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The national median salary for Biological Technicians is $52,000 per year ($25.00/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $45,386 and $66,414 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $81,994 per year. There are approximately 76,190 biological technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist biological and medical scientists. Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, monitor experiments, collect data and samples, make observations, and calculate and record results. May analyze organic substances, such as blood, food, and drugs.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.5%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
9K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
83K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
27K
$60,830
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
14K
$50,060
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
8K
$48,630
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
NAICS 325400
6K
$59,970
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
5K
$48,250
Wage range across top 5 industries: $48,250 to $60,830 (26% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.30
$38,064
P25
$21.82
$45,386
P50MEDIAN
$25.00
$52,000
P75
$31.93
$66,414
P90
$39.42
$81,994
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average biological technicians salary?
The national median salary for Biological Technicians is $52,000 per year ($25.00/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $45,386 and $66,414 annually.
How much do top-earning biological technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Biological Technicians is $81,994 per year ($39.42/hr). The 75th percentile is $66,414 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for biological technicians?
Entry-level Biological Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $38,064 per year ($18.30/hr). The 25th percentile is $45,386 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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