Chemistry laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician

The differences between chemistry laboratory technicians and senior laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a chemistry laboratory technician, becoming a senior laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior laboratory technician has an average salary of $48,530, which is higher than the $40,072 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory technician include lab equipment, test results and laboratory tests. The most important skills for a senior laboratory technician are lab equipment, patients, and research projects.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician overview

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$40,072	$48,530
Hourly rate	$19.27	$23.33
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	43,043	63,876
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a chemistry laboratory technician do?

A chemical laboratory technician is an individual who works in a designated laboratory to conduct analytical or lab-based tests on a variety of chemicals, materials, or products. Chemical laboratory technicians receive and test samples for quality assurance, safety inspection, or environmental impact. Under the supervision of chemists and other team members, they perform lab activities such as setting up lab equipment and preparing chemical solutions. Chemistry laboratory technicians can work in different industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, food, and environmental organizations.

What does a senior laboratory technician do?

A Senior Laboratory Technician is responsible for supervising and coordinating scientific investigations and experiments. They supervise staff, provide technical support, and construct, maintain, and operate standard laboratory equipment.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician salary

Chemistry laboratory technicians and senior laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$40,072	$48,530
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $34,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	California
Best paying company	Zoetis	Genentech
Best paying industry	Energy	Manufacturing

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and senior laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory technician and a senior laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	New York University

Chemistry laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory technicians' and senior laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and senior laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Chemistry laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Participate in audits by FDA and ISO.
Assist in preparing and storing laboratory experiments.-Guide students through laboratory procedure.-collect student data for HPLC, GC/MS, and NMR samples.
Skil in characterization of compounds using 1HNMR , 13CNMR, IR, GC, UV-Vis spec.
Train mill trainees on ISO procedures.
Inventory lab chemicals and MSDS sheets.
Maintain and repair FTIR and UV-Vis spectrophotometers.

Senior laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
Operate a binary distillation column using LabView to separate a mixture of methanol and water.
Provide and sign certificate of analyses for wet chemistry and microbiology.
Perform CFU-blast, CFU-C, CFU-D, CFU-S assays.
Create raw material library on FTIR.
Perform manual titration, including testing bacteria and other water tests.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician skills

Common chemistry laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Test Results, 7%
Laboratory Tests, 5%
Chemistry Laboratory, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
HPLC, 4%

Common senior laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Patients, 8%
Research Projects, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Molecular Biology, 4%

Chemistry Laboratory Technician vs. similar jobs

Chemistry Laboratory Technician related careers

Chemistry Laboratory Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Chemistry Laboratory Technician
Chemistry Laboratory Technician vs Senior Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs