What is a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?

A Microbiological Laboratory Technician is tasked with aiding other microbiologists in their scientific research and work by doing technical tests, experiments, and other tasks. They help in many ways, such as aiding in the development of analyzing and testing processes and procedures or identification of microorganisms found in samples of liquids and substances, such as viruses and bacteria.

They also do this by maintaining lab equipment, gathering samples, performing tests on microorganisms and samples, reporting on the results, maintaining databases, and performing other scientific research. A Technician usually works in research laboratories or institutions or labs within universities.

A potential candidate for a Microbiology Laboratory Technician will generally need to have a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology or a closely related field of study, as well as a good understanding of testing procedures, good problem-solving and documenting skills, and previous experience with the handling of laboratory equipment. Further education and licensing may also be necessary.

What Does a Microbiological Laboratory Technician Do

There are certain skills that many microbiological laboratory technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed technical skills, analytical skills and communication skills.

Learn more about what a Microbiological Laboratory Technician does

How To Become a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

If you're interested in becoming a microbiological laboratory technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 78.6% of microbiological laboratory technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 5.4% of microbiological laboratory technicians have master's degrees. Even though most microbiological laboratory technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Top Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs Near You

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a microbiological laboratory technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as laboratory technician, progress to a title such as chemist and then eventually end up with the title senior chemist.

Average Salary for a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Microbiological Laboratory Technicians in America make an average salary of $38,713 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $50,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $29,000 per year.

Average Microbiological Laboratory Technician Salary

$38,713 Yearly

$18.61 hourly

$29,00010%

$38,000Median

$50,00090%

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Roles and Types of Microbiological Laboratory Technician

There are several types of microbiological laboratory technician, including:

Laboratory Technician

Role:

As a laboratory technician, you get to do all the nitty gritty work, like collecting samples. But you also get to study and take part in conducting tests. So it's not all nitty gritty, at least.

The majority of your day as a laboratory technician will be spent in a lab, surrounded by bodily fluids, chemicals, and organic matter. If any of that makes you squirmish just thinking about it, then it's not too late to turn back.

Employers prefer that you have a bachelor's degree before pursuing a position as a laboratory tech, but associate degrees are also welcome. Before you start, you'll need to rack up a few years of experience in lab work. It probably wouldn't be a good thing if you blew up the lab on your first day.

Average Salary: $40,038
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Medical Laboratory Technician

Role:

Medical lab technicians work behind the scenes, in hospitals, clinics, or pharmaceutical laboratories, doing the legwork for medical research. Following the lead of a physician or technologist, they perform trials and tests to improve diagnosis methods and treatments of diseases.

They analyze microorganisms and every possible cell, tissue, and fluid found in the human body, using sophisticated equipment. By inspecting enzymes and proteins, they can tell if major organs are working correctly. They examine blood and look for bacteria, fungus, parasites, and the like. Doctors rely on their findings when concluding a diagnosis.

Qualified medical technicians are in high demand currently, which is only growing, with an expected increase of 13% until 2026. In order to apply for a position, you need to hold a degree or obtain certification. There are vocational courses where you can learn necessary laboratory technologies and skills, or you can complete a university course in biomedical science of biotechnology.

Average Salary: $51,780
Degree: Associate Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

Research Technician

Role:

If you have a passion for science and enjoy the challenges of solving scientific research, analysis, and investigation, then you might consider a career as a research technician.

Generally, a research technician or research scientist is a person who helps scientists with their research and experiments in a laboratory. Research technician is a job that offers you job satisfaction, the flexibility of work, high salaries, variable tasks, and a stable employment market.

A technician position may bring a satisfying role as the key member of a laboratory or may act as a stepping stone to a Ph.D., medical, or other job opportunities.

Average Salary: $43,034
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Overview How To Become Job Description Jobs

