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Instrument specialist salary
Average instrument specialist salary
$67,699
Understanding Instrument Specialist Salaries
The salary for an Instrument Specialist stands at an average of $67,699 per year or about $33 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on several key factors:
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned specialists can earn significantly more.
- Location: Certain states and cities offer higher salaries due to demand and cost of living.
- Industry: Specialized sectors, such as healthcare or aerospace, may provide competitive compensation packages.
For instance, states like California and Texas are known for higher pay, often exceeding the national average. Additionally, roles in high-demand areas may come with bonuses or incentives that further enhance earnings.
As you consider your career as an Instrument Specialist, it's essential to research specific opportunities available in your desired location and industry. This role is crucial for ensuring the proper functioning of essential equipment across various sectors, and the demand for skilled professionals continues to grow. Explore job listings on Zippia for the latest opportunities and insights into salary expectations.
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Where can an Instrument Specialist earn more?
Instrument specialist salaries by experience level
Instrument specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average instrument specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for instrument specialists are Hawaii, Maryland, and California. The lowest average instrument specialist salary states are Arizona, North Dakota, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for instrument specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $73,677 | $35.42 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $84,757 | $40.75 |
| 3 | North Carolina | $74,185 | $35.67 |
| 4 | Maryland | $81,327 | $39.10 |
| 5 | Vermont | $71,797 | $34.52 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $75,682 | $36.39 |
| 7 | Texas | $69,022 | $33.18 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $63,207 | $30.39 |
| 9 | California | $79,693 | $38.31 |
| 10 | Alaska | $68,295 | $32.83 |
| 11 | Virginia | $71,582 | $34.41 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $70,497 | $33.89 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $64,283 | $30.91 |
| 14 | Nevada | $63,867 | $30.71 |
| 15 | Georgia | $66,632 | $32.03 |
| 16 | Indiana | $63,419 | $30.49 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $69,210 | $33.27 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $62,785 | $30.19 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $64,926 | $31.21 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $67,375 | $32.39 |
| 21 | Oregon | $68,826 | $33.09 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $67,376 | $32.39 |
| 23 | Florida | $62,287 | $29.95 |
| 24 | New York | $67,075 | $32.25 |
| 25 | Illinois | $66,935 | $32.18 |
| 26 | Alabama | $60,902 | $29.28 |
| 27 | Michigan | $59,625 | $28.67 |
| 28 | Iowa | $57,691 | $27.74 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $61,934 | $29.78 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $58,543 | $28.15 |
| 31 | Missouri | $62,008 | $29.81 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $66,728 | $32.08 |
| 33 | Washington | $65,510 | $31.50 |
| 34 | Montana | $56,897 | $27.35 |
| 35 | Colorado | $62,696 | $30.14 |
| 36 | Idaho | $56,337 | $27.09 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $57,842 | $27.81 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $59,333 | $28.53 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $56,804 | $27.31 |
| 40 | Ohio | $59,185 | $28.45 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $54,069 | $25.99 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $55,893 | $26.87 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $61,338 | $29.49 |
| 44 | Arizona | $54,087 | $26.00 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $52,030 | $25.01 |
| 46 | Minnesota | $57,647 | $27.71 |
| 47 | Kansas | $53,237 | $25.59 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $55,878 | $26.86 |
| 49 | Utah | $52,347 | $25.17 |
| 50 | Maine | $55,818 | $26.84 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $53,275 | $25.61 |
Highest paying cities for instrument specialists
The highest-paying cities for instrument specialists are Mililani Town, HI, Dundalk, MD, and Los Angeles, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mililani Town, HI | $84,888 | $40.81 |
| 2 | Dundalk, MD | $81,466 | $39.17 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $78,747 | $37.86 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $75,522 | $36.31 |
| 5 | Durham, NC | $74,884 | $36.00 |
| 6 | Reston, VA | $71,568 | $34.41 |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | $69,746 | $33.53 |
| 8 | Farmington, CT | $69,646 | $33.48 |
| 9 | Plainfield, IL | $66,898 | $32.16 |
| 10 | Washington, DC | $66,787 | $32.11 |
| 11 | Metairie, LA | $64,460 | $30.99 |
| 12 | Rochester, NY | $63,527 | $30.54 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $63,466 | $30.51 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $62,672 | $30.13 |
| 15 | Columbia, MO | $61,882 | $29.75 |
| 16 | Huntsville, AL | $60,797 | $29.23 |
| 17 | Akron, OH | $59,663 | $28.68 |
| 18 | Midland, MI | $59,114 | $28.42 |
| 19 | Mayagez, PR | $58,729 | $28.24 |
| 20 | Eden Prairie, MN | $57,676 | $27.73 |
Instrument specialist salary details
An instrument specialist's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an instrument specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| Average | $67,699 | $5,642 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
| 10th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
Highest paying instrument specialist jobs
The highest paying types of instrument specialists are engineering technician lead, engineering specialist, and technical testing engineer.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| IE Technician | $67,439 | $5,620 | $32.42 | 28,129 |
Top companies hiring instrument specialists now:
Which companies pay instrument specialists the most?
