How much does a Chemical Lab Tech make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chemical Lab Tech in the United States is $55,045 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $26.
However, a Chemical Lab Tech's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $65,248
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $50,426 to $60,386
Key Factors That Influence Chemical Lab Tech Salaries
A Chemical Lab Tech's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Chemical Lab Tech Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Chemical Lab Teches. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $60,946.
California: $60,715.
Massachusetts: $59,905.
District of Columbia$60,946
California$60,715
Massachusetts$59,905
Washington$59,685
New Jersey$59,663
Alaska$59,586
Connecticut$58,827
New York$58,518
Hawaii$57,533
Rhode Island$57,071
Maryland$56,757
Minnesota$56,328
Colorado$56,162
Illinois$56,107
Oregon$55,898
Delaware$55,744
New Hampshire$55,647
Virginia$55,430
Pennsylvania$54,797
Nevada$54,478
North Dakota$54,373
Michigan$54,208
Wisconsin$54,148
Vermont$54,027
Texas$53,691
Maine$53,669
Arizona$53,636
Ohio$53,597
Georgia$53,091
Indiana$52,838
Wyoming$52,788
Utah$52,711
Iowa$52,678
Kansas$52,414
Louisiana$52,337
North Carolina$52,309
Missouri$52,298
Florida$52,084
Montana$51,968
Nebraska$51,858
Kentucky$51,797
South Carolina$51,577
Tennessee$51,440
Idaho$51,385
New Mexico$50,983
Oklahoma$50,895
Alabama$50,570
South Dakota$50,025
Arkansas$49,728
West Virginia$49,568
Mississippi$49,089
Top Paying Cities for Chemical Lab Teches
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $69,428
San Francisco: $68,668
Oakland: $67,221
San Jose, CA$69,428
San Francisco, CA$68,668
Oakland, CA$67,221
New York, NY$63,378
Paramus, NJ$62,608
Queens Village, NY$62,605
Passaic, NJ$62,553
Bergenfield, NJ$62,548
Stamford, CT$62,427
Huntington, NY$62,404
Newark, NJ$61,997
Bridgeport, CT$61,881
Vallejo, CA$61,771
New Brunswick, NJ$61,749
Petaluma, CA$61,716
Middlesex, NJ$61,612
Somerset, NJ$61,573
Santa Cruz, CA$61,502
Boston, MA$61,166
Monterey, CA$60,973
Seattle, WA$60,847
Santa Rosa, CA$60,836
Los Angeles, CA$60,819
Juneau, AK$60,676
Washington, DC$60,616
Orange, CA$60,420
Santa Ana, CA$60,274
Long Beach, CA$60,219
Anaheim, CA$60,208
Anchorage, AK$60,181
Santa Maria, CA$60,016
Everett, WA$60,005
Danbury, CT$59,811
Bremerton, WA$59,735
Tacoma, WA$59,537
New Suffolk, NY$59,536
Sacramento, CA$59,520
Santa Barbara, CA$59,460
Trenton, NJ$59,399
San Diego, CA$59,399
Brockton, MA$59,339
Fairbanks, AK$59,204
Lompoc, CA$59,063
Lowell, MA$59,019
Ventura, CA$59,008
Nashua, NH$58,997
Stockton, CA$58,992
Modesto, CA$58,590
Poughkeepsie, NY$58,469
Olympia, WA$58,364
Kennewick, WA$58,364
New Haven, CT$58,342
Lawrence, MA$58,144
Hartford, CT$58,089
Riverside, CA$58,078
New Bedford, MA$58,023
Richland, WA$58,023
Bakersfield, CA$57,946
San Bernardino, CA$57,924
New Britain, CT$57,918
Atlantic City, NJ$57,918
New London, CT$57,896
Norwich, CT$57,880
Portsmouth, NH$57,869
Boulder, CO$57,752
Portland, OR$57,676
Worcester, MA$57,671
Minneapolis, MN$57,500
Philadelphia, PA$57,423
Honolulu, HI$57,241
Saint Paul, MN$57,215
Vineland, NJ$57,203
Providence, RI$57,043
Chicago, IL$56,884
Bellingham, WA$56,817
Springfield, MA$56,773
Baltimore, MD$56,757
Chico, CA$56,619
Pittsfield, MA$56,471
Manchester, NH$56,366
Spokane, WA$56,124
Denver, CO$56,118
Albany, NY$55,860
Troy, NY$55,838
Nassau, NY$55,779
Schenectady, NY$55,722
Wilmington, DE$55,678
Burlington, VT$55,601
Salem, OR$55,579
Portland, ME$55,408
Yakima, WA$55,353
Rochester, MN$55,183
Reno, NV$55,155
Fresno, CA$55,155
Milwaukee, WI$55,106
Detroit, MI$55,051
Ann Arbor, MI$55,041
Allentown, PA$55,034
Colorado Springs, CO$54,940
Syracuse, NY$54,913
Carson City, NV$54,913
Houston, TX$54,836
Eugene, OR$54,808
Gary, IN$54,742
Springfield, OR$54,698
Bismarck, ND$54,687
Galveston, TX$54,649
Medford, OR$54,566
Fort Collins, CO$54,544
Concord, NH$54,517
Austin, TX$54,500
Mesa, AZ$54,384
Reading, PA$54,379
Phoenix, AZ$54,373
Dallas, TX$54,357
