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Laboratory Technician Average Salary in United States 2024

How much money does a person working as Laboratory Technician make in United States?


Average Yearly Salary
68,700 USD
( 5,720 USD monthly)

LOW
33,000
USD
AVERAGE
68,700
USD
HIGH
108,000
USD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Laboratory Technician in United States typically earns around 68,700 USD. Salaries range from 33,000 USD (lowest) to 108,000 USD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Laboratory Technician salaries in United States vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Laboratory Technician Pay Scale and Salaries in United States

Median and salary distribution United States Laboratory Technician yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
64,200 USD or more
10% of people earn
56,500 to 64,200 USD
20% of people earn
39,700 USD or less
65% of people earn
39,700 to 56,500 USD
Minimum Salary
33,000 USD
Median
64,600 USD
Maximum
108,000 USD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Laboratory Technician in United States range from 33,000 USD (starting salary) to 108,000 USD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 64,600 USD, half of the professionals who work as Laboratory Technician in United States earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Laboratory Technician in United States earn less than 52,600 USD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 74,100 USD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Laboratory Technician in United States compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 39,700 USD to 56,500 USD. About 20% of salaries are below the 39,700 USD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 56,500 USD to 64,200 USD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 64,200 USD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Laboratory Technician / United States

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
38,600 USD
2 - 5 Years+42%
54,700 USD
5 - 10 Years+31%
71,900 USD
10 - 15 Years+23%
88,400 USD
15 - 20 Years+6%
94,000 USD
20+ Years+10%
103,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly United States Laboratory Technician
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Laboratory Technician and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 38,600 USD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 54,700 USD, 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 71,900 USD, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 88,400 USD, 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 94,000 USD, 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 103,000 USD, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Laboratory Technician / United States

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Laboratory Technician.

Bachelor's Degree
60,700 USD
Master's Degree+43%
86,900 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly United States Laboratory Technician
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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 salaries by education level for the position Laboratory Technician in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 60,700 USD.


Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 86,900 USD, 43% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United States costs anywhere from 39,600 USD to 119,000 USD 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 to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. 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.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Laboratory Technician / United States

Salary comparison by gender United States Laboratory Technician yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Laboratory Technician in United States, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.

Male
70,500 USD
Female-5%
67,200 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in United States for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly United States
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Laboratory Technician / United States

How much are annual salary increments in United States for individuals working as Laboratory Technician? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Laboratory Technician in United States are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States Laboratory Technician
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

United States / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare 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.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

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

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in United States is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Laboratory Technician / United States

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate United States Laboratory Technician
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67% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 33% 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
33%
No Bonus
67%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, 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 Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

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.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting 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:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


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.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

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.

Average Hourly Wage / Laboratory Technician / United States


33 USD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Laboratory Technician in United States is 33 USD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

