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Specimen technician salary

Average specimen technician salary

$39,267

$18.88 hourly rate

Entry-level specimen technician salary
$28,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Specimen Technician Salaries

As of October 2025, the average salary for a specimen technician stands at $39,267 annually. This salary can vary widely based on several factors, including experience, location, and healthcare facility type. For instance, specimen technicians in metropolitan areas tend to earn more compared to those in rural settings.

Salary by State

States such as California and New York often provide higher wages for specimen technicians, with average salaries reaching above $45,000. Furthermore, those with additional certifications or specialized training may command higher salaries, making further education a valuable investment.

Career Opportunities

In addition to salary, the demand for specimen technicians remains strong, with numerous job openings across hospitals, laboratories, and research facilities. This role not only offers competitive pay but also a pathway for career advancement in the healthcare sector.

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Where can a Specimen Technician earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
60k
40k
20k
112
Columbus, OH$48,341
Indianapolis, IN$30,112
Compare salary by company
Vs
56k
36k
16k
-4k
Integrated Resources$40,298
University of Virginia$26,315

Specimen technician salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a specimen technician typically falls between $33,997 and $50,228.
zippia
$39,267yearly
glassdoor[1]
$40,104yearly
comparably[2]
$50,228yearly
Salary.com[3]
$35,465yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$33,997yearly

Average specimen technician salary by state

The average specimen technician salary in California, Alaska, and Maine are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average specimen technician salary states are Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for specimen technicians

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Alaska$46,537$22.37
2Maine$42,131$20.26
3West Virginia$39,254$18.87
4Arizona$39,707$19.09
5New Hampshire$38,812$18.66
6New York$42,067$20.22
7California$47,334$22.76
8New Jersey$40,820$19.63
9Washington$40,675$19.56
10Vermont$36,845$17.71
11Wisconsin$36,607$17.60
12Nevada$40,823$19.63
13Delaware$40,081$19.27
14Rhode Island$38,045$18.29
15North Dakota$36,074$17.34
16Massachusetts$38,583$18.55
17Utah$36,798$17.69
18Idaho$35,012$16.83
19Connecticut$36,409$17.50
20Louisiana$34,394$16.54
21Kentucky$34,834$16.75
22Minnesota$37,768$18.16
23Michigan$33,992$16.34
24South Dakota$32,290$15.52
25Montana$33,963$16.33
26District of Columbia$41,264$19.84
27Colorado$35,164$16.91
28Oregon$35,348$16.99
29Illinois$33,899$16.30
30Hawaii$38,050$18.29
31Pennsylvania$33,139$15.93
32Wyoming$33,671$16.19
33Kansas$32,311$15.53
34North Carolina$33,871$16.28
35Indiana$30,495$14.66
36Iowa$30,154$14.50
37Texas$32,914$15.82
38Nebraska$33,228$15.97
39Ohio$31,226$15.01
40Arkansas$27,761$13.35
41New Mexico$31,898$15.34
42Florida$26,264$12.63
43Maryland$33,289$16.00
44Virginia$32,210$15.49
45Tennessee$28,408$13.66
46Georgia$26,497$12.74
47Missouri$30,423$14.63
48Alabama$26,793$12.88
49Oklahoma$27,941$13.43
50Mississippi$28,518$13.71
51South Carolina$24,884$11.96

Highest paying cities for specimen technicians

The highest-paying cities for specimen technicians are Sacramento, CA, Hicksville, NY, and Seattle, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Sacramento, CA$48,341$23.24
2Hicksville, NY$42,239$20.31
3Seattle, WA$40,821$19.63
4Clifton, NJ$40,800$19.62
5Phoenix, AZ$39,878$19.17
6Marlborough, MA$38,607$18.56
7Kailua, HI$38,061$18.30
8West Valley City, UT$36,661$17.63
9Wallingford, CT$36,322$17.46
10Denver, CO$35,176$16.91
11Towson, MD$33,781$16.24
12Asheville, NC$33,741$16.22
13Billings, MT$33,638$16.17
14Lewisville, TX$32,918$15.83
15Cleveland, OH$32,884$15.81
16Erie, PA$32,812$15.78
17Kansas City, KS$32,239$15.50
18Charlottesville, VA$32,193$15.48
19Kansas City, MO$30,867$14.84
20Indianapolis, IN$30,112$14.48

Specimen technician salary details

A specimen technician's salary ranges from $28,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $53,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average specimen technician salary graph
Average specimen technician salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a specimen technician's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25
75th Percentile$46,000$3,833$22
Average$39,267$3,272$19
25th Percentile$33,000$2,750$16
10th Percentile$28,000$2,333$13

Highest paying specimen technician jobs

The highest paying types of specimen technicians are medical laboratory technician, clinical laboratory technician, and pharmacist technician trainee.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Laboratory Aide$28,083$2,340$13.5089,595
Medical Laboratory Technologist Internship$37,088$3,091$17.83169,421
Clinical Laboratory Technician$50,756$4,230$24.40119,050
Medical Laboratory Technician$51,780$4,315$24.8988,721
Pharmacist Technician Trainee$50,647$4,221$24.3597,227
Laboratory Technician$40,038$3,337$19.2584,357

Which companies pay specimen technicians the most?

Specimen technician salaries at Integrated Resources and TalentBurst are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average specimen technician salary at companies like Quest Diagnostics and ICONMA are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Integrated Resources$40,298$19.37
2TalentBurst$39,861$19.16
3Quest Diagnostics$38,994$18.75
4ICONMA$38,553$18.54
5Sonic Healthcare USA$37,558$18.06
6Kelly Services$37,458$18.01
7All Medical Personnel$36,730$17.66
8Aerotek$36,573$17.58
9Precision Diagnostics$36,526$17.56
10The University of Kansas Health System$36,052$17.33
11Johns Hopkins Medicine$35,392$17.02
12HealthTrust$35,336$16.99
13Sonora Quest Labs$34,194$16.44
14Unity College$32,954$15.84
15Rochester Regional Health$32,406$15.58
16Vanderbilt University Medical Center$32,267$15.51
17Emory Healthcare$31,813$15.29
18University Health$31,423$15.11
19University of Maryland Medical System$31,338$15.07
20University of Virginia$26,315$12.65

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$40,000$39,600$39,200$38,800$38,400$38,000
MaleFemale

Specimen technician salary trends

The average specimen technician salary has risen by $4,360 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average specimen technician earned $34,907 annually, but today, they earn $39,267 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for specimen technicians over the last decade.

Compare specimen technician salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average specimen technician salary over time

Compare specimen technician salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Specimen technician salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$39,300$18.88+2.7%
2025$38,200$18.37-0.7%
2024$38,500$18.50+2.5%
2023$37,500$18.04+1.9%
2022$36,800$17.69-0.1%

Recently added specimen technician salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Altasciences CoSpecimen Management TechnicianEverett, WA06/29/2025$41,740
MedspeedSpecimen Temperature Tracking LSR : Mon-Fri Am-8PmHouston, TX06/28/2025$34,436
Quest DiagnosticsSpecimen Technician IPittsburgh, PA06/27/2025$37,044
Quest DiagnosticsSpecimen Technician ISeattle, WA06/27/2025$43,931
Quest Diagnostics IncorporatedSR. Specimen Technician-HospitalFall River, MA06/27/2025$45,956
Quest DiagnosticsSpecimen Technician IChantilly, VA06/27/2025$38,776
Quest Diagnostics IncorporatedSpecimen Technician HospitalCharleston, SC06/26/2025$37,044
Quest Diagnostics IncorporatedProblem Resolution Specimen TechnicianGreensboro, NC06/26/2025$39,236
Quest Diagnostics IncorporatedSpecimen Technician IIRockville, MD06/26/2025$35,896
Quest DiagnosticsSpecimen Technician ICleveland, OH06/24/2025$37,044

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