Chemical Technicians
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 19-4031.00United States
Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for 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.
- Median annual earnings
- $60,385
- Projected change
- +7.2%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 57.87K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
43.7% of the workforce
Growing to 62.02K by 2035
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The work
What chemical technicians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
- Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
- Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.
- Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas.
- Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
- Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.
- Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.
- Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.
- Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products.
- Train new employees on topics such as the proper operation of laboratory equipment.
- Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results.
- Order and inventory materials to maintain supplies.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $41,688
- 25th percentile
- $48,499
- 50th percentile
- $60,385
- 75th percentile
- $75,934
- 90th percentile
- $92,182
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,385 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.2%faster than average
202557,873 jobs
2035 projected62,020 jobs
4,147 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 43.7%
- High school diploma or less
- 33.3%
- Some college
- 22.4%
- Associate degree
- 0.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Chemical Technicians729 postings
- 02Locate Technicians272 postings
- 03Gas Technicians257 postings
- 04Chemistry Technicians227 postings
- 05Chemistry Laboratory Technicians179 postings
- 06Natural Gas Technicians165 postings
- 07Landfill Gas Technicians127 postings
- 08Chemists/Laboratory Technicians108 postings
- 09Technicians85 postings
- 10Medical Laboratory Technicians84 postings
- 11Chemical Dependency Technicians78 postings
- 12Laboratory Technicians77 postings
- 13Chemical Laboratory Technicians76 postings
- 14Oil and Gas Analysts64 postings
- 15Chemists62 postings
- 16Chemical Analysts55 postings
- 17Measurement Analysts55 postings
- 18Natural Gas Analysts55 postings
- 19Field Technicians54 postings
- 20Operations Technicians53 postings
Top employers
- 01Actalent211 postings
- 02USIC197 postings
- 03Waste Management127 postings
- 04Keystone Clearwater Solutions65 postings
- 05ManpowerGroup48 postings
- 06SGS41 postings
- 07Clean Harbors38 postings
- 08Halliburton33 postings
- 09Kelly Services32 postings
- 10Charles River Laboratories30 postings
- 11Eversource Energy30 postings
- 12Hydromax USA30 postings
- 13Jcw Group30 postings
- 14Aerotek29 postings
- 15Southern Cross Corporation29 postings
- 16Stake Center Locating29 postings
- 17Black Hills Corporation28 postings
- 18Thermo Fisher Scientific25 postings
- 19Dominion Energy24 postings
- 20Als22 postings
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