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 fixed 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.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Laboratory Technician in United States is 16 USD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Health and Medical-100%
Academic Clinician185,000 USD+170%
Admitting Officer68,500 USD-0%
Ambulance Attendant75,300 USD+10%
Ambulance Dispatcher69,800 USD+2%
Ambulance Driver66,100 USD-4%
Ambulance Officer and Paramedic78,500 USD+14%
Ambulatory Services Director149,000 USD+120%
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor164,000 USD+140%
Anesthesia Technician99,900 USD+45%
Anesthesiologist291,000 USD+320%
Anesthesiology Assistant99,200 USD+44%
Artificial Intelligence Healthcare Specialist132,000 USD+92%
Assistant Optometrist85,300 USD+24%
Audiologist170,000 USD+150%
Biohacking Expert154,000 USD+120%
Biomedical Engineering Director132,000 USD+92%
Biomedical Engineering Technician71,100 USD+4%
Cardiac Technician63,900 USD-7%
Cardiovascular Specialist374,000 USD+440%
Cardiovascular Technologist146,000 USD+110%
Central Service Technician84,500 USD+23%
Central Sterile Processing Technician83,400 USD+21%
Certified Clinical Research Coordinator85,300 USD+24%
Certified Respiratory Therapist154,000 USD+120%
Charge Entry Specialist93,400 USD+36%
Clinical Application Specialist89,500 USD+30%
Clinical Biochemist158,000 USD+130%
Clinical Cytogeneticist139,000 USD+100%
Clinical Data Reviewer92,100 USD+34%
Clinical Development Specialist107,000 USD+56%
Clinical Documentation Specialist147,000 USD+110%
Clinical Field Associate88,400 USD+29%
Clinical Genetic Technologist144,000 USD+110%
Clinical Laboratory Technician80,100 USD+17%
Clinical Microbiologist189,000 USD+180%
Clinical Molecular Geneticist162,000 USD+140%
Clinical Neuropsychologist204,000 USD+200%
Clinical Research Coordinator109,000 USD+59%
Clinical Scientist185,000 USD+170%
Clinician165,000 USD+140%
CME Specialist149,000 USD+120%
Contact Tracer81,700 USD+19%
CT Technologist84,500 USD+23%
Cytogenetic Technologist130,000 USD+89%
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer108,000 USD+57%
Dispensing Optician83,000 USD+21%
Dosimetrist120,000 USD+75%
EKG Technician85,500 USD+24%
Endoscopic Assistant74,800 USD+9%
Endoscopy Technician75,300 USD+10%
Enterostomal Therapist125,000 USD+82%
Epidemiologist153,000 USD+120%
FGP Ultrasound Techncian80,000 USD+16%
Geriatric Care Technologist127,000 USD+85%
Health Data Analyst85,500 USD+24%
Health Informatics Specialist97,200 USD+42%
Health Information Exchange Specialist102,000 USD+48%
Health Systems Specialist115,000 USD+67%
Health Technologist120,000 USD+75%
Healthcare Data Analyst98,100 USD+43%
Healthcare Data Scientist126,000 USD+83%
Healthcare Information Technology Specialist121,000 USD+76%
Healthcare Robotics Engineer96,600 USD+41%
Hearing Aid Specialist95,200 USD+39%
Hemodialysis Technician90,100 USD+31%
Histology Technician83,500 USD+22%
Histotechnologist117,000 USD+70%
ICD-10 Coder66,400 USD-3%
Immunologist177,000 USD+160%
Industrial Hygienist118,000 USD+72%
Infection Control Coordinator88,900 USD+29%
Infection Control Practitioner193,000 USD+180%
Infection Preventionist143,000 USD+110%
Informatics Practice Specialist106,000 USD+54%
Interventional Radiographer146,000 USD+110%
Lab Assistant68,800 USD+0%
Laboratory Manager140,000 USD+100%
Laboratory Supervisor 127,000 USD+85%
Laboratory Technician68,700 USD+0%
Low Vision Therapist169,000 USD+150%
Mammography Technician74,100 USD+8%
Medical Coder64,700 USD-6%
Medical Courier52,100 USD-24%
Medical Equipment Preparer76,700 USD+12%
Medical Forms Designer60,300 USD-12%
Medical Physicist217,000 USD+220%
Medical Technologist79,100 USD+15%
MRI Technologist78,700 USD+15%
Music Therapist105,000 USD+53%
Neonatologist211,000 USD+210%
Neurodiagnostic Techncian73,100 USD+6%
Neuropsychology Testing Assistant71,100 USD+4%
Nuclear Medical Technician102,000 USD+48%
Nuclear Medicine Technolgoist100,000 USD+46%
Nutrition Assistant77,100 USD+12%
Occupaitional Therapy Assistant82,800 USD+21%
Operating Room Scheduler69,500 USD+1%
Operating Room Services Director222,000 USD+220%
Ophthalmic Assistant80,900 USD+18%
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician83,200 USD+21%
Ophthalmic Medical Technician77,500 USD+13%
Ophthalmic Technologist79,800 USD+16%
Optician173,000 USD+150%
Orthopedic Technician76,900 USD+12%
Orthoptist215,000 USD+210%
Orthotist221,000 USD+220%
Pathology Assistant74,500 USD+8%
Perfusionist233,000 USD+240%
Phlebotomist60,100 USD-13%
Phlebotomy Technician60,000 USD-13%
Positron Emission Tomography Technologist92,400 USD+35%
Pre Authorization Case Manager111,000 USD+62%
Prosthetist180,000 USD+160%
Radiation Therapist268,000 USD+290%
Radiation Therapy Technologist106,000 USD+54%
Radiographer172,000 USD+150%
Radiography Technologist109,000 USD+59%
Radiologic Technologist103,000 USD+50%
Radiology Technologist112,000 USD+63%
Remote Patient Monitoring Specialist96,900 USD+41%
Respiratory Care Practitioner199,000 USD+190%
Respiratory Therapist158,000 USD+130%
Respiratory Therapy Technician90,200 USD+31%
Robotics Surgical Technician110,000 USD+60%
Sonographer111,000 USD+62%
Sonography Technologist108,000 USD+57%
Speech and Language Pathologist169,000 USD+150%
Telemedicine Specialist140,000 USD+100%
Therapeutics Specialist134,000 USD+95%
Ultrasonographer88,500 USD+29%
Ultrasound Technologist80,600 USD+17%
Vascular Technologist77,600 USD+13%
Virtual / Augmented Reality Medical Training Specialist113,000 USD+65%
X-Ray Technologist112,000 USD+63%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Boston71,300 USD
Chicago85,800 USD
Houston83,400 USD
Las Vegas68,300 USD
Los Angeles89,600 USD
New York83,800 USD
San Francisco75,700 USD
San Jose79,800 USD

Salary Comparison By State

StateAverage Salary
Alabama77,300 USD
Alaska66,000 USD
Arizona76,600 USD
Arkansas69,100 USD
California85,100 USD
Colorado75,100 USD
Connecticut71,100 USD
Delaware64,500 USD
District of Columbia61,600 USD
Florida82,700 USD
Georgia79,400 USD
Hawaii66,200 USD
Idaho64,600 USD
Illinois82,300 USD
Indiana76,800 USD
Iowa69,300 USD
Kansas67,600 USD
Kentucky75,200 USD
Louisiana73,500 USD
Maine66,000 USD
Maryland72,700 USD
Massachusetts78,500 USD
Michigan79,600 USD
Minnesota73,400 USD
Mississippi67,500 USD
Missouri78,000 USD
Montana67,400 USD
Nebraska68,000 USD
Nevada67,700 USD
New Hampshire70,000 USD
New Jersey79,500 USD
New Mexico69,000 USD
New York78,500 USD
North Carolina74,600 USD
North Dakota65,700 USD
Ohio79,400 USD
Oklahoma70,400 USD
Oregon68,700 USD
Pennsylvania82,300 USD
Rhode Island65,900 USD
South Carolina72,100 USD
South Dakota62,800 USD
Tennessee78,900 USD
Texas82,200 USD
Utah68,100 USD
Vermont61,600 USD
Virginia80,700 USD
Washington78,100 USD
West Virginia67,700 USD
Wisconsin72,300 USD
Wyoming66,000 USD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in United States is 5% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
92,800 USD
Public Sector+5%
97,500 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Laboratory Technician in United States?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 64,600 USD and 74,100 USD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Laboratory Technician in United States ranges from 33,000 USD to 52,600 USD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn 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


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