States With The Most Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active microbiological laboratory technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where microbiological laboratory technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	3,097	$47,093
2	Massachusetts	1,620	$51,947
3	New York	1,606	$45,292
4	Florida	1,448	$34,665
5	Texas	1,311	$34,356
6	Pennsylvania	997	$39,611
7	Michigan	884	$36,377
8	Illinois	875	$42,947
9	New Jersey	786	$46,953
10	Ohio	757	$38,016
11	North Carolina	717	$30,931
12	Washington	691	$43,337
13	Minnesota	690	$36,986
14	Maryland	674	$38,893
15	Arizona	514	$36,692
16	Georgia	506	$39,896
17	Virginia	495	$35,487
18	Wisconsin	491	$39,663
19	Indiana	452	$28,472
20	Missouri	447	$32,893
21	Tennessee	421	$38,902
22	Colorado	421	$36,484
23	Iowa	382	$37,053
24	Oregon	343	$37,898
25	Utah	272	$28,707
26	Kansas	268	$32,547
27	Alabama	261	$28,634
28	Connecticut	255	$49,084
29	Louisiana	240	$34,326
30	Kentucky	221	$32,037
31	South Carolina	213	$32,828
32	Arkansas	211	$39,084
33	New Hampshire	193	$46,065
34	Oklahoma	166	$37,866
35	Nebraska	164	$36,385
36	New Mexico	153	$39,738
37	Nevada	150	$35,623
38	Idaho	147	$35,084
39	South Dakota	139	$28,515
40	Mississippi	137	$34,595
41	West Virginia	127	$33,432
42	Maine	112	$33,603
43	Montana	111	$28,974
44	Alaska	105	$37,435
45	Vermont	95	$30,627
46	North Dakota	85	$28,019
47	Hawaii	80	$47,559
48	Rhode Island	76	$42,739
49	Delaware	66	$36,053
50	Wyoming	50	$38,621

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Education

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Majors

Biology

49.6 %

Microbiology

11.3 %

Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology

5.6 %

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Degrees

Bachelors

78.6 %

Associate

11.7 %

Masters

5.4 %

Top Colleges for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

10. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

Top Skills For a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.4% of microbiological laboratory technicians listed microbiology lab on their resume, but soft skills such as technical skills and analytical skills are important as well.

Microbiology Lab, 9.4%

Laboratory Procedures, 6.5%

Aseptic Technique, 6.0%

Lab Equipment, 6.0%

Food Safety, 5.9%

Other Skills, 66.2%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Microbiological Laboratory Technician Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Microbiological Laboratory Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Microbiological Laboratory Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Microbiological Laboratory Technician diversity

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Gender Distribution

Female

64%

Male

36%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among microbiological laboratory technicians, 64.0% of them are women, while 36.0% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among microbiological laboratory technicians is White, which makes up 51.3% of all microbiological laboratory technicians.

The most common foreign language among microbiological laboratory technicians is Spanish at 54.4%.

Online Courses For Microbiological Laboratory Technician That You May Like

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Best States For a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a microbiological laboratory technician. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, and California. Microbiological laboratory technicians make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $51,947. Whereas in Connecticut and Hawaii, they would average $49,084 and $47,559, respectively. While microbiological laboratory technicians would only make an average of $47,093 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Massachusetts

Total Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs: 1,620

Highest 10% Earn:

$74,000

Location Quotient:

2.03

$51,947

Avg. Salary

View 1,620 Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs In MA

2. New Hampshire

Total Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs: 193

Highest 10% Earn:

$64,000

Location Quotient:

1.27

$46,065

Avg. Salary

View 193 Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs In NH

3. New Jersey

Total Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs: 786

Highest 10% Earn:

$66,000

Location Quotient:

1.14

$46,953

Avg. Salary

View 786 Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs In NJ

Full List Of Best States For Microbiological Laboratory Technicians

How Do Microbiological Laboratory Technicians Rate Their Jobs?

Top Microbiological Laboratory Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Allergan plc	$52,124	$25.06	9
2	Pfizer	$49,583	$23.84	7
3	Mérieux NutriSciences	$42,762	$20.56	11
4	Bausch + Lomb	$39,630	$19.05	9
5	Pall	$38,597	$18.56	9
6	P&G	$38,502	$18.51	12
7	Certified Laboratories	$37,896	$18.22	28
8	EMSL Analytical	$37,881	$18.21	11
9	Eurofins	$37,748	$18.15	10
10	Food Safety Net Services	$37,717	$18.13	19

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Videos

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Career Profile: Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician

Updated April 6, 2023

What is a Microbiological Laboratory Technician?

What Does a Microbiological Laboratory Technician Do

How To Become a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Career Paths

Average Salary for a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Roles and Types of Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Laboratory Technician

Role:

Medical Laboratory Technician

Role:

Research Technician

Role:

States With The Most Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs

Number Of Microbiological Laboratory Technician Jobs By State

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Education

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Majors

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Degrees

Top Colleges for Microbiological Laboratory Technicians

1. Cornell University

2. Duke University

3. Harvard University

4. Johns Hopkins University

5. Stanford University

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

7. University of Florida

8. University of Southern California

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10. Ohio State University

Top Skills For a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Choose From 10+ Customizable Microbiological Laboratory Technician Resume templates

Microbiological Laboratory Technician diversity

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Gender Distribution

Online Courses For Microbiological Laboratory Technician That You May Like

Best States For a Microbiological Laboratory Technician

How Do Microbiological Laboratory Technicians Rate Their Jobs?

Top Microbiological Laboratory Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For Microbiological Laboratory Technician

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Videos

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Related Careers

Microbiological Laboratory Technician Related Jobs

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