Instrument specialist salaries at The Dow Chemical Company and Foss & Co are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average instrument specialist salary at companies like DuPont and TPC Group are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dow Chemical Company | $87,900 | $42.26 |
| 2 | Foss & Co | $85,274 | $41.00 |
| 3 | DuPont | $84,631 | $40.69 |
| 4 | TPC Group | $84,363 | $40.56 |
| 5 | Medtronic | $83,722 | $40.25 |
| 6 | SoCalGas | $82,515 | $39.67 |
| 7 | Chevron | $79,371 | $38.16 |
| 8 | Shell Trading | $79,127 | $38.04 |
| 9 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $77,752 | $37.38 |
| 10 | Shell Energy North America | $77,580 | $37.30 |
| 11 | Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc | $77,091 | $37.06 |
| 12 | Agilent Technologies | $76,012 | $36.54 |
| 13 | Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego | $75,195 | $36.15 |
| 14 | Eaton | $75,151 | $36.13 |
| 15 | Eurofins | $74,180 | $35.66 |
| 16 | Leonardo | $73,723 | $35.44 |
| 17 | AURA | $73,428 | $35.30 |
| 18 | Humacyte | $72,783 | $34.99 |
| 19 | KCAS | $72,557 | $34.88 |
| 20 | Lafarge North America | $72,005 | $34.62 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Instrument Specialist salary by industry
The average instrument specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average instrument specialist salary in the energy industry is $85,084, the highest of any industry.
- The average instrument specialist salary in the finance industry is $78,066.
- Instrument specialists in the health care industry earn an average salary of $70,439, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for instrument specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $85,084 | $40.91 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $78,066 | $37.53 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $77,828 | $37.42 |
| 4 | Utilities | $76,846 | $36.95 |
| 5 | Construction | $72,257 | $34.74 |
| 6 | Health Care | $70,439 | $33.86 |
High paying instrument specialist jobs
Instrument specialist salary trends
The average instrument specialist salary has risen by $10,673 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average instrument specialist earned $57,026 annually, but today, they earn $67,699 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for instrument specialists over the last decade.
Compare instrument specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average instrument specialist salary over time
Compare instrument specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Instrument specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $67,700 | $32.55 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $65,400 | $31.44 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | $64,500 | $31.00 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $63,800 | $30.67 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $62,300 | $29.97 | +1.7% |
Recently added instrument specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush University Medical Center | Loaner and Instrument Management Specialist | Chicago, IL | 06/26/2025 | $39,382 |
| Novaspect Inc. | Control Valve & Instrumentation Specialist | Milwaukee, WI | 06/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| City of South Bend, In | Scada Instrument Specialist | South Bend, IN | 06/18/2025 | $66,631 |
| Avispa | Instrumentation Specialist | Hillsboro, OR | 06/15/2025 | $73,045 |
| Harvest Technical Services | 4594 Instrumentation Specialist II | Hillsboro, OR | 06/14/2025 | $73,045 |
| Avispa Technology | Instrumentation Specialist | Hillsboro, OR | 06/13/2025 | $73,045 |
| Tolmar Careers | Instrumentation Specialist I | Windsor, CO | 05/26/2025 | $65,000 |
| Novaspect Inc. | Control Valve & Instrumentation Specialist | Milwaukee, WI | 05/25/2025 | $100,000 |
| Human Resources | Research Instrumentation Specialist | Philadelphia, PA | 05/25/2025 | $62,630 |
| Drexel University | Research Instrumentation Specialist | Philadelphia, PA | 05/24/2025 | $62,630 |
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