Occupational Employment and Wages, May 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)
64,020 2.1 % $18.51 $38,500 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.95 $13.89 $17.82 $22.41 $27.26
Annual Wage (2) $22,780 $28,890 $37,070 $46,600 $56,700

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 9,640 $13.57 $28,230 1 85
Basic chemical manufacturing 6,680 $21.11 $43,910 2 10
Scientific research and development services 6,430 $19.78 $41,130 3 17
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 5,070 $19.02 $39,570 4 26
Resin, rubber, and artificial fibers mfg. 4,420 $21.67 $45,070 5 9

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Natural gas distribution 60 $27.68 $57,580 69 1
Federal government (OES designation) 110 $27.38 $56,940 54 2
Power generation and supply 1,080 $26.63 $55,400 11 3
Pipeline transportation of natural gas (6) $25.91 $53,880 (6) 4
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 720 $25.57 $53,180 16 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 1,030 $19.68 $40,930 0.151% 173
New Jersey 4,720 $20.26 $42,140 0.122% 329
Louisiana 2,240 $22.12 $46,010 0.121% 149
Wyoming 230 $14.87 $30,920 0.095% 259
South Carolina 1,390 $17.05 $35,470 0.079% 254

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Hawaii 50 $23.64 $49,170 0.009% 139
Louisiana 2,240 $22.12 $46,010 0.121% 149
New Mexico 390 $21.00 $43,680 0.053% 155
Washington 1,220 $20.88 $43,430 0.048% 306
North Dakota 140 $20.60 $42,850 0.045% 124

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
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 250 $21.55 $44,830 0.287%
Charleston, WV MSA 330 $16.07 $33,440 0.261%
Baton Rouge, LA MSA 750 $22.28 $46,340 0.253%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 380 $25.80 $53,670 0.248%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 1,390 $20.71 $43,080 0.223%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houma, LA MSA 70 $26.64 $55,400 0.086%
Bakersfield, CA MSA 50 $26.38 $54,870 0.022%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 380 $25.80 $53,670 0.248%
Wheeling, WV-OH MSA 110 $25.23 $52,470 0.181%
Corpus Christi, TX MSA 150 $23.10 $48,050 0.096%

About May 2003 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) 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004