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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

19-4031 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.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
65,760 1.8 % $25.44 $52,910 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.96 $18.13 $23.68 $30.87 $38.63
Annual Wage (2) $31,110 $37,700 $49,260 $64,200 $80,350


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 13,020 3.57 $28.56 $59,410
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 12,300 0.82 $21.28 $44,260
Scientific Research and Development Services 6,080 0.86 $28.78 $59,860
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 5,360 1.80 $23.99 $49,890
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 3,740 2.14 $23.96 $49,830

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 13,020 3.57 $28.56 $59,410
Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) 3,740 2.14 $23.96 $49,830
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 5,360 1.80 $23.99 $49,890
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,860 1.66 $31.24 $64,990
Metal Ore Mining 580 1.38 $30.28 $62,980

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 740 0.19 $37.22 $77,410
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 50 (7) $36.24 $75,370
Oil and Gas Extraction 320 0.23 $31.97 $66,500
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 1,860 1.66 $31.24 $64,990
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 60 (7) $30.38 $63,180


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 7,350 0.59 1.32 $29.28 $60,900
California 6,510 0.37 0.84 $24.38 $50,720
New Jersey 3,850 0.94 2.10 $29.41 $61,170
Pennsylvania 3,230 0.55 1.22 $23.42 $48,710
Illinois 2,790 0.46 1.03 $26.51 $55,130




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Delaware 640 1.42 3.17 $30.05 $62,500
Louisiana 2,540 1.32 2.95 $31.53 $65,590
Wyoming 310 1.15 2.56 $25.09 $52,180
West Virginia 770 1.10 2.45 $26.99 $56,140
New Jersey 3,850 0.94 2.10 $29.41 $61,170




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 90 0.27 0.61 $32.30 $67,190
District of Columbia 60 0.08 0.18 $31.87 $66,280
Louisiana 2,540 1.32 2.95 $31.53 $65,590
Delaware 640 1.42 3.17 $30.05 $62,500
New Jersey 3,850 0.94 2.10 $29.41 $61,170





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4,460 0.46 1.03 $27.85 $57,930
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,280 1.07 2.40 $30.82 $64,100
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,200 0.77 1.71 $29.61 $61,590
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,200 0.47 1.05 $25.12 $52,250
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,030 0.32 0.73 $25.16 $52,320
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,370 0.50 1.11 $25.02 $52,030
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,280 0.65 1.45 $25.59 $53,230
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,260 0.45 1.00 $26.40 $54,920
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,110 0.74 1.65 $22.79 $47,400
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,010 0.41 0.91 $26.91 $55,980




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kankakee, IL 290 6.52 14.56 $26.50 $55,130
Lake Charles, LA 520 4.50 10.05 (8) (8)
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 720 4.50 10.05 $34.35 $71,440
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 460 3.94 8.79 $25.83 $53,720
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 120 3.08 6.89 $32.69 $68,000
Idaho Falls, ID 170 2.49 5.56 $28.84 $59,980
Danbury, CT 170 2.22 4.96 $24.09 $50,120
Baton Rouge, LA 870 2.20 4.91 $34.53 $71,820
Decatur, AL 120 2.19 4.88 $26.47 $55,070
Midland, TX 200 1.84 4.10 $27.08 $56,320




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Baton Rouge, LA 870 2.20 4.91 $34.53 $71,820
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 720 4.50 10.05 $34.35 $71,440
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 120 3.08 6.89 $32.69 $68,000
Corpus Christi, TX 220 1.18 2.64 $31.04 $64,550
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 60 0.29 0.65 $30.95 $64,370
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,280 1.07 2.40 $30.82 $64,100
Charleston, WV 200 1.79 3.99 $30.80 $64,070
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 100 0.25 0.56 $30.52 $63,480
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 40 1.14 2.54 $30.50 $63,430
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 40 0.79 1.76 $30.40 $63,220

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 620 6.31 14.10 $30.29 $63,010
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 270 1.76 3.93 $28.49 $59,250
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 220 0.55 1.23 $23.84 $49,590
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 190 0.68 1.52 $20.24 $42,100
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 180 1.38 3.09 $19.85 $41,280

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 620 6.31 14.10 $30.29 $63,010
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 180 2.06 4.59 $21.67 $45,070
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 130 1.86 4.16 $30.99 $64,460
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 270 1.76 3.93 $28.49 $59,250
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 110 1.65 3.69 $14.71 $30,590

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 100 0.75 1.67 $35.91 $74,690
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 140 1.44 3.21 $33.00 $68,650
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 60 0.59 1.32 $32.92 $68,480
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.22 0.50 $32.80 $68,230
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 80 0.81 1.81 $32.32 $67,230


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020