Mix a solution from a formula
Follow the formula, measure each ingredient, and write down exactly how much of each you used.
Career profile
Chemical Technician
Chemical technicians prepare chemical samples, run tests, and check whether materials meet specifications.
A production batch can look fine and still fail testing. Reading its measured values, you help spot what is different.
A day in the life
Run samples through a chromatograph
In certain labs, you run a chromatograph, which splits a mixture into its parts for analysis.
Flag results outside the spec
Check each measured value against the product's spec and mark any result that falls outside the allowed range.
Clean equipment and hunt for problems
Clean the lab equipment and look into any problem that could skew the test that follows.
Quick facts
Usually an associate's degree
United States · 2025–2035
$60,390 a year
United States · May 2025
4.9% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually an associate's degreeExpect workplace training after entry; requirements vary by employer.
Pay
$60,390 a yearNational median for chemical technicians, equivalent to $29.03 an hour.
Outlook
4.9% projected growthAbout 7,600 openings annually, including replacement needs—not just new jobs.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like finding why an instrument is behaving differently.
- You enjoy careful hands-on work and making sense of measurements.
Things to weigh
- Expect standing at the bench and wearing protective equipment.
- Experiments and production problems can mean irregular hours or longer days.
Where AI may help
Laboratory databases and spreadsheets help organize results and calculate comparisons.
What people still lead
You still investigate equipment problems and explain what a result means.
What we can’t predict yet
How much hands-on testing will move into automated systems—and how much troubleshooting that creates—remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a reference when comparing offers.
The middle and the spread
The median was $60,390 a year, or $29.03 an hour. The 10th and 90th percentiles were $41,740 and $92,040 annually. These describe the workforce, not beginner and experienced pay grades.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians were $65,960 in wholesale trade, $63,040 in chemical manufacturing, and $49,050 in testing laboratories and services. These are industry comparisons, not promised offers.
Getting started
Study chemical technology
Typically two years
- What the route involves
- Complete an associate's program with applied chemistry, mathematics, and hands-on laboratory practice.
- What it can lead to
- Build the laboratory foundation for technician applications; some employers seek a bachelor's degree.
Enter through an employer's training
- What the route involves
- Some employers consider high-school graduates and teach laboratory methods on the job.
- What it can lead to
- Develop the equipment skills needed for that workplace.
- What to check
- Check each vacancy's education requirements; this route is employer-dependent.
Chemists or chemical engineers typically direct your work and evaluate results.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Learn the lab's methods
Practice procedures with an experienced technician.
Troubleshoot harder tests
Build skill in finding why an analytical procedure is not working as expected.
Teach other technicians
With experience, train colleagues to operate laboratory equipment.
Where you can work
Chemical manufacturing
Your tests track product quality. Production problems may pull you into troubleshooting or irregular hours.
- Indoors
- Lab
- Shift work
Research laboratories
Work alongside researchers, setting up experiments and helping troubleshoot analytical procedures.
- Indoors
- Lab
Pilot plants
Help engineers run experiments in a smaller version of a manufacturing process.
- Indoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Try a paper-only quality check. Use an invented acceptable range of 10–12 units and sample readings of 10.4, 11.2, and 12.6. Make a results table, flag the exception, and write what you would check before trusting it. Notice whether careful records and investigating an odd result appeal to you.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Chemical Technicians — 19-4031.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Chemical Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chemical Technicians — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- American Chemical Society. Chemical Technology. Accessed 2026-10-03.