Saint Cloud, MN$54,304
Madison, WI$54,230
Utica, NY$54,082
Rochester, NY$53,994
Des Moines, IA$53,988
Raleigh, NC$53,983
Atlanta, GA$53,900
Battle Creek, MI$53,884
Salt Lake City, UT$53,867
Lancaster, PA$53,784
Harrisburg, PA$53,707
Kansas City, MO$53,652
Champaign, IL$53,641
Kansas City, KS$53,641
Fort Worth, TX$53,636
Columbus, OH$53,626
Boca Raton, FL$53,614
Pittsburgh, PA$53,592
Richmond, VA$53,570
Indianapolis, IN$53,559
Cleveland, OH$53,553
Las Vegas, NV$53,487
Cincinnati, OH$53,487
Petersburg, VA$53,405
Huntsville, AL$53,322
Lansing, MI$53,285
Lebanon, PA$53,278
Pueblo, CO$53,273
Appleton, WI$53,256
Buffalo, NY$53,234
Dayton, OH$53,218
Racine, WI$53,206
Charlotte, NC$53,201
Saint Louis, MO$53,184
York, PA$53,151
Elkhart, IN$53,151
Gastonia, NC$53,141
Billings, MT$53,128
Beaumont, TX$53,113
Lorain, OH$53,102
Benton Harbor, MI$53,091
Toledo, OH$53,080
Binghamton, NY$53,052
Rock Hill, SC$53,047
Rockford, IL$53,019
Springfield, IL$52,997
Elyria, OH$52,992
Fargo, ND$52,992
Flagstaff, AZ$52,953
Fort Lauderdale, FL$52,920
Duluth, MN$52,887
Miami, FL$52,887
Cheyenne, WY$52,849
Grand Forks, ND$52,849
Bangor, ME$52,728
Cedar Rapids, IA$52,667
Durham, NC$52,644
Louisville, KY$52,640
Grand Rapids, MI$52,629
Hialeah, FL$52,623
Casper, WY$52,546
Scranton, PA$52,480
New Orleans, LA$52,463
Virginia Beach, VA$52,458
Akron, OH$52,430
Peoria, IL$52,359
Sarasota, FL$52,348
Nashville, TN$52,309
Omaha, NE$52,309
Green Bay, WI$52,309
Baton Rouge, LA$52,282
Charleston, SC$52,271
Jamestown, NY$52,243
Davenport, IA$52,243
Tucson, AZ$52,216
Saint Petersburg, FL$52,183
Tampa, FL$52,172
Evansville, IN$52,139
Port Arthur, TX$52,139
Bradenton, FL$52,117
Santa Fe, NM$52,018
Orlando, FL$51,918
Clearwater, FL$51,902
Canton, OH$51,786
La Crosse, WI$51,786
Albuquerque, NM$51,753
Newport News, VA$51,748
High Point, NC$51,731
Ogden, UT$51,709
Corpus Christi, TX$51,665
Norfolk, VA$51,632
Laramie, WY$51,632
Rock Island, IL$51,599
Saginaw, MI$51,588
Jacksonville, FL$51,583
Salisbury, NC$51,572
Boise, ID$51,561
Moline, IL$51,533
Fort Myers, FL$51,517
Memphis, TN$51,506
Tulsa, OK$51,478
Waterloo, IA$51,445
Spartanburg, SC$51,390
Lincoln, NE$51,362
Fort Wayne, IN$51,351
Provo, UT$51,346
Cedar Falls, IA$51,280
San Antonio, TX$51,258
Greensboro, NC$51,236
South Bend, IN$51,230
Savannah, GA$51,170
Muskegon, MI$51,148
Birmingham, AL$51,142
Winston Salem, NC$51,115
Lake Charles, LA$50,983
Anderson, IN$50,972
Lexington, KY$50,955
Augusta, GA$50,939
Greenville, SC$50,939
Lima, OH$50,895
Wichita, KS$50,889
Tuscaloosa, AL$50,889
Columbia, SC$50,840
Springfield, OH$50,829
Asheville, NC$50,740
Bloomington, IN$50,702
Knoxville, TN$50,504
Shreveport, LA$50,498
Wilmington, NC$50,427
Roanoke, VA$50,427
Topeka, KS$50,328
Frankfort, KY$50,322
Oklahoma City, OK$50,284
Chillicothe, OH$50,262
Longview, TX$50,256
Melbourne, FL$50,251
Sioux Falls, SD$50,163
Mobile, AL$50,157
Terre Haute, IN$50,135
Altoona, PA$50,102
Amarillo, TX$50,063
Killeen, TX$50,047
Fayetteville, AR$50,003
Chattanooga, TN$49,986
Sioux City, IA$49,937
Idaho Falls, ID$49,926
Lynchburg, VA$49,882
Gainesville, FL$49,810
Portsmouth, OH$49,783
Little Rock, AR$49,772
Lafayette, LA$49,750
Youngstown, OH$49,750
Daytona Beach, FL$49,717
Clarksville, TN$49,711
Pensacola, FL$49,706
Temple, TX$49,702
Hopkinsville, KY$49,541
Erie, PA$49,529
Florence, SC$49,507
Charleston, WV$49,419
Great Falls, MT$49,392
Macon, GA$49,315
Tallahassee, FL$49,309
Fayetteville, NC$49,298
Waco, TX$49,287
Helena, MT$49,249
Pine Bluff, AR$49,228
Vincennes, IN$49,161
Lubbock, TX$49,139
Alamogordo, NM$49,106
Twin Falls, ID$49,056
Rapid City, SD$49,040
Jackson, MS$48,941
Huntington, WV$48,937
Greenville, MS$48,935
Parkersburg, WV$48,879
Montgomery, AL$48,869
Wichita Falls, TX$48,814
Springfield, MO$48,814
Biloxi, MS$48,786
Monroe, LA$48,731
Johnstown, PA$48,693
Sumter, SC$48,671
Columbus, GA$48,665
Pascagoula, MS$48,561
Abilene, TX$48,561
Kingsport, TN$48,418
Albany, GA$48,418
Gulfport, MS$48,401
Alexandria, LA$48,219
Fort Smith, AR$48,082
El Paso, TX$47,933
Las Cruces, NM$47,685
Harlingen, TX$47,546
Pocatello, ID$47,537
Florence, AL$47,465
Brownsville, TX$47,454
Mcallen, TX$47,339
Dothan, AL$47,262
Columbus, MS$46,935
Altus, OK$46,678
Lawton, OK$46,574
Pierre, SD$46,375
What Skills Can Increase a Chemical Lab Tech's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 11.66% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Quality Control (Mentioned in 3.03% Job Postings): Developing and implementing a set of procedures intended to maintain the quality of a product and reduce any risks or errors.
Microbiology (Mentioned in 1.99% Job Postings): Microbiology (from Greek μῑκρος, mīkros, "small"; βίος, bios, "life"; and -λογία, -logia) is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, parasitology, mycology and bacteriology. Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound cell organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea. Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy. However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means. Microbiologists often rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence based identification, for example 16s rRNA gene sequence used for bacteria identification.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Chemical Lab Tech's salary.
Work Under Pressure: Can increase your salary by up to 23%.
Forensics: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Accountability: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Chemical Lab Tech Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Chemical Lab Tech roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 75% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average.
In contrast, Chemical Lab Tech positions in Retail & Wholesale or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Chemical Lab Tech as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Chemical Lab Tech
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$77,063
$37.0
40%
Biotechnology
$71,558
$34.0
30%
Energy & Utilities
$71,558
$34.0
30%
Chemicals
$68,806
$33.0
25%
Aerospace & Defense
$66,054
$32.0
20%
How Education impacts a Chemical Lab Tech's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Chemical Lab Teches enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Chemical Lab Tech with a Associate's Degree is between
$54,353
and $57,905).
Chemical Lab Tech Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Chemical Lab Tech's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$50,426
Average$55,045/year
$60,386
$4,202
Average$4,587/month
$5,032
$970
Average$1,059/week
$1,161
$24
Average$26/hour
$29
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$60,386
$5,032
$1,161
$29
Average
$55,045
$4,587
$1,059
$26
25th Percentile
$50,426
$4,202
$970
$24
Salaries of Jobs related to Chemical Lab Tech
Cath Lab Tech$84,451
Chemical Tech$73,506
Qc Lab Tech$69,904
Lab Tech$68,837
Lab Tech Assistant$67,406
Lab Tech II$56,373
Chemical Lab Technician$54,937
Chem Lab Tech$54,175
Lab Support Tech$52,908
Lab Processing Tech$50,933
Microbiology Lab Tech$38,677
Salary Trends for Chemical Lab Tech
Salaries for a Chemical Lab Tech can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $48,904 in 2023
to around $48,567 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Chemical Lab Tech salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Chemical Lab Tech Over Time
$???
$48,904
$48,985
$48,567
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$48,904
2024
$48,985
2025
$48,567
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Chemical Lab Tech
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Chemical Lab Tech
Here are companies hiring for Chemical Lab Tech and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Chemical Lab Tech Job
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FAQ about Chemical Lab Tech
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Chemical Lab Tech?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Chemical Lab Tech roles,
with salaries approximately 40% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
