Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

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)
61,870 2.2 % $18.82 $39,130 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.16 $14.15 $18.09 $22.74 $27.44
Annual Wage (2) $23,200 $29,420 $37,620 $47,290 $57,080

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Architectural and engineering services 8,860 $13.88 $28,860
Basic chemical manufacturing 6,820 $20.79 $43,240
Scientific research and development services 5,740 $20.44 $42,520
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 4,870 $19.47 $40,490
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers mfg. 3,950 $21.78 $45,290

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Federal government (OES designation) 110 $27.96 $58,160
Power generation and supply 990 $27.11 $56,380
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing (7) $26.17 $54,430
Pipeline transportation of crude oil 140 $25.43 $52,900
Pipeline transportation of natural gas (7) $23.31 $48,480

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
Louisiana 2,370 $21.59 $44,900 0.128%
New Jersey 4,940 $20.19 $42,000 0.127%
West Virginia 840 $21.32 $44,360 0.123%
Wyoming 240 $13.59 $28,260 0.100%
South Carolina 1,530 $17.69 $36,800 0.087%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Louisiana 2,370 $21.59 $44,900 0.128%
Texas 6,240 $21.42 $44,550 0.067%
West Virginia 840 $21.32 $44,360 0.123%
Washington 980 $20.28 $42,180 0.038%
New Jersey 4,940 $20.19 $42,000 0.127%

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
Brazoria, TX PMSA 430 $22.01 $45,790 0.574%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 420 $26.97 $56,100 0.269%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 360 $20.81 $43,280 0.235%
Baton Rouge, LA MSA 650 $22.66 $47,140 0.221%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 1,320 $20.35 $42,320 0.212%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 420 $26.97 $56,100 0.269%
Bakersfield, CA MSA 40 $26.36 $54,830 0.018%
Houma, LA MSA 70 $26.04 $54,170 0.085%
Wheeling, WV-OH MSA 90 $25.38 $52,800 0.145%
Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH MSA (7) $25.31 $52,650 (7)

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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) 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 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.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005