Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-4031

Best degree programs for Chemical Technicians, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Chemical Technician?

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 18,075 degrees in 2024-25, 85.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemical Technician?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry, Physical Science Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 21,109 people a year.

Q: How much do chemical technicians earn?

The median is $60,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $41,740 at the 10th percentile to $92,040 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: Is demand for chemical technicians growing?

BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,225 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Q: What other job titles do chemical technicians work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemical Technician, Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Quality Control Technician (QC Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4031.

7 college programs and 1,225 schools train Chemical Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $60,390 median wage, 57,540 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

7 college programs at 1,225 schools train chemical technicians, graduating 21,109 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Chemistry, General. The job pays a median of $60,390 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

21,109

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$60,390

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+3.7%

About as fast as average

Openings / yr

6,700

new plus replacement

Schools

1,225

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About chemical technicians

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.

Also calledChemical TechnicianLaboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst)Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech)Quality Control Technician (QC Tech)AssayerColoristPerfumerDye ExpertFormulatorColor MakerCloth TesterColor Tester

Background

Chemical technologists and technicians are workers who provide technical support or services in chemical-related fields. They may work under direct supervision or may work independently, depending on their specific position and duties. Their work environments differ widely and include, but are not limited to, laboratories and industrial settings. As such, it is nearly impossible to generalize the duties of chem techs as their individual jobs vary greatly. Biochemical techs often do similar work in biochemistry.

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

1,168 schools · 5 specializations · 85.9% of pipeline

Grad earnings $42,620

Science Technologies/Technicians

CIP 41.03

Physical Science Technologies/Technicians

2,964graduates / yr

61 schools · 2 specializations · 14.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $51,860

7 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Chemistry, General CIP 40.0501	18,075	85.6%	1,168	$42,620	$23,900
2	Chemical Technology/Technician CIP 41.0301	2,879	13.6%	61	$51,860	$11,959
3	Chemical Process Technology CIP 41.0303	85	0.4%	10	$51,860	$11,959
4	Analytical Chemistry CIP 40.0502	38	0.2%	8	$42,620	$23,900
5	Environmental Chemistry CIP 40.0509	19	0.1%	10	$42,620	$23,900
6	Organic Chemistry CIP 40.0504	9	0.0%	2	$42,620	$23,900
7	Inorganic Chemistry CIP 40.0503	4	0.0%	1	$42,620	$23,900

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Florida SouthWestern State College Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	357	Chemical Technology/Technician	39%	—	—
2	San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	316	Chemical Technology/Technician	30%	—	—
3	University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	234	Chemistry, General	93%	—	11%
4	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	227	Chemistry, General	88%	—	61%
5	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	222	Chemistry, General	91%	—	24%
6	University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	192	Chemistry, General	87%	—	29%
7	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	191	Chemistry, General	90%	—	45%
8	Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	189	Chemical Technology/Technician	52%	—	—
9	Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	188	Chemical Technology/Technician	56%	—	—
10	Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	183	Chemical Technology/Technician	11%	—	—
11	Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	178	Chemistry, General	83%	—	50%
12	University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	172	Chemistry, General	96%	—	17%
13	Lee College Baytown, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	170	Chemical Technology/Technician	53%	—	—
14	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs	163	Chemistry, General	85%	—	42%
15	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	156	Chemistry, General	84%	—	57%
16	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	155	Chemistry, General	91%	—	15%
17	Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	154	Chemical Technology/Technician	31%	—	—
18	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	153	Chemistry, General	89%	—	27%
19	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	150	Chemistry, General	93%	—	16%
20	University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	147	Chemistry, General	86%	—	27%
21	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs	145	Chemistry, General	85%	—	39%
22	University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	142	Chemistry, General	93%	—	9%
23	Emory University Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	139	Chemistry, General	91%	$20,586	11%
24	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs	139	Chemistry, General	85%	—	80%
25	Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	138	Chemistry, General	65%	—	85%
26	University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	131	Chemistry, General	96%	$13,333	4%
27	Lamar State College - Orange Orange, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	129	Chemical Technology/Technician	37%	—	—
28	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	108	Chemistry, General	88%	$29,023	9%
29	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	107	Chemistry, General	76%	—	49%
30	Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	103	Chemistry, General	98%	$15,013	4%
31	Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	80%	—	78%
32	Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	98%	$13,729	5%
33	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	97	Chemistry, General	97%	$22,055	5%
34	Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	96	Chemistry, General	95%	$17,613	9%
35	Alvin Community College Alvin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	95	Chemical Technology/Technician	24%	—	—
36	University of Oregon Eugene, OR Public · 1 feeder programs	94	Chemistry, General	72%	—	88%
37	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	94	Chemistry, General	86%	—	55%
38	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs	92	Chemistry, General	53%	—	55%
39	Lamar State College - Port Arthur Port Arthur, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	92	Chemical Technology/Technician	45%	—	—
40	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	92	Chemistry, General	85%	—	58%
41	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs	90	Chemistry, General	73%	—	77%
42	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	83	Chemistry, General	77%	—	43%
43	University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	82	Chemistry, General	76%	—	76%
44	Yale University New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	82	Chemistry, General	96%	$27,025	4%
45	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	81	Chemistry, General	83%	—	33%
46	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	86%	—	42%
47	University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	55%	—	72%
48	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	75%	—	77%
49	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	80	Chemistry, General	63%	—	93%
50	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	77	Chemistry, General	96%	$15,315	4%

What chemical technicians earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$60,390

Mean annual

$63,900

Median hourly

$29.03/hr

People employed

57,540

What the range looks like

10th pct$41,740Median$60,39090th pct$92,040

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

Baton Rouge, LA

$92,120median

410 jobs

Lake Charles, LA

$88,780median

150 jobs

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

$77,220median

90 jobs

Niles, MI

$77,840median

40 jobs

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

$79,290median

350 jobs

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

$80,390median

250 jobs

Midland, MI

$82,780median

50 jobs

Evansville, IN

$85,230median

220 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+3.7%

About as fast as average

Openings per year

6,700

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

2,100

57,000 → 59,000

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Texas	$62,580	6,090	1.17×	86	2,828
California	$59,510	6,800	1.01×	135	2,712
Florida	$54,050	1,840	0.50×	32	1,471
New York	$60,900	2,200	0.61×	77	1,127
Pennsylvania	$59,420	2,710	1.21×	79	857
Ohio	$59,750	3,120	1.52×	50	818
Massachusetts	$67,570	1,780	1.32×	40	807
Illinois	$61,890	1,320	0.58×	41	728
North Carolina	$59,030	2,660	1.46×	36	683
Virginia	$51,850	1,370	0.90×	31	625
Georgia	$58,120	850	0.47×	29	587
Indiana	$59,290	1,990	1.68×	31	555
Michigan	$58,180	2,220	1.36×	32	501
Minnesota	$62,400	870	0.80×	31	404
New Jersey	$58,580	2,730	1.72×	28	384
Wisconsin	$59,440	1,090	1.00×	24	382
Tennessee	$54,840	1,470	1.21×	30	370
Missouri	$68,550	720	0.66×	27	354
Washington	$62,100	730	0.55×	16	311
Maryland	$49,280	590	0.58×	19	296
Connecticut	$57,310	510	0.81×	15	291
Colorado	$63,770	1,180	1.11×	20	277
Kentucky	$60,830	700	0.94×	21	275
Alabama	$58,150	1,190	1.53×	18	255
Oregon	$57,960	340	0.46×	13	243
Louisiana	$85,850	960	1.34×	17	238
Utah	$49,030	580	0.90×	10	232
South Carolina	$75,020	2,080	2.43×	22	229
Iowa	$58,090	440	0.77×	23	202
Arkansas	$45,230	500	1.04×	14	198
Oklahoma	$60,020	610	0.96×	17	191
Arizona	$65,860	390	0.32×	13	185
Mississippi	$54,580	480	1.13×	17	137
Kansas	$61,560	370	0.70×	16	136
West Virginia	$58,750	230	0.89×	12	108
Nebraska	$62,640	280	0.74×	11	103
District of Columbia	$56,530	30	0.12×	7	95
New Mexico	$55,120	250	0.76×	9	81
Idaho	$54,560	170	0.52×	10	79
Montana	$52,890	240	1.29×	6	78
Rhode Island	$61,680	190	1.02×	7	78
Delawaremoderate	$78,620	540	3.02×	3	63
South Dakota	$49,030	90	0.54×	6	57
New Hampshiremoderate	$48,940	220	0.88×	4	53
Maine	$49,280	100	0.43×	5	52
Vermontmoderate	$65,560	150	1.37×	4	50
Nevadamoderate	$61,520	1,050	1.82×	3	46
North Dakota	$57,760	150	0.93×	6	36
Hawaiimoderate	$63,910	40	0.18×	3	28
Wyominglimited	$56,320	230	2.21×	2	26
Alaskalimited	$79,380	100	0.82×	2	5

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

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.
Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
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.
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.

Skills

Science4.1
Reading Comprehension4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Writing3.9
Active Listening3.9
Monitoring3.9
Speaking3.4
Active Learning3.4

Knowledge areas

Chemistry3.8
English Language3.5
Mathematics3.4
Computers and Electronics3.1
Production and Processing3.0
Administrative2.9

Abilities

Written Comprehension4.0
Near Vision4.0
Written Expression3.9
Problem Sensitivity3.8
Information Ordering3.8
Inductive Reasoning3.8

Core activities

Documenting/Recording Information4.5
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.3
Processing Information4.3
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.2
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

C++hotLinuxhotMicrosoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft WordhotOracle DatabasehotOracle Javahot

How to get in

How to become a Chemical Technician

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0

Typical entry education: Associate's degree
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 7 majors mapped to Chemical Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

40.0501Chemistry, General
40.0502Analytical Chemistry
40.0503Inorganic Chemistry
40.0504Organic Chemistry
40.0509Environmental Chemistry
41.0301Chemical Technology/Technician
41.0303Chemical Process Technology

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

19-2031

Chemists

$91,24082,770 jobs+4.9%

17-3028

Calibration Technologists and Technicians

$67,82016,540 jobs+4.7%

17-2041

Chemical Engineers

$125,04021,070 jobs+2.6%

17-3026

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

$66,12075,570 jobs+1.7%

51-8091

Chemical Plant and System Operators

$78,12016,610 jobs-6.1%

19-4099

Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other

$62,28073,910 jobs+3.5%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Chemical Technician?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Chemistry, General, which awarded 18,075 degrees in 2024-25, 85.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Chemical Technician?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Chemistry, Physical Science Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 21,109 people a year.

How much do chemical technicians earn?+

The median is $60,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $41,740 at the 10th percentile to $92,040 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for chemical technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 6,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

1,225 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do chemical technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Chemical Technician, Laboratory Analyst (Lab Analyst), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Quality Control Technician (QC Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4031.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Try for free Book a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card