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Instrument technician salary
Average instrument technician salary
$56,918
Understanding the Role of an Instrument Technician
An Instrument Technician plays a vital role in various industries by ensuring that instruments are functioning properly. These professionals work in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and energy, where precision is crucial. The average salary for an instrument technician is $56,918 annually, but this can vary significantly based on factors like location and experience.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level technicians may start with lower salaries, while those with several years of experience can earn significantly more. For instance, experienced technicians often see salaries rise to over $70,000 depending on their expertise and the complexity of the systems they manage.
Regional Salary Variations
Salary also varies by state. States such as California and Texas typically offer higher wages for instrument technicians due to the concentration of industries requiring these skills. It's essential for job seekers to consider geographical factors when evaluating salary expectations.
Career Advancement Opportunities
With the right certifications and continued education, instrument technicians can advance into supervisory or specialized roles, further increasing their earning potential. This field not only offers competitive salaries but also a path for personal and professional growth.
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Where can an Instrument Technician earn more?
Instrument technician salaries by experience level
Instrument technician salary estimates from across the web
Average instrument technician salary by state
The highest-paying states for instrument technicians are Hawaii, California, and Washington. The lowest average instrument technician salary states are Missouri, Alabama, and Connecticut.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instrument technicians
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $71,189 | $34.23 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $54,547 | $26.22 |
| 3 | Alaska | $62,273 | $29.94 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $62,048 | $29.83 |
| 5 | Indiana | $55,048 | $26.47 |
| 6 | Nevada | $53,253 | $25.60 |
| 7 | Colorado | $58,601 | $28.17 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $69,191 | $33.26 |
| 9 | Washington | $66,115 | $31.79 |
| 10 | California | $67,612 | $32.51 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $51,174 | $24.60 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $50,361 | $24.21 |
| 13 | Kansas | $54,863 | $26.38 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $54,964 | $26.43 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $51,350 | $24.69 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $53,066 | $25.51 |
| 17 | Virginia | $59,169 | $28.45 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $53,056 | $25.51 |
| 19 | Delaware | $50,028 | $24.05 |
| 20 | Oregon | $57,221 | $27.51 |
| 21 | Michigan | $48,910 | $23.51 |
| 22 | Maryland | $51,058 | $24.55 |
| 23 | Montana | $46,590 | $22.40 |
| 24 | Georgia | $48,310 | $23.23 |
| 25 | Texas | $50,663 | $24.36 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $48,436 | $23.29 |
| 27 | Arizona | $48,026 | $23.09 |
| 28 | Illinois | $48,681 | $23.40 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $47,677 | $22.92 |
| 30 | New York | $47,735 | $22.95 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $48,952 | $23.53 |
| 32 | Vermont | $42,087 | $20.23 |
| 33 | Massachusetts | $45,468 | $21.86 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $44,988 | $21.63 |
| 35 | Florida | $43,477 | $20.90 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $45,321 | $21.79 |
| 37 | Utah | $42,352 | $20.36 |
| 38 | Ohio | $46,687 | $22.45 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $43,239 | $20.79 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $42,827 | $20.59 |
| 41 | Missouri | $41,538 | $19.97 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $44,576 | $21.43 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $43,102 | $20.72 |
| 44 | Maine | $32,762 | $15.75 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $43,331 | $20.83 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $38,589 | $18.55 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $35,685 | $17.16 |
| 48 | Iowa | $38,084 | $18.31 |
| 49 | Alabama | $40,229 | $19.34 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $41,790 | $20.09 |
| 51 | Idaho | $41,922 | $20.15 |
Highest paying cities for instrument technicians
The highest-paying cities for instrument technicians are Palo Alto, CA, Washington, DC, and Tacoma, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palo Alto, CA | $69,902 | $33.61 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $69,133 | $33.24 |
| 3 | Tacoma, WA | $66,900 | $32.16 |
| 4 | Albuquerque, NM | $62,089 | $29.85 |
| 5 | Richmond, VA | $59,115 | $28.42 |
| 6 | Pueblo, CO | $58,947 | $28.34 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $57,162 | $27.48 |
| 8 | Richmond, IN | $55,769 | $26.81 |
| 9 | Wichita, KS | $55,285 | $26.58 |
| 10 | Reno, NV | $53,966 | $25.95 |
| 11 | Minneapolis, MN | $53,152 | $25.55 |
| 12 | New Orleans, LA | $52,847 | $25.41 |
| 13 | San Antonio, TX | $51,632 | $24.82 |
| 14 | Allen Park, MI | $49,393 | $23.75 |
| 15 | Charlotte, NC | $49,067 | $23.59 |
| 16 | Savannah, GA | $48,381 | $23.26 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $48,117 | $23.13 |
| 18 | Madison, WI | $48,080 | $23.12 |
| 19 | Allentown, PA | $47,396 | $22.79 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $47,374 | $22.78 |
Instrument technician salary details
An instrument technician's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $83,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instrument technician's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 75th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| Average | $56,918 | $4,743 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying instrument technician jobs
The highest paying types of instrument technicians are engineering technician lead, technical testing engineer, and engineering associate.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Testing Engineer | $88,367 | $7,364 | $42.48 | 100,815 |
| Cryptological Technician | $47,215 | $3,935 | $22.70 | 24,839 |
| Electronics Engineering Technician | $67,801 | $5,650 | $32.60 | 73,798 |
| Calibration Technician | $46,908 | $3,909 | $22.55 | 48,741 |
| Electronics Repair Technician | $41,516 | $3,460 | $19.96 | 60,023 |
| Engineering Technician Lead | $107,373 | $8,948 | $51.62 | 102,504 |
Top companies hiring instrument technicians now:
Which companies pay instrument technicians the most?
Instrument technician salaries at Phillips 66 and Arkema are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instrument technician salary at companies like Genentech and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillips 66 | $112,865 | $54.26 |
| 2 | Arkema | $111,894 | $53.80 |
| 3 | Genentech | $102,451 | $49.26 |
| 4 | Apple | $99,955 | $48.06 |
| 5 | BASF | $99,371 | $47.77 |
| 6 | OMNOVA Solutions | $98,855 | $47.53 |
| 7 | The Dow Chemical Company | $98,496 | $47.35 |
| 8 | Occidental Petroleum | $96,598 | $46.44 |
| 9 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $96,299 | $46.30 |
| 10 | Eli Lilly and Company | $95,456 | $45.89 |
| 11 | Pfizer | $92,107 | $44.28 |
| 12 | Air Products | $91,589 | $44.03 |
| 13 | TPC Group | $91,512 | $44.00 |
| 14 | Amgen | $91,480 | $43.98 |
| 15 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $86,146 | $41.42 |
| 16 | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | $83,839 | $40.31 |
| 17 | Corteva | $82,991 | $39.90 |
| 18 | Abbott | $79,357 | $38.15 |
| 19 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $77,588 | $37.30 |
| 20 | Parsons | $76,916 | $36.98 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instrument Technician salary by industry
The average instrument technician salary varies across industries:
- The average instrument technician salary in the manufacturing industry is $70,022, the highest of any industry.
- The average instrument technician salary in the finance industry is $68,085.
- Instrument technicians in the health care industry earn an average salary of $48,365, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instrument technicians
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $70,022 | $33.66 |
| 2 | Energy | $68,085 | $32.73 |
| 3 | Technology | $63,875 | $30.71 |
| 4 | Construction | $60,717 | $29.19 |
| 5 | Health Care | $48,365 | $23.25 |
High paying instrument technician jobs
Instrument technician salary trends
The average instrument technician salary has risen by $8,974 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instrument technician earned $47,944 annually, but today, they earn $56,918 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for instrument technicians over the last decade.
Compare instrument technician salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instrument technician salary over time
Compare instrument technician salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instrument technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $56,900 | $27.36 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $55,000 | $26.44 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $54,200 | $26.06 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $53,600 | $25.79 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $52,400 | $25.19 | +1.7% |
Recently added instrument technician salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate & Lyle | Instrumentation Tech, SAG | Lafayette, IN | 06/30/2025 | $93,414 |
| Abbvie | Instrument Technician II | North Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $48,001 |
| In-Situ Inc. | Instrumentation Technician-Ajax | Austin, TX | 06/29/2025 | $37,566 |
| Wm Bolthouse Farms Inc. | Instrumentation Technician | Bakersfield, CA | 06/29/2025 | $55,827 |
| Aerotek | Electrician and Instrumentation Technician | Chesapeake, VA | 06/28/2025 | $52,000 |
| City of Cocoa, Fl | Instrumentation Technician | Cocoa, FL | 06/28/2025 | $53,845 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Medical Instrument Technician (EEG) | Dayton, OH | 06/28/2025 | $57,389 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Medical Instrument Technician (Cardiac Catheterization) | Lexington, KY | 06/28/2025 | $61,111 |
| Ametek, Inc. | Instrumentation Technician | Broken Arrow, OK | 06/27/2025 | $55,000 |
| Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Bio-Analytical Instrument Technician | Cleveland, OH | 06/27/2025 | $55,806 |
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