Last October we took a look at Clinical Lab Tech Pay in the Top 20 Metro Markets. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals that, without question, the biggest population metro areas are major employment centers for clinical lab technologists and technicians. However, a deeper dive into the BLS data makes it clear that clinical lab techs employed in smaller metro markets very often attain better compensation levels than their larger market counterparts. In fact, May 2021 data from the BLS reveals that only two of the 20 largest metro markets in the U.S. were among the 20 best metropolitan areas for clinical lab tech pay:
20 Best Metropolitan Areas for Clinical Lab Tech Pay
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redding, CA | 90 | $87,210 | ||
| 2 | Napa, CA | 50 | $86,260 | ||
| 3 | Merced, CA | 50 | $82,560 | ||
| 4 | Northern Valley California non-metro | 120 | $81,510 | ||
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1,370 | $77,150 | ||
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) | 4,380 | $76,330 | ||
| 7 | North Coast California non-metro | 120 | $76,020 | ||
| 8 | Coast Oregon non-metro | 160 | $73,880 | ||
| 9 | Massachusetts non-metro | 60 | $73,440 | ||
| 10 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade | 1,830 | $73,290 | ||
| 11 | Bend-Redmond, OR | 90 | $73,280 | ||
| 12 | New York-Newark-Jersey City (#) | 18,400 | $72,930 | ||
| 13 | Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI | 220 | $72,870 | ||
| 14 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 870 | $72,270 | ||
| 15 | Santa Rosa, CA | 360 | $72,140 | ||
| 16 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | 980 | $71,900 | ||
| 17 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 310 | $71,900 | ||
| 18 | Salinas, CA | 180 | $71,850 | ||
| 19 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 240 | $71,460 | ||
| 20 | Western Washington non-metro | 160 | $70,910 | ||
| National | 318,780 | $56,910 | |||
(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 25, 2022
