How much does a Chief Technician make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chief Technician in the United States is $46,410 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $22.
However, a Chief Technician's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $55,238
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $42,459 to $51,031
Key Factors That Influence Chief Technician Salaries
A Chief Technician's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Chief Technician Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Chief Technician's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Chief Technician 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 Chief Technicians. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $51,385.
California: $51,191.
Massachusetts: $50,508.
District of Columbia$51,385
California$51,191
Massachusetts$50,508
Washington$50,323
New Jersey$50,304
Alaska$50,239
Connecticut$49,599
New York$49,339
Hawaii$48,508
Rhode Island$48,118
Maryland$47,854
Minnesota$47,492
Colorado$47,352
Illinois$47,306
Oregon$47,130
Delaware$47,000
New Hampshire$46,918
Virginia$46,735
Pennsylvania$46,201
Nevada$45,932
North Dakota$45,844
Michigan$45,705
Wisconsin$45,654
Vermont$45,552
Texas$45,269
Maine$45,250
Arizona$45,222
Ohio$45,190
Georgia$44,763
Indiana$44,549
Wyoming$44,507
Utah$44,443
Iowa$44,415
Kansas$44,192
Louisiana$44,127
North Carolina$44,104
Missouri$44,094
Florida$43,913
Montana$43,816
Nebraska$43,723
Kentucky$43,672
South Carolina$43,486
Tennessee$43,370
Idaho$43,324
New Mexico$42,985
Oklahoma$42,911
Alabama$42,637
South Dakota$42,178
Arkansas$41,927
West Virginia$41,792
Mississippi$41,389
Top Paying Cities for Chief Technicians
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: $58,537
San Francisco: $57,896
Oakland: $56,676
San Jose, CA$58,537
San Francisco, CA$57,896
Oakland, CA$56,676
New York, NY$53,436
Paramus, NJ$52,787
Queens Village, NY$52,784
Passaic, NJ$52,740
Bergenfield, NJ$52,736
Stamford, CT$52,634
Huntington, NY$52,615
Newark, NJ$52,272
Bridgeport, CT$52,174
Vallejo, CA$52,082
New Brunswick, NJ$52,063
Petaluma, CA$52,035
Middlesex, NJ$51,947
Somerset, NJ$51,915
Santa Cruz, CA$51,854
Boston, MA$51,571
Monterey, CA$51,408
Seattle, WA$51,302
Santa Rosa, CA$51,293
Los Angeles, CA$51,279
Juneau, AK$51,158
Washington, DC$51,107
Orange, CA$50,942
Santa Ana, CA$50,819
Long Beach, CA$50,773
Anaheim, CA$50,764
Anchorage, AK$50,740
Santa Maria, CA$50,601
Everett, WA$50,592
Danbury, CT$50,429
Bremerton, WA$50,364
Tacoma, WA$50,197
New Suffolk, NY$50,196
Sacramento, CA$50,183
Santa Barbara, CA$50,132
Trenton, NJ$50,081
San Diego, CA$50,081
Brockton, MA$50,030
Fairbanks, AK$49,917
Lompoc, CA$49,798
Lowell, MA$49,761
Ventura, CA$49,752
Nashua, NH$49,743
Stockton, CA$49,738
Modesto, CA$49,399
Poughkeepsie, NY$49,297
Olympia, WA$49,209
Kennewick, WA$49,209
New Haven, CT$49,190
Lawrence, MA$49,023
Hartford, CT$48,977
Riverside, CA$48,968
New Bedford, MA$48,921
Richland, WA$48,921
Bakersfield, CA$48,856
San Bernardino, CA$48,838
New Britain, CT$48,833
Atlantic City, NJ$48,833
New London, CT$48,814
Norwich, CT$48,800
Portsmouth, NH$48,791
Boulder, CO$48,693
Portland, OR$48,629
Worcester, MA$48,624
Minneapolis, MN$48,480
Philadelphia, PA$48,415
Honolulu, HI$48,262
Saint Paul, MN$48,240
Vineland, NJ$48,230
Providence, RI$48,095
Chicago, IL$47,960
Bellingham, WA$47,905
Springfield, MA$47,868
Baltimore, MD$47,854
Chico, CA$47,738
Pittsfield, MA$47,612
Manchester, NH$47,524
Spokane, WA$47,320
Denver, CO$47,315
Albany, NY$47,097
Troy, NY$47,079
Nassau, NY$47,029
Schenectady, NY$46,981
Wilmington, DE$46,944
Burlington, VT$46,879
Salem, OR$46,860
Portland, ME$46,717
Yakima, WA$46,670
Rochester, MN$46,526
Reno, NV$46,503
Fresno, CA$46,503
Milwaukee, WI$46,461
Detroit, MI$46,415
Ann Arbor, MI$46,407
Allentown, PA$46,401
Colorado Springs, CO$46,322
Syracuse, NY$46,299
Carson City, NV$46,299
Houston, TX$46,234
Eugene, OR$46,211
Gary, IN$46,155
Springfield, OR$46,118
