Chemical technicians

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

67.4k

Average Age

41.7

Estimated Job Growth

2.79%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$57,317

Average Male Salary

$59,228

Average Female Salary

$53,759

About

Chemical technicians are most often employed by the Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals industry. The average yearly wage for Chemical technicians was $57,317 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Chemical technicians by wage are Radio & telecommunications equipment installers & repairers, Paramedics, and Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers.

Chemical technicians are part of the Life, physical, & social science occupations, along with Agricultural & food scientists, Biological scientists, Conservation scientists & foresters, Medical scientists, & life scientists, all other, Astronomers & physicists, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Chemical technicians are Bay & Midland Counties PUMA, MI, Brazoria County (Southwest)Lake Jackson City PUMA, TX, and San Diego City (Northwest/Del Mar Mesa) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Chemical technicians are Brazoria County (Southwest)Lake Jackson City PUMA, TX, Bay & Midland Counties PUMA, MI, and Victoria & Calhoun Counties PUMA, TX.

Photo by BASF - We create chemistry

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Chemical technicians and on wages and locations for those in the field. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals is the industry that employs the most Chemical technicians, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Chemical technicians, by average wage, is Miscellaneous fabricated metal products manufacturing. Chemical technicians are paid most in Yorba Linda, La Habra & Brea Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Brazoria County (Southwest)Lake Jackson City PUMA, TX.

Yearly Wage

$57,317

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,393

In 2020, Chemical technicians earned an average of $57,317, $1,363 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers make somewhat more than Chemical technicians while Radio & telecommunications equipment installers & repairers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Chemical technicians as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.299

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Chemical technicians had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.299, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Chemical technicians (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Chemical technicians.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Chemical technicians

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Chemical technicians.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Chemical technicians, by number of employees, are Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Paint, coating, & adhesive manufacturing , Resin, synthetic rubber, & fibers & filaments manufacturing , Soap, cleaning compound, & cosmetics manufacturing , Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems, Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing, Plastics product manufacturing, Sewage treatment facilities, Architectural, engineering & related services, and Scientific research & development services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Chemical technicians, by average wage, are Miscellaneous fabricated metal products manufacturing, Computer Systems Design, and Electric power generation, transmission & distribution.

Industries by Share

67.4k

2020 Workforce

± 6,375

−3.59%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13.7%

The number of people employed as Chemical technicians has been declining at a rate of −3.59%, from 69,964 people in 2019 to 67,449 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Chemical technicians employed by various industries. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals employs the largest share of Chemical technicians at 23.8%, followed by Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing with 15.8% and Paint, coating, & adhesive manufacturing with 4.43%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chemical technicians in the US. The average age of male Chemical technicians in the workforce is 42.5 and of female Chemical technicians is 40.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Chemical technicians is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

43.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,142

23.6k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,769

65.1% of Chemical technicians are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Chemical technicians.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Chemical technicians

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

67.2% of Chemical technicians are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 12% of Chemical technicians, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Chemical technicians.

Age by Sex

42.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.61

40.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.17

The median age of Chemical technicians is 41.7, and Male employees are generally 2.3 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Chemical technicians from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Chemical technicians is Biology but a relatively high number of Chemical technicians hold a major in Physical Sciences.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Chemical technicians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chemical technicians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Science, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chemical technicians need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and Equipment Selection.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Chemical Technicians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Chemical Technicians are expected to see a growth of 2.79% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.79%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Chemical Technicians. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.