Best states for a quality laboratory technician

Q: What is the best state for quality laboratory technicians?

The best state to be a quality laboratory technician is North Dakota based on quality laboratory technician salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for quality laboratory technicians?

The highest paying state for quality laboratory technicians is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for quality laboratory technicians?

The worst state for quality laboratory technicians is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Rainer Glaser

Rank 1 - 10
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for quality laboratory technicians? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for quality laboratory technician jobs.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for quality laboratory technicians. We found that North Dakota is the best state in the nation for quality laboratory technicians, and people in Caldwell earn the most in the field.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for quality laboratory technicians.If you are currently seeking employment as a quality laboratory technician, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for quality laboratory technicians in 2026

1. North Dakota
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 225
Average annual salary: $44,207
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Quality laboratory technician jobs in North Dakota
2. Alaska
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 208
Average annual salary: $44,750
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Alaska
3. Maine
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 285
Average annual salary: $44,764
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Maine
4. Idaho
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 307
Average annual salary: $49,416
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Idaho
5. Oregon
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 808
Average annual salary: $46,062
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Oregon
6. Washington
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 1,456
Average annual salary: $46,218
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Washington
7. California
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 6,922
Average annual salary: $45,486
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1.2
Quality laboratory technician jobs in California
8. New Hampshire
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 466
Average annual salary: $40,942
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1.35
Quality laboratory technician jobs in New Hampshire
9. Rhode Island
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 211
Average annual salary: $46,957
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Quality laboratory technician jobs in Rhode Island
10. New Mexico
Total quality laboratory technician jobs: 354
Average annual salary: $42,667
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Quality laboratory technician jobs in New Mexico

Quality laboratory technician jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a quality laboratory technician

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a quality laboratory technician

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$44,207	$36,000	755,393	225
2	Alaska	$44,750	$38,000	739,795	208
3	Maine	$44,764	$37,000	1,335,907	285
4	Idaho	$49,416	$38,000	1,716,943	307
5	Oregon	$46,062	$35,000	4,142,776	808
6	Washington	$46,218	$36,000	7,405,743	1,456
7	California	$45,486	$34,000	39,536,653	6,922
8	New Hampshire	$40,942	$33,000	1,342,795	466
9	Rhode Island	$46,957	$37,000	1,059,639	211
10	New Mexico	$42,667	$33,000	2,088,070	354
11	Pennsylvania	$39,761	$31,000	12,805,537	2,430
12	New Jersey	$41,071	$32,000	9,005,644	1,779
13	Nebraska	$41,203	$33,000	1,920,076	403
14	Kansas	$40,220	$32,000	2,913,123	571
15	Michigan	$38,903	$31,000	9,962,311	1,601
16	Connecticut	$41,646	$33,000	3,588,184	628
17	Hawaii	$46,526	$40,000	1,427,538	151
18	Maryland	$41,180	$32,000	6,052,177	1,362
19	Georgia	$41,797	$32,000	10,429,379	1,733
20	South Carolina	$39,195	$30,000	5,024,369	922
21	Texas	$39,754	$31,000	28,304,596	3,768
22	Wisconsin	$37,581	$30,000	5,795,483	1,226
23	Massachusetts	$43,402	$35,000	6,859,819	1,257
24	South Dakota	$37,061	$30,000	869,666	232
25	Wyoming	$39,168	$31,000	579,315	109
26	Arizona	$38,835	$30,000	7,016,270	1,173
27	Utah	$36,715	$28,000	3,101,833	780
28	Montana	$38,395	$31,000	1,050,493	217
29	Illinois	$39,400	$31,000	12,802,023	2,054
30	District of Columbia	$44,122	$34,000	693,972	207
31	New York	$38,190	$29,000	19,849,399	2,844
32	Vermont	$35,848	$29,000	623,657	170
33	Kentucky	$35,612	$28,000	4,454,189	696
34	Indiana	$34,675	$27,000	6,666,818	1,404
35	Minnesota	$34,915	$28,000	5,576,606	1,539
36	West Virginia	$36,021	$28,000	1,815,857	237
37	Missouri	$36,411	$29,000	6,113,532	976
38	Nevada	$34,531	$26,000	2,998,039	402
39	Colorado	$37,544	$29,000	5,607,154	1,062
40	North Carolina	$33,762	$26,000	10,273,419	2,117
41	Iowa	$32,526	$26,000	3,145,711	817
42	Mississippi	$34,555	$27,000	2,984,100	368
43	Oklahoma	$35,443	$28,000	3,930,864	430
44	Tennessee	$32,634	$25,000	6,715,984	1,168
45	Louisiana	$35,399	$27,000	4,684,333	442
46	Florida	$34,284	$26,000	20,984,400	2,976
47	Ohio	$32,506	$25,000	11,658,609	1,983
48	Delaware	$35,704	$27,000	961,939	188
49	Alabama	$33,189	$26,000	4,874,747	749
50	Virginia	$33,142	$25,000	8,470,020	1,600
51	Arkansas	$30,960	$24,000	3,004,279	440

Highest paying states for quality laboratory technicians

Rank	State	Avg. Quality Laboratory Technician Salary
1	North Dakota	$44,207
2	Alaska	$44,750
3	Maine	$44,764
4	Idaho	$49,416
5	Oregon	$46,062
6	Washington	$46,218
7	California	$45,486
8	New Hampshire	$40,942
9	Rhode Island	$46,957
10	New Mexico	$42,667
11	Pennsylvania	$39,761
12	New Jersey	$41,071
13	Nebraska	$41,203
14	Kansas	$40,220
15	Michigan	$38,903
16	Connecticut	$41,646
17	Hawaii	$46,526
18	Maryland	$41,180
19	Georgia	$41,797
20	South Carolina	$39,195
21	Texas	$39,754
22	Wisconsin	$37,581
23	Massachusetts	$43,402
24	South Dakota	$37,061
25	Wyoming	$39,168
26	Arizona	$38,835
27	Utah	$36,715
28	Montana	$38,395
29	Illinois	$39,400
30	District of Columbia	$44,122
31	New York	$38,190
32	Vermont	$35,848
33	Kentucky	$35,612
34	Indiana	$34,675
35	Minnesota	$34,915
36	West Virginia	$36,021
37	Missouri	$36,411
38	Nevada	$34,531
39	Colorado	$37,544
40	North Carolina	$33,762
41	Iowa	$32,526
42	Mississippi	$34,555
43	Oklahoma	$35,443
44	Tennessee	$32,634
45	Louisiana	$35,399
46	Florida	$34,284
47	Ohio	$32,506
48	Delaware	$35,704
49	Alabama	$33,189
50	Virginia	$33,142
51	Arkansas	$30,960

Expert opinions on the best states for quality laboratory technicians

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for quality laboratory technicians to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rainer Glaser
Professor and Chair, Missouri University of Science and Technology
There are a few classic hubs of "big commodities chemistry" and "big pharma", for example. Interestingly, the chemistry enterprise constantly spawns new specializations and keeps getting more de-centralized with excellent employment opportunities in every state.

Quality laboratory technician best states FAQs

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Best states for Quality Laboratory Technicians

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Total quality laboratory technician jobs:	225
Average annual salary:	$44,207
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$36,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$54,000
Location Quotient:	1.22

Best states for a quality laboratory technician

10 best states for quality laboratory technicians in 2026

1. North Dakota

2. Alaska

3. Maine

4. Idaho

5. Oregon

6. Washington

7. California

8. New Hampshire

9. Rhode Island

10. New Mexico