Medical Laboratory Technician Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Medical laboratory technicians hold about 151,000 positions nationally. As an occupation, this career is ranked very low for unemployment rate. About 2% of employees could not obtain a job in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Jobs in this career are most numerous in Jackson (Tennessee), Morgantown (West Virginia), and Gainesville (Georgia), and least common in Fresno (California), Visalia (California), and Port St. Lucie (Florida).

Salaries vary the US, with the highest being found in Champaign (Illinois), Brockton (Massachusetts), and Salinas (California). The lowest salaries for this job are in Joplin (Missouri), Jackson (Tennessee), and Lake Charles (Louisiana).

Training and Education

Getting an associate degree will improve one'schance of landing a job in this field. Medical laboratory technicians with at least a bachelor's degree are 51% of the total. Approximately 35% of workers started college, but did not pursue a bachelor's degree. High school was sufficient education for 14% of people in this field. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Approximately, 14% of medical laboratory technicians work part-time. In this field, about 1% work for themselves.

Medical Laboratory Technicians: An Introductory Video

Medical Laboratory Technicians Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of medical laboratory technicians compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for medical laboratory technicians.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Birmingham	$31,000	930
Mobile	$26,000	230
Huntsville	$29,000	180
Montgomery	$27,000	120
Tuscaloosa	$29,000	100
Florence	$31,000	90
Decatur	$30,000	70
Gadsden	$26,000	60
Dothan	$31,000	60
Anniston	$35,000	50

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$40,000	370
Fairbanks	$43,000	40

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Phoenix	$44,000	1,480
Tucson	$39,000	1,220
Kingman	$42,000	50
Flagstaff	$38,000	40

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Little Rock	$36,000	320
Fayetteville	$28,000	180
Fort Smith	$32,000	80
Hot Springs	$35,000	60
Jonesboro	$34,000	40

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
San Diego	$43,000	1,580
Santa Ana	$38,000	1,500
San Francisco	$45,000	1,060
San Jose	$51,000	910
Sacramento	$41,000	900
Oakland	$48,000	730
Riverside	$41,000	560
Bakersfield	$32,000	240
Santa Rosa	$41,000	220
Oxnard	$40,000	200
Fresno	$41,000	130
Stockton	$39,000	110
Vallejo	$43,000	100
Redding	$34,000	100
Santa Cruz	$41,000	100
Santa Barbara	$34,000	90
Salinas	$50,000	80
Chico	$29,000	60
Napa	$41,000	60
Visalia	$29,000	50
Merced	$29,000	50
San Luis Obispo	$39,000	50
El Centro	$29,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$35,000	1,080
Fort Collins	$30,000	230
Colorado Springs	$31,000	170
Grand Junction	$44,000	60

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Haven	$52,000	700
Bridgeport	$51,000	410
Hartford	$43,000	290
Norwich	$48,000	100
Danbury	$39,000	70
Waterbury		30

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$43,000	160

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$41,000	1,690

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Tampa	$33,000	1,360
Orlando	$41,000	1,180
Fort Lauderdale	$36,000	940
Miami	$39,000	570
Jacksonville	$36,000	490
West Palm Beach	$39,000	370
Palm Bay	$39,000	250
Deltona	$30,000	160
Pensacola	$32,000	160
Cape Coral	$31,000	130
Lakeland	$30,000	120
Tallahassee	$30,000	120
Gainesville	$39,000	110
Port St Lucie	$44,000	40
Sebastian	$37,000	30

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$34,000	2,780
Augusta	$35,000	350
Gainesville	$32,000	270
Savannah	$28,000	180
Columbus	$30,000	160
Macon	$34,000	140
Albany	$28,000	100
Dalton	$34,000	80
Brunswick	$29,000	70
Rome	$34,000	50
Valdosta	$29,000	40

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$41,000	520

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$35,000	200
Idaho Falls	$37,000	30

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$40,000	4,190
Rockford	$36,000	430
Champaign	$63,000	330
Springfield	$38,000	190
Peoria	$38,000	190

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$40,000	1,460
Gary	$45,000	420
Fort Wayne	$34,000	370
Bloomington	$35,000	210
Evansville	$29,000	170
South Bend	$37,000	170
Terre Haute	$39,000	170
Anderson	$30,000	80
Kokomo	$29,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Davenport	$32,000	640
Des Moines	$38,000	190
Waterloo	$34,000	130
Cedar Rapids	$33,000	130
Ames	$39,000	70
Sioux City	$32,000	30

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$28,000	260
Topeka	$29,000	220

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Louisville	$34,000	450
Lexington	$35,000	320
Owensboro	$33,000	60
Bowling Green	$35,000	40