Bismarck, ND$46,109
Galveston, TX$46,076
Medford, OR$46,007
Fort Collins, CO$45,988
Concord, NH$45,965
Austin, TX$45,951
Mesa, AZ$45,853
Reading, PA$45,849
Phoenix, AZ$45,844
Dallas, TX$45,830
Saint Cloud, MN$45,786
Madison, WI$45,723
Utica, NY$45,598
Rochester, NY$45,524
Des Moines, IA$45,519
Raleigh, NC$45,515
Atlanta, GA$45,445
Battle Creek, MI$45,431
Salt Lake City, UT$45,417
Lancaster, PA$45,348
Harrisburg, PA$45,283
Kansas City, MO$45,236
Champaign, IL$45,227
Kansas City, KS$45,227
Fort Worth, TX$45,222
Columbus, OH$45,214
Boca Raton, FL$45,204
Pittsburgh, PA$45,185
Richmond, VA$45,167
Indianapolis, IN$45,157
Cleveland, OH$45,153
Las Vegas, NV$45,097
Cincinnati, OH$45,097
Petersburg, VA$45,027
Huntsville, AL$44,958
Lansing, MI$44,927
Lebanon, PA$44,921
Pueblo, CO$44,916
Appleton, WI$44,902
Buffalo, NY$44,883
Dayton, OH$44,869
Racine, WI$44,860
Charlotte, NC$44,856
Saint Louis, MO$44,842
York, PA$44,814
Elkhart, IN$44,814
Gastonia, NC$44,805
Billings, MT$44,794
Beaumont, TX$44,781
Lorain, OH$44,772
Benton Harbor, MI$44,763
Toledo, OH$44,753
Binghamton, NY$44,730
Rock Hill, SC$44,726
Rockford, IL$44,702
Springfield, IL$44,684
Elyria, OH$44,679
Fargo, ND$44,679
Flagstaff, AZ$44,647
Fort Lauderdale, FL$44,619
Duluth, MN$44,591
Miami, FL$44,591
Cheyenne, WY$44,559
Grand Forks, ND$44,559
Bangor, ME$44,456
Cedar Rapids, IA$44,405
Durham, NC$44,386
Louisville, KY$44,382
Grand Rapids, MI$44,373
Hialeah, FL$44,368
Casper, WY$44,303
Scranton, PA$44,248
New Orleans, LA$44,234
Virginia Beach, VA$44,229
Akron, OH$44,206
Peoria, IL$44,145
Sarasota, FL$44,136
Nashville, TN$44,104
Omaha, NE$44,104
Green Bay, WI$44,104
Baton Rouge, LA$44,081
Charleston, SC$44,071
Jamestown, NY$44,048
Davenport, IA$44,048
Tucson, AZ$44,025
Saint Petersburg, FL$43,997
Tampa, FL$43,988
Evansville, IN$43,960
Port Arthur, TX$43,960
Bradenton, FL$43,941
Santa Fe, NM$43,858
Orlando, FL$43,774
Clearwater, FL$43,760
Canton, OH$43,663
La Crosse, WI$43,663
Albuquerque, NM$43,635
Newport News, VA$43,630
High Point, NC$43,616
Ogden, UT$43,598
Corpus Christi, TX$43,561
Norfolk, VA$43,533
Laramie, WY$43,533
Rock Island, IL$43,505
Saginaw, MI$43,496
Jacksonville, FL$43,491
Salisbury, NC$43,482
Boise, ID$43,473
Moline, IL$43,449
Fort Myers, FL$43,435
Memphis, TN$43,426
Tulsa, OK$43,403
Waterloo, IA$43,375
Spartanburg, SC$43,329
Lincoln, NE$43,305
Fort Wayne, IN$43,296
Provo, UT$43,292
Cedar Falls, IA$43,236
San Antonio, TX$43,217
Greensboro, NC$43,199
South Bend, IN$43,194
Savannah, GA$43,143
Muskegon, MI$43,124
Birmingham, AL$43,120
Winston Salem, NC$43,097
Lake Charles, LA$42,985
Anderson, IN$42,976
Lexington, KY$42,962
Augusta, GA$42,948
Greenville, SC$42,948
Lima, OH$42,911
Wichita, KS$42,906
Tuscaloosa, AL$42,906
Columbia, SC$42,865
Springfield, OH$42,855
Asheville, NC$42,781
Bloomington, IN$42,749
Knoxville, TN$42,581
Shreveport, LA$42,577
Wilmington, NC$42,516
Roanoke, VA$42,516
Topeka, KS$42,433
Frankfort, KY$42,428
Oklahoma City, OK$42,396
Chillicothe, OH$42,377
Longview, TX$42,373
Melbourne, FL$42,368
Sioux Falls, SD$42,294
Mobile, AL$42,289
Terre Haute, IN$42,271
Altoona, PA$42,243
Amarillo, TX$42,210
Killeen, TX$42,196
Fayetteville, AR$42,159
Chattanooga, TN$42,145
Sioux City, IA$42,103
Idaho Falls, ID$42,094
Lynchburg, VA$42,057
Gainesville, FL$41,997
Portsmouth, OH$41,973
Little Rock, AR$41,964
Lafayette, LA$41,946
Youngstown, OH$41,946
Daytona Beach, FL$41,918
Clarksville, TN$41,913
Pensacola, FL$41,909
Temple, TX$41,905
Hopkinsville, KY$41,769
Erie, PA$41,760
Florence, SC$41,741
Charleston, WV$41,667
Great Falls, MT$41,644
Macon, GA$41,579
Tallahassee, FL$41,574
Fayetteville, NC$41,565
Waco, TX$41,556
Helena, MT$41,523
Pine Bluff, AR$41,506
Vincennes, IN$41,449
Lubbock, TX$41,430
Alamogordo, NM$41,403
Twin Falls, ID$41,361
Rapid City, SD$41,347
Jackson, MS$41,263
Huntington, WV$41,260
Greenville, MS$41,259
Parkersburg, WV$41,211
Montgomery, AL$41,203
Wichita Falls, TX$41,157
Springfield, MO$41,157
Biloxi, MS$41,133
Monroe, LA$41,087
Johnstown, PA$41,055
Sumter, SC$41,036
Columbus, GA$41,031
Pascagoula, MS$40,943
Abilene, TX$40,943
Kingsport, TN$40,822
Albany, GA$40,822
Gulfport, MS$40,809
Alexandria, LA$40,655
Fort Smith, AR$40,539
El Paso, TX$40,414
Las Cruces, NM$40,205
Harlingen, TX$40,087
Pocatello, ID$40,080
Florence, AL$40,020
Brownsville, TX$40,010
Mcallen, TX$39,913
Dothan, AL$39,848
Columbus, MS$39,572
Altus, OK$39,356
Lawton, OK$39,268
Pierre, SD$39,101
What Skills Can Increase a Chief Technician's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 9.79% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Repairing (Mentioned in 2.1% Job Postings): To put something that is damaged, broken, or not working correctly, back into good condition or make it work again.
Preventative Maintenance (Mentioned in 1.2% Job Postings): Developing and implementing maintenance strategies to increase equipment life expectancy and avoid unplanned downtime.
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 Chief Technician's salary.
Project Management: Can increase your salary by up to 27%.
Product Training: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Onboarding: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Chief Technician Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Chief Technician roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 41% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Software & Networking and Financial Services
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, Chief Technician positions in Transportation or Construction typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Chief Technician as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Chief Technician
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking
$58,013
$28.0
25%
Financial Services
$55,692
$27.0
20%
Aerospace & Defense
$54,764
$26.0
18%
Pharmaceuticals
$54,300
$26.0
17%
Energy & Utilities
$52,908
$25.0
14%
How Education impacts a Chief Technician's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Chief Technicians enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate 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 Chief Technician with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$45,254
and $48,213).
Chief Technician Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Chief Technician'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
$42,459
Average$46,410/year
$51,031
$3,538
Average$3,868/month
$4,253
$817
Average$893/week
$981
$20
Average$22/hour
$25
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$51,031
$4,253
$981
$25
Average
$46,410
$3,868
$893
$22
25th Percentile
$42,459
$3,538
$817
$20
Salaries of Jobs related to Chief Technician
Chief of Surgery$456,565
Chief of Anesthesiology$376,300
Chief of Staff$224,056
Chief Geophysicist$192,200
Chief Meteorologist$137,369
Chief of Police$130,600
Chief Librarian$117,192
Fire Chief$89,224
Fire Battalion Chief$85,500
Crew Chief$79,604
Assistant Chief Technician$48,864
Salary Trends for Chief Technician
Salaries for a Chief Technician can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $45,391 in 2023
to around $43,476 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Chief Technician salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Chief Technician Over Time
$???
$45,391
$44,603
$43,476
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$45,391
2024
$44,603
2025
$43,476
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Chief Technician
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Chief Technician
Here are companies hiring for Chief Technician 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
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FAQ about Chief Technician
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Chief Technician?
The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Chief Technician roles,
with salaries approximately 25% 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.
