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Summary

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Video transcript available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLwKn5W7Bjo.
Quick Facts: Chemical Technicians
2023 Median Pay $56,750 per year
$27.29 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Associate's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2023 58,300
Job Outlook, 2023-33 5% (As fast as average)
Employment Change, 2023-33 3,200

What Chemical Technicians Do

Chemical technicians conduct laboratory tests to help scientists analyze the properties of materials.

Work Environment

Chemical technicians often work in laboratories or in manufacturing facilities, such as chemical manufacturing plants. Most technicians work full time.

How to Become a Chemical Technician

To enter the occupation, chemical technicians typically need an associate’s degree or 2 years of postsecondary education. Some positions require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree; others require a high school diploma. Most chemical technicians receive on-the-job training.

Pay

The median annual wage for chemical technicians was $56,750 in May 2023.

Job Outlook

Employment of chemical technicians is projected to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 7,300 openings for chemical technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

State & Area Data

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for chemical technicians.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of chemical technicians with similar occupations.

More Information, Including Links to O*NET

Learn more about chemical technicians by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

What Chemical Technicians Do About this section

Chemical technicians
Chemical technicians monitor and adjust processing equipment at manufacturing facilities.

Chemical technicians use laboratory instruments and techniques to help scientists analyze the properties of materials.

Duties

Chemical technicians typically do the following:

  • Monitor chemical processes and test product quality to make sure that they meet standards and specifications
  • Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment
  • Maintain production equipment and troubleshoot problems
  • Prepare chemical solutions
  • Conduct, compile, and interpret results of chemical and physical experiments, tests, and analyses for a variety of purposes, including research and development
  • Prepare and present reports, graphs, and charts that summarize their results

Technicians who work in laboratories may help conduct experiments that contribute to research and development. For example, some chemical technicians help chemists and other scientists develop new medicines.

Other chemical technicians work in manufacturing, where they may assist in monitoring quality, maintaining equipment, and improving production processes.

Typically, chemists or chemical engineers direct chemical technicians’ work and evaluate their results. Most technicians work on teams, but they also may be required to work independently on projects. Experienced technicians may serve as mentors to technicians who are new to a lab or to a specific area of research.

Work Environment About this section

Chemical technicians
Chemical technicians typically work in laboratories or in industrial facilities.

Chemical technicians held about 58,300 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of chemical technicians were as follows:

Chemical manufacturing 30%
Testing laboratories and services 18
Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences 9
Educational services; state, local, and private 4
Wholesale trade 4

Chemical technicians often work in laboratories or in manufacturing facilities. Chemical manufacturing plants make a variety of products, such as fertilizers, medicines, and soaps.

Injuries and Illnesses

Chemical technicians may be exposed to health or safety hazards when handling certain chemicals and manufacturing equipment, but there is little risk if proper procedures are followed.

Work Schedules

Most technicians work full time. Occasionally, they may have to work additional hours to meet project deadlines or troubleshoot problems with manufacturing processes. Some work irregular schedules to monitor laboratory experiments or manufacturing operations.

How to Become a Chemical Technician About this section

Chemical technicians
Laboratory experience provides students with hands-on experience in using various instruments and techniques properly.

To enter the occupation, chemical technicians typically need an associate’s degree or 2 years of postsecondary education. Some positions require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree; others require a high school diploma. Most chemical technicians receive on-the-job training.

Education

Chemical technicians typically need an associate's degree or 2 years of postsecondary education in applied science or chemical technology. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor's degree in those or related fields, such as biology or physical science. Other employers may consider candidates who have a high school diploma.

Technical and community college programs in applied sciences or chemical technology typically include courses in math, physics, and biology in addition to chemistry. Coursework in statistics and computer science is also useful for learning data analysis and modeling.

Courses that include a laboratory component provide students with hands-on practice in conducting experiments and proper use of instruments and techniques. Participating in internships and cooperative-education programs while attending school helps students gain experience.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Chemical technicians must be methodical in conducting scientific experiments and interpreting data.

Communication skills. Chemical technicians must explain their work to scientists and engineers or to workers who may not have a technical background. They often write reports to summarize their results.

Detail oriented. Chemical technicians need to set up, operate, and maintain precision laboratory equipment and instruments. They also must keep meticulous records of their experiments, observations, and results.

Interpersonal skills. Chemical technicians must work well as part of a team that often includes scientists, engineers, and other technicians.

Training

Chemical technicians typically receive on-the-job training from experienced technicians, who explain proper methods and procedures for conducting experiments and operating equipment. The length of training varies with the new employee’s level of experience and education and by industry.

Advancement

Technicians who have a bachelor’s degree may advance to become chemical engineers or chemists.

Pay About this section

Chemical Technicians

Median annual wages, May 2023

Chemical technicians

$56,750

Life, physical, and social science technicians

$53,700

Total, all occupations

$48,060

 

The median annual wage for chemical technicians was $56,750 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,240, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $93,340.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for chemical technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences $62,900
Chemical manufacturing 61,260
Wholesale trade 56,560
Educational services; state, local, and private 55,950
Testing laboratories and services 45,750

Most technicians work full time. Occasionally, they may have to work additional hours to meet project deadlines or troubleshoot problems with manufacturing processes. Some work irregular schedules to monitor laboratory experiments or manufacturing operations.

Job Outlook About this section

Chemical Technicians

Percent change in employment, projected 2023-33

Life, physical, and social science technicians

6%

Chemical technicians

5%

Total, all occupations

4%

 

Employment of chemical technicians is projected to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 7,300 openings for chemical technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Chemical technicians will continue to be in demand to test new materials and products developed by chemists and chemical engineers. They also will be needed to monitor the quality of chemical products and processes. In addition, demand for these technicians is expected due to greater interest in environmental issues such as pollution control, clean energy, and sustainability.

Employment projections data for chemical technicians, 2023-33
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2023 Projected Employment, 2033 Change, 2023-33 Employment by Industry
Percent Numeric

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

Chemical technicians

19-4031 58,300 61,400 5 3,200 Get data

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of chemical technicians.

Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION Help on Entry-Level Education 2023 MEDIAN PAY Help on Median Pay
Agricultural and food science technicians Agricultural and Food Science Technicians

Agricultural and food science technicians assist agricultural and food scientists.

Associate's degree $47,010
Biological technicians Biological Technicians

Biological technicians help biological and medical scientists conduct laboratory tests and experiments.

Bachelor's degree $51,430
Chemical engineers Chemical Engineers

Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, physics, and engineering to design equipment and processes for manufacturing products such as gasoline, detergents, and paper.

Bachelor's degree $112,100
Chemists and materials scientists Chemists and Materials Scientists

Chemists and materials scientists research and analyze the chemical properties of substances to develop new materials, products, or knowledge.

Bachelor's degree $87,180
Environmental science and protection technicians Environmental Science and Protection Technicians

Environmental science and protection technicians monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution and contamination, including those affecting public health.

Associate's degree $50,660
Forensic science technicians Forensic Science Technicians

Forensic science technicians aid criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence.

Bachelor's degree $64,940
Geological and petroleum technicians Geological and Hydrologic Technicians

Geological and hydrologic technicians support scientists and engineers in exploring, extracting, and monitoring natural resources.

Associate's degree $53,440
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians perform medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

Bachelor's degree $60,780
Nuclear technicians Nuclear Technicians

Nuclear technicians assist physicists, engineers, and other scientists in nuclear power generation and production activities, such as operating or maintaining nuclear testing equipment.

Associate's degree $101,740
Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Chemical Technicians,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/chemical-technicians.htm (visited November 29, 2024).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024

What They Do

The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised. This tab also covers different types of occupational specialties.

Work Environment

The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs held in the occupation and describes the workplace, the level of physical activity expected, and typical hours worked. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face.

How to Become One

The How to Become One tab describes how to prepare for a job in the occupation. This tab can include information on education, training, work experience, licensing and certification, and important qualities that are required or helpful for entering or working in the occupation.

Pay

The Pay tab describes typical earnings and how workers in the occupation are compensated—annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, tips, or bonuses. Within every occupation, earnings vary by experience, responsibility, performance, tenure, and geographic area. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH.

State & Area Data

The State and Area Data tab provides links to state and area occupational data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, state projections data from Projections Central, and occupational information from the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings.

Similar Occupations

The Similar Occupations tab describes occupations that share similar duties, skills, interests, education, or training with the occupation covered in the profile.

Contacts for More Information

The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. This tab also includes links to relevant occupational information from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

2023 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2023, the median annual wage for all workers was $48,060.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

Work experience in a related occupation

Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education.

Number of Jobs, 2023

The employment, or size, of this occupation in 2023, which is the base year of the 2023-33 employment projections.

Job Outlook, 2023-33

The projected percent change in employment from 2023 to 2033. The average growth rate for all occupations is 4 percent.

Employment Change, 2023-33

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Employment Change, projected 2023-33

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Growth Rate (Projected)

The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2023 to 2033.

Projected Number of New Jobs

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Projected Growth Rate

The projected percent change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

2023 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2023, the median annual wage for all workers was $48,060.