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$31,000	650
Baton Rouge	$31,000	530
Shreveport	$29,000	440
Lafayette	$37,000	230
Monroe	$34,000	130
Alexandria	$27,000	100
Lake Charles	$26,000	90
Houma	$30,000	80

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$36,000	240
Lewiston	$35,000	40

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Baltimore	$41,000	1,950
Bethesda	$50,000	590
Hagerstown	$41,000	50
Cumberland	$32,000	30

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$40,000	4,840
Worcester	$44,000	390
Brockton	$49,000	120
Framingham	$35,000	90
Barnstable Town	$42,000	90
Haverhill	$40,000	60
Lowell	$41,000	50
Lawrence	$39,000	50

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$36,000	1,390
Detroit	$35,000	900
Grand Rapids	$31,000	340
Lansing	$32,000	240
Flint	$33,000	180
Kalamazoo	$32,000	150
Saginaw	$32,000	140
Ann Arbor	$32,000	110
Monroe	$32,000	40

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$40,000	1,940
Duluth	$40,000	230
St Cloud	$39,000	90

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Jackson	$30,000	330
Gulfport	$28,000	190
Hattiesburg	$29,000	130
Pascagoula	$31,000	110

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$36,000	1,900
Kansas City	$32,000	1,550
Columbia	$29,000	310
Springfield	$27,000	230
Joplin	$26,000	120
St Joseph	$28,000	90

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Great Falls	$34,000	30

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$34,000	560
Lincoln	$31,000	150

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$34,000	790
Reno	$35,000	210

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$39,000	820
Newark	$47,000	470
Camden	$42,000	440
Trenton	$47,000	130
Atlantic City	$47,000	80

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Albuquerque	$38,000	490
Santa Fe	$39,000	190
Las Cruces	$29,000	50

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$45,000	4,810
Nassau	$47,000	980
Rochester	$30,000	550
Albany	$36,000	350
Buffalo	$40,000	330
Syracuse	$38,000	270
Poughkeepsie	$46,000	230
Utica	$42,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$37,000	690
Greensboro	$39,000	580
Winston Salem	$40,000	540
Durham	$38,000	500
Raleigh	$35,000	230
Asheville	$34,000	210
Hickory	$33,000	210
Fayetteville	$35,000	160
Wilmington	$34,000	150
Greenville	$35,000	110
Rocky Mount	$36,000	60
Goldsboro	$33,000	30
Jacksonville	$41,000	30

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fargo	$29,000	260
Bismarck	$33,000	80
Grand Forks	$36,000	40

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cleveland	$36,000	1,300
Cincinnati	$33,000	890
Columbus	$38,000	840
Toledo	$42,000	350
Akron	$40,000	340
Dayton	$39,000	340
Youngstown	$34,000	150
Canton	$38,000	130

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Tulsa	$28,000	570
Oklahoma City	$34,000	500
Lawton	$42,000	50

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$39,000	790
Eugene	$37,000	160
Salem	$41,000	70

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$41,000	4,250
Pittsburgh	$35,000	1,960
Scranton	$34,000	550
Allentown	$39,000	490
Harrisburg	$32,000	340
Reading	$41,000	250
Lancaster	$42,000	240
Erie	$30,000	200
York	$35,000	200
Johnstown	$30,000	180
Altoona	$33,000	150
Williamsport	$32,000	70

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$46,000	630

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbia	$32,000	560
Charleston	$33,000	340
Greenville	$36,000	320
Spartanburg	$38,000	200
Florence	$33,000	120
Myrtle Beach	$32,000	90
Sumter	$31,000	50

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$31,000	190
Rapid City	$33,000	30

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Memphis	$33,000	1,380
Nashville	$35,000	1,320
Knoxville	$32,000	830
Chattanooga	$35,000	460
Jackson	$25,000	290
Kingsport	$29,000	230
Johnson City	$34,000	190
Morristown	$33,000	100
Cleveland		70
Clarksville	$37,000	60

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$36,000	3,050
Dallas	$35,000	2,450
San Antonio	$35,000	1,040
Fort Worth	$33,000	860
Austin	$34,000	470
El Paso	$29,000	310
Lubbock	$31,000	230
Mcallen	$26,000	220
Corpus Christi	$29,000	210
Killeen	$35,000	200
Tyler	$30,000	190
Amarillo	$31,000	170
Texarkana	$34,000	170
Beaumont	$29,000	160
Abilene	$28,000	130
Brownsville	$30,000	130
Waco	$32,000	120
Wichita Falls	$30,000	90
Victoria	$32,000	80
San Angelo	$35,000	50
Midland	$29,000	40