Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

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 purposes, such as 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
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
67,230 3.4 % $18.70 $38,890 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.98 $13.92 $18.00 $22.87 $27.54
Annual Wage (2) $22,840 $28,950 $37,430 $47,570 $57,280

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services 8,870 $13.49 $28,060 1 80
Scientific research and development services 6,780 $19.80 $41,180 2 18
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 6,660 $19.07 $39,660 3 22
Basic chemical manufacturing 6,380 $21.40 $44,520 4 9
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers mfg. 4,580 $21.80 $45,340 5 8

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Power generation and supply 1,180 $27.79 $57,810 11 1
Natural gas distribution 60 $27.28 $56,730 68 2
Federal government (OES designation) 110 $26.65 $55,430 54 3
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 30 $25.93 $53,940 77 4
Pipeline transportation of crude oil 130 $24.66 $51,300 50 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
West Virginia 1,080 $19.82 $41,230 0.158% 149
New Jersey 5,250 $19.87 $41,330 0.136% 319
Louisiana 2,030 $23.28 $48,430 0.111% 116
Texas 6,830 $20.37 $42,360 0.074% 214
North Carolina 2,660 $17.61 $36,640 0.072% 264

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Louisiana 2,030 $23.28 $48,430 0.111% 116
Hawaii 50 $22.20 $46,190 0.009% 165
New Mexico 390 $21.24 $44,170 0.053% 132
Washington 1,310 $20.84 $43,350 0.051% 282
Arizona 430 $20.76 $43,190 0.019% 170

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Rochester, NY MSA 1,890 $22.13 $46,040 0.369%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 290 $22.01 $45,770 0.332%
Baton Rouge, LA MSA 780 $24.10 $50,130 0.266%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 360 $25.36 $52,740 0.238%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 1,420 $20.10 $41,800 0.227%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houma, LA MSA 60 $25.70 $53,460 0.074%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 360 $25.36 $52,740 0.238%
Brazoria, TX PMSA (6) $24.46 $50,880 (6)
Baton Rouge, LA MSA 780 $24.10 $50,130 0.266%
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ MSA 280 $23.58 $49,060 0.018%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003