Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 19-4031

Chemical Technicians

Median pay sits 49% below the mid peer in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (neighbors include Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other, Economists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Chemical Technicians: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($194K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) , Economists ($125K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Chemical Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-4031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or…
  2. 2. Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment
  3. 3. Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications
  4. 4. Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical…
  5. 5. Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas
  6. 6. Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses
  7. 7. Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or pl…
  8. 8. Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers
  9. 9. Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products
  10. 10. Train new employees on topics such as the proper operation of laboratory equipment
  11. 11. Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results
  12. 12. Order and inventory materials to maintain supplies

Chemical Technicians: O*NET ranks Science first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-4031 - lead skill Science at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Chemistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Science 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.0
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.9
  5. 5. Writing 3.9
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.9
  7. 7. Speaking 3.4
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Chemistry 3.8
  2. 2. English Language 3.5
  3. 3. Mathematics 3.4
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.1
  5. 5. Production and Processing 3.0
  6. 6. Administrative 2.9
Pay vs Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers
-49%
vs mid peer median $117,790
This role $60,390/yr
$60K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
6,700
Annual openings
57,540
Estimated US jobs
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Highest-pay peer · $194K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Chemical Technicians

1. Louisiana $85,850
2. Hawaii $63,910
3. Alaska $79,380
4. Missouri $68,550
5. South Carolina $75,020
6. Delaware $78,620
7. Colorado $63,770
8. Massachusetts $67,570
9. Arizona $65,860
10. Vermont $65,560

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  2. 2. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  3. 3. Economists $124,720
  4. 4. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
  5. 5. Geographers $102,040
  6. 6. Nuclear Technicians $110,240

Among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers on this card, Chemical Technicians sits 49% below the mid peer median ($117,790). Its own median is $60,390.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Louisiana at $85,850. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists at $193,950. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Chemical Technicians pay-rank #42 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

On the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table (48 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Chemical Technicians lands at #42, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Chemical Technicians pays 49% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Chemical Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-4031

Louisiana · top state for Chemical Technicians

$86K published median

Hawaii · #2 state pay

$64K · behind Louisiana

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Highest-pay peer vs Chemical Technicians · $194K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer beside Chemical Technicians · $101K

Compare Chemical Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Chemical Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Chemical Technicians

Against another occupation

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Chemical Technicians land on the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table? ▼
Chemical Technicians is pay-rank #42 of 48 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Occupational Health and Safety Technicians ($62K), Social Science Research Assistants ($62K), Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other ($62K), Biological Technicians ($58K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do chemical technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Chemical Technicians. Leading ones include: Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or…; Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment; Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications; Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for chemical technicians? ▼
For SOC 19-4031, O*NET importance scores lead with Science (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0), Active Listening (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Chemical Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $60,390 as the national median for Chemical Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $41,740 to $92,040. Beside Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($193,950), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Chemical Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Chemical Technicians is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 6,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Chemical Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Chemical Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Chemical Technicians? ▼
Louisiana ($85,850), Hawaii ($63,910), Alaska ($79,380) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Chemical Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-4031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Chemical Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics