Median pay for lab technicians runs from $34,160 in Aguadilla to $103,180 in Kingston — a 3.02× range across 490 metropolitan areas. The national median of $62,930 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of lab technicians earn below $38,910 and ten per cent above $100,990 — a 2.6× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 60%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Kingston (NY) leads and Aguadilla (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston NY | $103,180 | $49.61 | 0.47 | 60 |
| Binghamton NY | $102,040 | $49.06 | 0.63 | 130 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | $98,290 | $47.25 | 0.58 | 340 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $96,930 | $46.60 | 0.8 | 16,220 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $96,290 | $46.30 | 0.9 | 140 |
| Bend OR | $90,270 | $43.40 | 0.46 | 110 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $86,580 | $41.63 | 0.38 | 30 |
| Vallejo CA | $86,250 | $41.46 | 0.73 | 220 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $84,870 | $40.80 | 0.77 | 1,870 |
| Albany OR | $84,850 | $40.79 | 0.36 | 40 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $84,670 | $40.71 | 0.31 | 70 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $84,200 | $40.48 | 0.77 | 340 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $84,130 | $40.45 | 1.03 | 5,210 |
| Eugene-Springfield OR | $84,000 | $40.38 | 0.69 | 230 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $83,910 | $40.34 | 0.64 | 70 |
| Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $83,630 | $40.21 | 0.73 | 250 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $83,150 | $39.98 | 0.87 | 2,020 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $83,100 | $39.95 | 0.39 | 80 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $83,010 | $39.91 | 0.59 | 1,540 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $82,450 | $39.64 | 0.79 | 220 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $81,890 | $39.37 | 0.85 | 170 |
| Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area | $81,850 | $39.35 | 1.04 | 190 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton MA | $81,590 | $39.23 | 0.72 | 100 |
| Medford OR | $81,370 | $39.12 | 0.86 | 160 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum NY | $81,330 | $39.10 | 0.72 | 60 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aguadilla PR | $34,160 | $16.42 | 1.56 | 160 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $35,500 | $17.07 | 1.3 | 80 |
| Mayaguez PR | $35,930 | $17.27 | 2.25 | 250 |
| Ponce PR | $36,280 | $17.44 | 2.53 | 340 |
| Arecibo PR | $37,530 | $18.04 | 2.04 | 150 |
| Jackson MI | $37,940 | $18.24 | 0.92 | 110 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $38,680 | $18.60 | 1.59 | 2,350 |
| Sebring FL | $40,130 | $19.29 | 1.75 | 110 |
| Lake Charles LA | $41,160 | $19.79 | 0.49 | 110 |
| Anniston-Oxford AL | $41,380 | $19.89 | 1.95 | 180 |
Burlington has 12.54× the national concentration of lab technicians — the densest market in the country for this role, with 1,820 employed locally. Pay there is $51,000, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington NC | $51,000 | $24.52 | 12.54 | 1,820 |
| Kankakee IL | $61,200 | $29.42 | 9.05 | 820 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah WI | $56,660 | $27.24 | 4.12 | 830 |
| Madison WI | $59,090 | $28.41 | 3.2 | 2,790 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $48,630 | $23.38 | 2.75 | 4,860 |
| Ponce PR | $36,280 | $17.44 | 2.53 | 340 |
| Birmingham AL | $51,430 | $24.73 | 2.51 | 2,790 |
| Gainesville FL | $56,240 | $27.04 | 2.47 | 810 |
| Morgantown WV | $62,510 | $30.05 | 2.45 | 350 |
| Greenville NC | $65,440 | $31.46 | 2.3 | 400 |
| Mayaguez PR | $35,930 | $17.27 | 2.25 | 250 |
| Ann Arbor MI | $79,400 | $38.17 | 2.2 | 1,030 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $96,930 | $46.60 | 0.8 | 16,220 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $67,430 | $32.42 | 0.76 | 10,150 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $59,280 | $28.50 | 1.09 | 9,420 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $79,480 | $38.21 | 1.5 | 8,710 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $73,960 | $35.56 | 0.79 | 7,620 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $61,970 | $29.79 | 1.25 | 7,570 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $61,350 | $29.50 | 1.05 | 7,410 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $65,530 | $31.51 | 1.09 | 6,750 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $59,790 | $28.75 | 0.99 | 6,150 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $70,300 | $33.80 | 0.85 | 5,680 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $84,130 | $40.45 | 1.03 | 5,210 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $62,530 | $30.06 | 1.02 | 5,160 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-2010. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 490 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.