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The differences between senior laboratory technicians and lead laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior laboratory technician and a lead laboratory technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $48,530 average annual salary of a senior laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a senior laboratory technician include lab equipment, patients and research projects. The most important skills for a lead laboratory technician are patients, lab equipment, and customer service.
| Senior Laboratory Technician | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,530 | $54,230 |
| Hourly rate | $23.33 | $26.07 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 63,876 | 77,096 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Senior Laboratory Technician is responsible for supervising and coordinating scientific investigations and experiments. They supervise staff, provide technical support, and construct, maintain, and operate standard laboratory equipment.
A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.
Senior laboratory technicians and lead laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Laboratory Technician | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,530 | $54,230 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $67,000 | Between $33,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior laboratory technician and a lead laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Laboratory Technician | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | New York University |
Here are the differences between senior laboratory technicians' and lead laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Senior Laboratory Technician | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4% | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |