD | ![]() |
CT Technologist | 18,500 USD | ![]() |
Cytogenetic Technologist | 26,900 USD | ![]() |
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | 22,500 USD | ![]() |
Dispensing Optician | 17,100 USD | ![]() |
Dosimetrist | 26,200 USD | ![]() |
EKG Technician | 16,700 USD | ![]() |
Endoscopic Assistant | 16,200 USD | ![]() |
Endoscopy Technician | 15,600 USD | ![]() |
Enterostomal Therapist | 24,500 USD | ![]() |
Epidemiologist | 30,100 USD | ![]() |
FGP Ultrasound Techncian | 15,000 USD | ![]() |
Health Systems Specialist | 23,400 USD | ![]() |
Health Technologist | 25,600 USD | ![]() |
Healthcare Data Analyst | 19,000 USD | ![]() |
Hearing Aid Specialist | 19,900 USD | ![]() |
Histotechnologist | 24,300 USD | ![]() |
Immunologist | 35,300 USD | ![]() |
Industrial Hygienist | 25,500 USD | ![]() |
Infection Control Coordinator | 18,100 USD | ![]() |
Infection Control Practitioner | 38,900 USD | ![]() |
Infection Preventionist | 27,200 USD | ![]() |
Informatics Practice Specialist | 21,100 USD | ![]() |
Interventional Radiographer | 30,700 USD | ![]() |
Lab Assistant | 14,600 USD | ![]() |
Laboratory Manager | 27,100 USD | ![]() |
Laboratory Technician | 13,900 USD | ![]() |
Low Vision Therapist | 32,400 USD | ![]() |
Mammography Technician | 14,900 USD | ![]() |
Medical Coder | 13,100 USD | ![]() |
Medical Courier | 9,950 USD | ![]() |
Medical Equipment Preparer | 14,600 USD | ![]() |
Medical Forms Designer | 12,000 USD | ![]() |
Medical Technologist | 16,200 USD | ![]() |
MRI Technologist | 15,000 USD | ![]() |
Music Therapist | 22,500 USD | ![]() |
Neonatologist | 42,900 USD | ![]() |
Neurodiagnostic Techncian | 15,600 USD | ![]() |
Neuropsychology Testing Assistant | 14,200 USD | ![]() |
Nuclear Medical Technician | 20,300 USD | ![]() |
Nuclear Medicine Technolgoist | 21,900 USD | ![]() |
Nutrition Assistant | 14,800 USD | ![]() |
Occupaitional Therapy Assistant | 15,700 USD | ![]() |
Operating Room Scheduler | 14,500 USD | ![]() |
Operating Room Services Director | 43,900 USD | ![]() |
Ophthalmic Assistant | 15,500 USD | ![]() |
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician | 16,700 USD | ![]() |
Optician | 34,100 USD | ![]() |
Orthopedic Technician | 15,900 USD | ![]() |
Orthoptist | 43,900 USD | ![]() |
Orthotist | 42,800 USD | ![]() |
Pathology Assistant | 14,600 USD | ![]() |
Perfusionist | 46,300 USD | ![]() |
Phlebotomist | 12,000 USD | ![]() |
Pre Authorization Case Manager | 21,100 USD | ![]() |
Prosthetist | 35,600 USD | ![]() |
Radiation Therapist | 54,900 USD | ![]() |
Radiation Therapy Technologist | 21,400 USD | ![]() |
Radiographer | 33,600 USD | ![]() |
Radiography Technologist | 20,800 USD | ![]() |
Radiologic Technologist | 21,400 USD | ![]() |
Radiology Technologist | 21,400 USD | ![]() |
Respiratory Care Practitioner | 42,000 USD | ![]() |
Respiratory Therapist | 31,500 USD | ![]() |
Respiratory Therapy Technician | 18,000 USD | ![]() |
Sonographer | 21,900 USD | ![]() |
Sonography Technologist | 22,500 USD | ![]() |
Speech and Language Pathologist | 32,900 USD | ![]() |
Ultrasonographer | 17,500 USD | ![]() |
Ultrasound Technologist | 16,400 USD | ![]() |
Vascular Technologist | 14,600 USD | ![]() |
X-Ray Technologist | 21,900 USD | ![]() |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Puerto Rico earn 21% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 18,300 USD | |
Public Sector | +21% | 22,200 USD |