Scientific technician vs research laboratory technician

The differences between scientific technicians and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a scientific technician and a research laboratory technician. Additionally, a scientific technician has an average salary of $40,956, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a scientific technician include data collection, GPS and harvest. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Scientific technician vs research laboratory technician overview

	Scientific Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$40,956	$38,308
Hourly rate	$19.69	$18.42
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	9,259	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Scientific technician vs research laboratory technician salary

Scientific technicians and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientific Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$40,956	$38,308
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Bethesda, MD	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	California	Illinois
Best paying company	Jacobs Engineering Group	Accenture
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between scientific technician and research laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a scientific technician and a research laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Scientific Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Cornell University

Scientific technician vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between scientific technicians' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Scientific Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.9% Female, 40.1%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 13.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between scientific technician and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Scientific technician example responsibilities.

Manage AIS boat check stations with WDFW enforcement (Carl Klein).
Identify owl species by sight and sound prompt using hoot flute and reed caller.
Work onboard commercial gillnet boats to monitor salmon harvest.
Measure fork length and weight of salmon and steelhead, as well as other fish species.
Operate and maintain power boats, drift boats, and rafts for field surveys.
Utilize maps, GPS, rangefinder, secchi disk and kayaks on a daily basis.

Research laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.
Retain patients from previous research projects and update database using patient histories and correlating pertinent medical data.
Work with non human primates in an HIV testing laboratory.

Scientific technician vs research laboratory technician skills

Common scientific technician skills

Data Collection, 18%
GPS, 11%
Harvest, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Lab Equipment, 6%
Boats, 5%

Common research laboratory technician skills

Patients, 9%
Chemistry, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Data, 4%
Research Projects, 4%

Scientific Technician vs. similar jobs

Scientific Technician related careers

Scientific Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Scientific Technician
Scientific Technician vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs