Chemical Technicians Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 19-4031 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$57,782
$27.78/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Chemical Technicians is $57,782 per year ($27.78/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $46,675 and $72,946 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $91,000 per year. There are approximately 55,640 chemical technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
7K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
57K
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
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
12K
$47,450
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)
NAICS 3250A1
9K
$64,530
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
5K
$65,320
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
NAICS 325400
4K
$59,110
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)
NAICS 3250A2
3K
$55,680
Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,450 to $65,320 (38% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.76
$39,021
P25
$22.44
$46,675
P50MEDIAN
$27.78
$57,782
P75
$35.07
$72,946
P90
$43.75
$91,000
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 chemical technicians salary?
The national median salary for Chemical Technicians is $57,782 per year ($27.78/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $46,675 and $72,946 annually.
How much do top-earning chemical technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Chemical Technicians is $91,000 per year ($43.75/hr). The 75th percentile is $72,946 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for chemical technicians?
Entry-level Chemical Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,021 per year ($18.76/hr). The 25th percentile is $46,675 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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