Life, physical, and social science occupations · SOC 19-4021 · Pennsylvania

Biological technicians in Pennsylvania

Biological technicians in Pennsylvania earned a median of $54,950 a year in May 2025, below the $57,510 national median for the occupation. Pennsylvania employs 2,820 of them, 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the state. Most people entering the occupation nationally do so with a bachelor's degree.

Data snapshot: August 21, 2026

Median annual pay in Pennsylvania

$54,950

Below the $57,510 national median for this occupation

Median hourly pay in Pennsylvania

$26.42

Published separately by BLS, not calculated from the annual figure.

Middle half earn between

$48,170 – $71,510

The 25th to 75th percentile of everyone in the occupation in this state

Employed in Pennsylvania

2,820

0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the state

Concentration vs national

1.04×

about as concentrated here as nationally

Pay rank

#18 of 51

Among the states and DC that released an estimate for this occupation

Typical entry education (U.S.)

Bachelor's degree

What biological technicians actually earn in Pennsylvania

The full published wage distribution, not one averaged figure. Pay inside a single occupation varies more by experience, employer and setting than most salary pages admit.

10th percentile
$43,270
25th percentile
$48,170
Median
$54,950
75th percentile
$71,510
90th percentile
$80,530

How Pennsylvania compares

  • Against the rest of the country. $54,950 in Pennsylvania against $57,510 nationally for the same occupation, which puts Pennsylvania 18th of the 51 jurisdictions that released an estimate. Neither figure is adjusted for cost of living, so a higher median does not by itself mean more money left over.
  • Against other work in Pennsylvania. $54,950 against $49,690, the median across every occupation in the state — 11% above it.
  • How much of this work is here. The occupation is about as concentrated here as nationally (1.04× the national share of employment), 22nd of 51 for concentration. Concentration describes where the work is, not how easy it is to be hired.

Where biological technicians are paid most

The highest published medians for this occupation. Before reading it as a place to move, note that these are not cost-of-living adjusted and that the states paying most are often the ones where everything costs most.

How people get into this work

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports as typical for entry nationally. Typical is a measurement of the people already doing the work, not a rule: some enter with less and some with more.

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Work experience needed

None

On-the-job training

None

Pennsylvania licensing is not in these figures.

Many occupations, including most of health care, teaching, law, accountancy and the skilled trades, require a state licence, certification or registration before you can work. Pennsylvania sets its own, and none of it is part of the federal dataset above, so CampusPin cannot tell you whether this occupation is licensed here. Check the Pennsylvania licensing board before committing to a route, because where an occupation is licensed that requirement, not the typical credential, is the real gate.

What people study to get here, and where in Pennsylvania

Fields the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk associates with this occupation, ordered by how many credentials U.S. colleges conferred in each — a measure of how many people take a route, never of how good it is. Studying any of these does not lead only here, and this occupation is entered from other fields too.

Biology88,302 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

104 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Neuroscience11,504 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

36 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Biochemistry9,674 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

51 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Biotechnology3,750 credentials conferred nationally, mostly graduate degrees

11 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Microbiology2,351 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

3 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24.

Marine Biology2,329 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

2 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24.

Zoology1,913 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

1 college in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24.

Genetics1,733 credentials conferred nationally, mostly graduate degrees

5 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Biostatistics1,538 credentials conferred nationally, mostly graduate degrees

6 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Molecular Biology1,232 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

6 colleges in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24see which ones, and what they cost.

Wildlife Biology576 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

1 college in Pennsylvania reported awarding credentials in this field in 2023-24.

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

Colleges in Pennsylvania

Pay is one half of the decision. What it costs to get qualified is the other, and it is the half that varies most between two colleges in the same state.

Source & methodology

State wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release. National median pay, projections and typical entry education are from the BLS Employment Projections programme (2024 wages). Both are public domain; credit BLS.

Wages are May 2025 estimates from the federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which asks employers what they pay everyone currently working in the occupation — experienced and new alike. They are not starting salaries, not the earnings of recent graduates, and not adjusted for cost of living, which matters when comparing one state against another. Self-employed workers are not surveyed.

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Biological technicians in Pennsylvania, pay and employment. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/careers/biological-technicians/in/pennsylvania

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