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Sources, not averages

Finding Out What Lab Work Pays in Your Area

Laboratory pay varies widely by state, metro area and employer type, and a single national figure would mislead more than it informs. Sites that publish one are usually optimising for a search term. The underlying data is public and better…

Why there is no number on this page

Laboratory pay varies widely by state, metro area and employer type, and a single national figure would mislead more than it informs. Sites that publish one are usually optimising for a search term. The underlying data is public and better than any summary of it.

Where to look

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, with state and metropolitan breakdowns and percentile ranges. Use the percentiles for your own metro. The spread between the 25th and 75th tells you more about your negotiating room than any average does.

Setting and shift change it

Hospital, reference laboratory, physician office, public health and research settings differ in pay, pace, autonomy and on-call expectations. Reference laboratories often run high-volume automated work; hospital laboratories carry more urgent testing and more direct clinical contact. Rate alone will not tell you which suits you.

What else to weigh

Certification reimbursement and continuing education support. Whether the employer pays for the next credential. Call requirements. Staffing ratios per shift. And whether the laboratory is accredited and by whom - it affects both how the place is run and how your experience is regarded later.

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Sources

Primary regulations and standards referenced above. Where a standard is published commercially it is named in full rather than linked to a copy.