The Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010 and 2011, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, describes the sector of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians as one with excellent job opportunities and high salary growth expectations. The Bureau of Labor Logistics, a division of the Department of Labor, includes the position of microbiology lab technician among the broader sector of biological technicians, who assist medical and biological researchers in laboratories.
Salary Average
The annual mean wage for a medical laboratory technician in 2008, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, was $35,380. A 2010 survey, also by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported biology technicians received a mean hourly wage of $20.07. However, according to a report by the Department of Labor, biological technicians working for the federal government enjoyed a higher mean annual wage of $39,538. The same report projected an employment growth of 18 percent for biological technicians.This increase in demand is likely to push mean annual wages in this field further up. (See references 1, 2 and 3)
Salary Range
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wages report of 2010, the median hourly wage of a biological technicians was $20.07 an hour. However, the survey shows the salary of biological technicians ranging from $24,210 or less, for the 10th percentile, and $56,040 or more, for the 90th percentile. The median 50th percentile received an annual mean wage of $39,020. (See references 2 and 4)
Salary by Specialty
The salary range for microbiologist lab technicians by field specialty is best studied in the field of pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing and medical diagnostic laboratories, where a wide variety of microbiology specialties are required. According to a 2010 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry paid an hourly mean wage of $22.59, while medical and diagnostic laboratories paid an hourly mean wage of $18.39. (See reference 4)
Salary by State
As with most sectors, the salary of a microbiology lab technician depends a lot on the region where he works. Differences in the cost of living, demand for skilled workers and the levels of employment concentration reflect on the wage a technician can expect. For instance, the states with the highest concentration of employment, according to a 2010 report by the Department of Labor, were California, Massachusetts and New York. The cities with the highest wages for microbiologists are San Francisco, with annual mean wages of $66,270, and Rochester Minnesota, with an annual average mean wage of $62,930. (See reference 4)
Resources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos096.pdf - American Society for Microbiology
http://www.asm.org/
Key Concepts
- microbiologist lab technician
- biology technologists salary
- biologist annual wage
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Clinical Laboratory Technicians
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm - Department of Labor: Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 2010 Wages
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292012.htm - Bureau of Labor Statistics: Science Technicians
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos115.htm - Bureau of Labor Statistics: Biological Technicians
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes194021.htm#ind
