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Laboratory associate salary
Average laboratory associate salary
$42,756
Understanding the Laboratory Associate Salary
The average salary for a Laboratory Associate is $42,756 annually. This equates to approximately $21 per hour. Salaries can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
Salary Variations by State
In states like California and Massachusetts, laboratory associates tend to earn higher salaries compared to other regions. For instance, in California, the salary may exceed the national average, influenced by the high cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Industries with Higher Salaries
Laboratory associates can find lucrative positions in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and clinical research. These industries not only offer competitive salaries but also potential for career advancement and specialization in various laboratory techniques.
Understanding salary trends and industry demands can significantly aid in career planning. Evaluating job offers based on location, industry, and personal experience will ensure informed decisions that align with your career goals.
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Where can a Laboratory Associate earn more?
Laboratory associate salary estimates from across the web
Average laboratory associate salary by state
The average laboratory associate salary in Alaska, New Jersey, and Hawaii are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average laboratory associate salary states are Georgia, South Dakota, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for laboratory associates
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $65,969 | $31.72 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $57,000 | $27.40 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $53,255 | $25.60 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $60,485 | $29.08 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $52,012 | $25.01 |
| 6 | New York | $54,431 | $26.17 |
| 7 | Vermont | $48,850 | $23.49 |
| 8 | Arizona | $50,385 | $24.22 |
| 9 | Maine | $47,397 | $22.79 |
| 10 | Delaware | $54,691 | $26.29 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $50,656 | $24.35 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $53,728 | $25.83 |
| 13 | Hawaii | $58,961 | $28.35 |
| 14 | California | $54,923 | $26.41 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $46,781 | $22.49 |
| 16 | Maryland | $51,389 | $24.71 |
| 17 | Nevada | $50,974 | $24.51 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $56,424 | $27.13 |
| 19 | Florida | $44,447 | $21.37 |
| 20 | Washington | $48,309 | $23.23 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $44,652 | $21.47 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $45,122 | $21.69 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $42,831 | $20.59 |
| 24 | Ohio | $44,165 | $21.23 |
| 25 | Michigan | $40,406 | $19.43 |
| 26 | Oregon | $47,719 | $22.94 |
| 27 | Illinois | $41,297 | $19.85 |
| 28 | Iowa | $39,428 | $18.96 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $41,747 | $20.07 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $42,096 | $20.24 |
| 31 | Kansas | $38,778 | $18.64 |
| 32 | Indiana | $37,161 | $17.87 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $41,631 | $20.01 |
| 34 | Virginia | $44,197 | $21.25 |
| 35 | Montana | $39,323 | $18.91 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $35,779 | $17.20 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $37,367 | $17.96 |
| 38 | Idaho | $37,372 | $17.97 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $37,827 | $18.19 |
| 40 | Texas | $38,330 | $18.43 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $37,744 | $18.15 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $35,361 | $17.00 |
| 43 | Colorado | $37,181 | $17.88 |
| 44 | Georgia | $35,980 | $17.30 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $37,941 | $18.24 |
| 46 | Alabama | $34,247 | $16.46 |
| 47 | Utah | $37,128 | $17.85 |
| 48 | Missouri | $36,077 | $17.34 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $36,207 | $17.41 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $34,476 | $16.57 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $33,200 | $15.96 |
Highest paying cities for laboratory associates
The highest-paying cities for laboratory associates are New Brunswick, NJ, San Francisco, CA, and Cambridge, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Brunswick, NJ | $60,440 | $29.06 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $59,387 | $28.55 |
| 3 | Cambridge, MA | $56,830 | $27.32 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $56,433 | $27.13 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $54,804 | $26.35 |
| 6 | New Haven, CT | $50,843 | $24.44 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $48,739 | $23.43 |
| 8 | Reading, PA | $45,391 | $21.82 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | $42,710 | $20.53 |
| 10 | Evanston, IL | $41,821 | $20.11 |
| 11 | Minneapolis, MN | $41,739 | $20.07 |
| 12 | Ann Arbor, MI | $40,296 | $19.37 |
| 13 | Waterloo, IA | $39,733 | $19.10 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $38,498 | $18.51 |
| 15 | Memphis, TN | $37,308 | $17.94 |
| 16 | Boulder, CO | $37,120 | $17.85 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $36,819 | $17.70 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $36,353 | $17.48 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $36,021 | $17.32 |
| 20 | Huntsville, AL | $34,257 | $16.47 |
Laboratory associate salary details
A laboratory associate's salary ranges from $28,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $63,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a laboratory associate's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
| 75th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
| Average | $42,756 | $3,563 | $21 |
| 25th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
| 10th Percentile | $28,000 | $2,333 | $13 |
Highest paying laboratory associate jobs
The highest paying types of laboratory associates are laboratory manager, laboratory supervisor, and medical technologist, generalist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Technologist | $53,249 | $4,437 | $25.60 | 116,495 |
| Medical Technologist, Generalist | $58,246 | $4,854 | $28.00 | 121,721 |
| Histologic Technician | $49,962 | $4,163 | $24.02 | 6,785 |
| Medical Laboratory Technologist Internship | $37,088 | $3,091 | $17.83 | 169,421 |
| Clinical Laboratory Technician | $50,756 | $4,230 | $24.40 | 119,050 |
| Research Laboratory Technician | $38,308 | $3,192 | $18.42 | 86,476 |
Top companies hiring laboratory associates now:
Which companies pay laboratory associates the most?
