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Role hub · Chemical Technicians

Chemical Technician: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of chemical technicians earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$60,390
Hourly
$29.03
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Chemical Technicians conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences. The median pay is $60,390 a year ($29.03 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$60,390
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
57,540
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Key facts

Chemical Technicians at a glance

  • Chemical technicians in the United States earned a median annual wage of $60,390 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for chemical technicians in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of chemical technicians in the United States to grow 4.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,600 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 57,540 people were employed as chemical technicians in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Chemical Technicians

SalaryChemical Technician salary

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The work

What chemical technicians do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
  2. Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
  3. Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
  4. Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.
  5. Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas.
  6. Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.
  7. Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.
  8. Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all chemical technician jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services30.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $59,040
  2. Chemical manufacturing29.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $67,530
  3. Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods4.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $64,340
  4. Educational services; state, local, and private4.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $59,590
  5. Administrative and support services2.7% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $55,120
  6. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals2.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $64,540

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SciencecoreReading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreActive ListeningWritingMonitoringSpeakingActive LearningOperations Monitoring

Knowledge areas: Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics, Computers and Electronics.

Tools and technology

Software chemical technicians use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Laboratory information management system LIMSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareIn demand
  • C++Object or component oriented development softwareHot technology
  • LinuxOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft AccessData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
  • Oracle DatabaseData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
  • Oracle JavaObject or component oriented development softwareHot technology
  • PythonObject or component oriented development softwareHot technology

Also called: Analytical Laboratory Technician (Analytical Lab Technician), Chemical Analyst, Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Laboratory Tester (Lab Tester).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.