Post job

Medical laboratory scientist salary

Average medical laboratory scientist salary

$54,377

$26.14 hourly rate

Entry-level medical laboratory scientist salary
$41,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Medical Laboratory Scientist Salaries

As of October 2025, Medical Laboratory Scientists earn an average salary of $54,377 per year, translating to approximately $26 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific sector of employment. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher compensation than others.

Factors Influencing Salaries

  • Location: States with higher living costs tend to pay more.
  • Experience: More experienced professionals generally command higher wages.
  • Field of Work: Specializations in certain medical areas may lead to increased salaries.

Additionally, as the demand for healthcare professionals grows, especially in laboratory settings, those entering the field can expect various opportunities for advancement. Exploring job listings can provide insights into the highest-paying positions available. Understanding these dynamics can help aspiring Medical Laboratory Scientists make informed career decisions.

On this page
Medical laboratory scientist salary by: 

Let Zippi find your next medical laboratory scientist job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippi find your next medical laboratory scientist job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Medical Laboratory Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
100k
80k
60k
40k
20k
Columbus, OH$71,644
Chicago, IL$49,960
Compare salary by company
Vs
91k
71k
51k
31k
Eli Lilly and Company$68,981
Lexington Medical Center$60,543

Medical laboratory scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a medical laboratory scientist typically falls between $46,706 and $89,398.
zippia
$54,377yearly
glassdoor[1]
$89,398yearly
comparably[2]
$71,947yearly
Salary.com[3]
$46,706yearly

Average medical laboratory scientist salary by state

The average medical laboratory scientist salary in Alaska, Nevada, and Hawaii are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average medical laboratory scientist salary states are Louisiana, Missouri, and Nebraska.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for medical laboratory scientists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$64,036$30.79
2Pennsylvania$57,275$27.54
3Utah$57,965$27.87
4Alaska$76,935$36.99
5Nevada$68,777$33.07
6Idaho$57,925$27.85
7Hawaii$67,589$32.49
8Vermont$56,690$27.25
9Oregon$66,419$31.93
10New Hampshire$57,497$27.64
11West Virginia$53,722$25.83
12Washington$65,534$31.51
13Michigan$58,797$28.27
14California$62,887$30.23
15Maine$56,639$27.23
16Wyoming$53,318$25.63
17Arizona$57,070$27.44
18New Jersey$57,739$27.76
19Ohio$51,567$24.79
20Delaware$54,107$26.01
21Kansas$52,542$25.26
22Massachusetts$58,690$28.22
23Rhode Island$55,840$26.85
24Connecticut$55,676$26.77
25North Carolina$51,647$24.83
26Wisconsin$53,307$25.63
27Maryland$51,968$24.98
28Alabama$50,756$24.40
29Arkansas$50,295$24.18
30Kentucky$50,726$24.39
31South Dakota$50,968$24.50
32Colorado$55,546$26.70
33District of Columbia$57,964$27.87
34Montana$52,944$25.45
35Virginia$51,871$24.94
36Tennessee$48,114$23.13
37Indiana$50,498$24.28
38Illinois$49,838$23.96
39Iowa$49,786$23.94
40North Dakota$51,232$24.63
41Georgia$49,189$23.65
42New Mexico$51,217$24.62
43Minnesota$50,012$24.04
44South Carolina$48,556$23.34
45Missouri$48,235$23.19
46Texas$50,473$24.27
47Nebraska$48,155$23.15
48Louisiana$48,337$23.24
49Florida$44,133$21.22
50Oklahoma$48,540$23.34
51Mississippi$46,997$22.59
Top medical laboratory scientist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for medical laboratory scientists

The highest-paying cities for medical laboratory scientists are Reno, NV, Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Reno, NV$71,644$34.44
2Portland, OR$66,483$31.96
3Seattle, WA$66,111$31.78
4Detroit, MI$58,969$28.35
5Boston, MA$58,731$28.24
6Paterson, NJ$57,901$27.84
7Salt Lake City, UT$57,868$27.82
8Philadelphia, PA$57,708$27.74
9Phoenix, AZ$57,288$27.54
10Portland, ME$56,871$27.34
11Fort Collins, CO$55,756$26.81
12Kansas City, KS$52,614$25.30
13Baltimore, MD$52,228$25.11
14El Paso, TX$52,224$25.11
15Raleigh, NC$52,135$25.06
16Bowling Green, OH$51,613$24.81
17Bismarck, ND$51,228$24.63
18Sioux Falls, SD$50,690$24.37
19Minneapolis, MN$49,981$24.03
20Chicago, IL$49,960$24.02

Medical Laboratory Scientists are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Reno, NV
  2. Portland, OR
  3. Seattle, WA
  4. Detroit, MI
  5. Boston, MA

Medical laboratory scientist salary details

A medical laboratory scientist's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $71,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average medical laboratory scientist salary graph
Average medical laboratory scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a medical laboratory scientist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$71,000$5,917$34
75th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30
Average$54,377$4,531$26
25th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
10th Percentile$41,000$3,417$20

Highest paying medical laboratory scientist jobs

The highest paying types of medical laboratory scientists are medical technologist lead, clinical laboratory scientist, and laboratory supervisor.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Histologic Technician$49,962$4,163$24.026,785
Pharmacist Technician$36,090$3,008$17.3573,800
Certified Pharmacist Technician$37,059$3,088$17.82113,033
Medical Technologist, Generalist$58,246$4,854$28.00121,721
Medical Technologist Lead$68,094$5,675$32.74125,848
Medical Technologist$53,249$4,437$25.60116,495

Which companies pay medical laboratory scientists the most?

Medical laboratory scientist salaries at Eli Lilly and Company and Favorite Healthcare Staffing are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average medical laboratory scientist salary at companies like Natera and University of Washington are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$56,000$55,400$54,800$54,200$53,600$53,000
MaleFemale

Medical laboratory scientist salary trends

The average medical laboratory scientist salary has risen by $6,809 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average medical laboratory scientist earned $47,568 annually, but today, they earn $54,377 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for medical laboratory scientists over the last decade.

Compare medical laboratory scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average medical laboratory scientist salary over time

Compare medical laboratory scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Medical laboratory scientist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$54,400$26.14+2.7%
2024$52,900$25.43-0.7%
2023$53,300$25.62+2.5%
2022$52,000$24.98+1.9%
2021$51,000$24.50+0.9%

Recently added medical laboratory scientist salaries

Medical laboratory scientist salary FAQs

Search for medical laboratory scientist jobs

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs