Chemical Technicians Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for chemical technicianss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $63,900 ≈ $31/hr
National median salary $60,390
Total employment 57,540 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +3.7% About as fast as average
Annual openings 6,700 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 57,000 → 59,000 (+2,100)
Typical entry education Associate's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Louisiana$85,720
  2. Alaska$76,020
  3. Hawaii$72,990
  4. Delaware$72,110
  5. Missouri$70,700

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. New Hampshire$48,410
  2. South Dakota$49,750
  3. Arkansas$50,350
  4. Maryland$53,990
  5. Idaho$54,240
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Louisiana $85,720 $85,850 $41 +34.1% 960
2 Alaska $76,020 $79,380 $37 +19% 100
3 Hawaii $72,990 $63,910 $35 +14.2% 40
4 Delaware $72,110 $78,620 $35 +12.8% 540
5 Missouri $70,700 $68,550 $34 +10.6% 720
6 Texas $70,480 $62,580 $34 +10.3% 6,090
7 Massachusetts $70,220 $67,570 $34 +9.9% 1,780
8 Arizona $70,090 $65,860 $34 +9.7% 390
9 Vermont $69,860 $65,560 $34 +9.3% 150
10 South Carolina $68,300 $75,020 $33 +6.9% 2,080
11 Minnesota $68,240 $62,400 $33 +6.8% 870
12 Colorado $68,160 $63,770 $33 +6.7% 1,180
13 Illinois $65,850 $61,890 $32 +3.1% 1,320
14 Nevada $65,150 $61,520 $31 +2% 1,050
15 Washington $64,580 $62,100 $31 +1.1% 730

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 253 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Baton Rouge, LA $92,120 $94,470 410
2 Lake Charles, LA $88,780 $89,340 150
3 Evansville, IN $85,230 $77,350 220
4 Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area $83,380 $75,510 150
5 Midland, MI $82,780 $78,310 50
6 Alaska nonmetropolitan area $81,580 $80,400 70
7 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA $80,410 $72,070 50
8 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $80,390 $79,140 250
9 Duluth, MN-WI $80,190 $68,860 60
10 Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area $79,680 $70,900 240

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing chemical technicianss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Nuclear Electric Power Generation $120,430 $117,040 270
2 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) $102,190 $100,800 40
3 Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) $102,190 $100,370 40
4 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $101,860 $102,980 690
5 Utilities $100,860 $97,980 790
6 Sector 22 - Utilities $100,860 $97,980 790
7 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $98,550 $96,250 330
8 Pipeline Transportation $87,260 $85,870
9 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $84,690 $84,360 1,330
10 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $84,690 $84,360 1,330
11 Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) $81,080 $73,520 40
12 Motor Vehicle Manufacturing $80,820 $90,030 30

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
14,443
$10-20k
2,731
$20-30k
3,080
$30-40k
9,020
$40-50k
8,382
$50-60k
11,643
$60-70k
9,773
$70-80k
7,108
$80-90k
4,061
$90-100k
3,038
$100-110k
1,557
$110-120k
888
$120-130k
914
$130-140k
456
$140-150k
210
$150-160k
540
$160-170k
231
$170-180k
129
$190-200k
49
$200k+
311

Pay by age band

16-24
$31,850
25-34
$48,629
35-44
$56,741
45-54
$62,811
55-64
$57,018
65+
$32,926

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$51,021
Regular high school diploma
$46,967
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$44,498
Associates Degree
$57,566
Some college, but less than 1 year
$45,644
GED or alternative credential
$57,166
Masters Degree
$68,646
Grade 10
$37,579
Grade 9
$30,660
No schooling completed
$40,787
Grade 11
$52,167
Doctorate degree
$72,003
Grade 8
$32,886
12th grade - no diploma
$39,201
Professional degree
$26,337
Grade 6
$61,171

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
61,293 · $60,807
Part-time
4,587 · $22,354

Race / ethnicity

White
$51,726
Black
$47,009
Two or More Races
$46,973
Other
$42,269
Asian
$51,243
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$52,964
American Indian
$69,152
Alaska Native
$82

Top fields of study

Biology
$41,938
Chemistry
$68,149
Business Management And Administration
$63,671
Microbiology
$48,149
Biochemical Sciences
$40,265
Commercial Art And Graphic Design
$66,341
Chemical Engineering
$58,950
Computer Science
$46,330

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Science
4.1
Reading Comprehension
4.0
Critical Thinking
4.0
Writing
3.9
Active Listening
3.9
Monitoring
3.9
Speaking
3.4
Active Learning
3.4
Operations Monitoring
3.3
Quality Control Analysis
3.1
Learning Strategies
3.1
Judgment and Decision Making
3.1

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do chemical technicians make in the U.S.?

The median chemical technicians salary in the United States is $60,390 per year (mean $63,900), and about 80% earn between $41,740 and $92,040.

How much do chemical technicians make per hour?

Roughly $31 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $63,900 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays chemical technicians the most?

Louisiana has the highest average pay for chemical technicians at $85,720 per year (median $85,850).

What is the job outlook for chemical technicians?

Employment is projected to change +3.7% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 6,700 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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