Laboratory associate salaries at Meta and BlackRock are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average laboratory associate salary at companies like Amgen and Genentech are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $97,631 | $46.94 |
| 2 | BlackRock | $73,845 | $35.50 |
| 3 | Amgen | $71,984 | $34.61 |
| 4 | Genentech | $68,004 | $32.69 |
| 5 | UST Global | $66,548 | $31.99 |
| 6 | New York University | $61,848 | $29.73 |
| 7 | Pfizer | $61,311 | $29.48 |
| 8 | Accenture | $58,759 | $28.25 |
| 9 | UC Merced | $58,742 | $28.24 |
| 10 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | $57,901 | $27.84 |
| 11 | University of Southern California | $56,076 | $26.96 |
| 12 | Seattle Cancer Care Alliance | $56,067 | $26.96 |
| 13 | Church & Dwight Co. | $54,717 | $26.31 |
| 14 | QuintilesIMS | $54,269 | $26.09 |
| 15 | SomaLogic | $53,526 | $25.73 |
| 16 | TalentBurst | $51,457 | $24.74 |
| 17 | University of California-Berkeley | $51,173 | $24.60 |
| 18 | Mount Sinai Health System | $50,863 | $24.45 |
| 19 | Bristol Community College | $50,765 | $24.41 |
| 20 | UC Santa Barbara | $50,189 | $24.13 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Laboratory Associate salary by industry
The average laboratory associate salary varies across industries:
- The average laboratory associate salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $43,992, the highest of any industry.
- The average laboratory associate salary in the finance industry is $41,147.
- Laboratory associates in the government industry earn an average salary of $39,516, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for laboratory associates
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $43,992 | $21.15 |
| 2 | Health Care | $41,147 | $19.78 |
| 3 | Retail | $39,536 | $19.01 |
| 4 | Government | $39,516 | $19.00 |
High paying laboratory associate jobs
Laboratory associate salary trends
The average laboratory associate salary has risen by $4,747 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average laboratory associate earned $38,009 annually, but today, they earn $42,756 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for laboratory associates over the last decade.
Compare laboratory associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average laboratory associate salary over time
Compare laboratory associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Laboratory associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $42,800 | $20.56 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $41,600 | $20.00 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | $41,900 | $20.14 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $40,900 | $19.64 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $40,100 | $19.26 | -0.1% |
Recently added laboratory associate salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutterhealth | Lab Associate II | San Francisco, CA | 06/30/2025 | $69,977 |
| Billiontoone | Clinical Laboratory Associate (CLA), Oncology | Menlo Park, CA | 06/29/2025 | $58,344 |
| Iqvia | Laboratory Associate-Specialty Processing Shift: Tue-Sat PM To PM | Santa Clarita, CA | 06/28/2025 | $34,700 |
| Us Quintiles Laboratories | Laboratory Associate-Specialty Processing Shift: Tue-Sat PM To PM | Santa Clarita, CA | 06/28/2025 | $34,700 |
| Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Lab Associate I | Memphis, TN | 06/27/2025 | $35,896 |
| Quest Diagnostics | Lab Associate I | San Juan Capistrano, CA | 06/27/2025 | $41,594 |
| Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Lab Associate I | Lewisville, TX | 06/27/2025 | $36,042 |
| BJC Healthcare | Lab Associate I (Courier) | Saint Louis, MO | 06/27/2025 | $31,305 |
| Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Lab Associate II | Roanoke, VA | 06/26/2025 | $37,357 |
| Kelly Services | Laboratory Associate | Marlborough, MA | 06/23/2025 | $73,045 |
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