Biological Technicians' Salary

Colleges and Universities

Roughly 27 percent of all biological technicians worked for colleges, universities and professional schools as of May 2010, making it the largest industry in the field, explains the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries for biological technicians at colleges and universities averaged $19.93 per hour or $41,450 per year, just $20 less than the nationwide average across all industries. Public colleges paid biological technicians an average of $19.32 per hour or $40,190 per year, while private colleges paid an average of $21.88 per hour or $45,510 per year.

Physicians' offices were the highest-paying employers of biological technicians with average wages of $28.41 per hour or $59,080 per year as of May 2010. Pharmaceutical and medical manufacturers paid biological technicians an average of $22.59 per hour or $46,980 per year, making it the second highest-paying field. Biological technicians working in medical and diagnostic laboratories made an average of $18.39 per hour or $38,250 per year.

Scientific research and development firms ranked as a close second to colleges and universities for the largest industry for biological technicians as of May 2010. Salaries for biological technicians at scientific research and development firms averaged $21.52 per hour or $44,760 per year. The federal government paid biological technicians an average of $17.47 per hour or $36,330 per year, while wages for technicians employed by state governments averaged $17.19 per hour or $35,760 per year.

Connecticut ranked as the highest-paying state for biological technicians at an average of $24.30 per hour or $50,550 per year as of May 2010. In second, Massachusetts featured average annual wages of $23.52 per hour or $48,930 per year for biological technicians. The San Francisco, Redwood City and San Mateo, California, area had the highest wages for technicians among all cities in the United States at an average of $30.42 per hour or $63,270 per year.