Life, physical, and social science occupations · SOC 19-4099 · West Virginia

Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other in West Virginia

Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other in West Virginia earned a median of $59,750 a year in May 2025, below the $62,280 national median for the occupation. West Virginia employs 230 of them, 0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the state. Most people entering the occupation nationally do so with an associate's degree.

Data snapshot: August 21, 2026

Median annual pay in West Virginia

$59,750

Below the $62,280 national median for this occupation

Median hourly pay in West Virginia

$28.73

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

Middle half earn between

$49,380 – $73,320

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

Employed in West Virginia

230

0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the state

Concentration vs national

0.68×

less concentrated here than nationally

Pay rank

#24 of 50

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

Typical entry education (U.S.)

Associate's degree

What life, physical, and social science technicians, all other actually earn in West Virginia

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
$45,380
25th percentile
$49,380
Median
$59,750
75th percentile
$73,320
90th percentile
$85,390

How West Virginia compares

  • Against the rest of the country. $59,750 in West Virginia against $62,280 nationally for the same occupation, which puts West Virginia 24th of the 50 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 West Virginia. $59,750 against $45,300, the median across every occupation in the state — 32% above it.
  • How much of this work is here. The occupation is less concentrated here than nationally (0.68× the national share of employment), 28th of 50 for concentration. Concentration describes where the work is, not how easy it is to be hired.

Where life, physical, and social science technicians, all other 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.

Oklahoma$86,260
District of Columbia$79,230
California$78,350Washington$73,530
Alaska$70,700
Rhode Island$69,630
North Dakota$69,350
Georgia$69,320

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

Associate's degree

Work experience needed

None

On-the-job training

None

West Virginia 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. West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia

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.

Criminology10,305 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

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

Forensic Science4,438 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees

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

Criminal Justice2,146 credentials conferred nationally, mostly associate degrees
Meteorology1,341 credentials conferred nationally, mostly bachelor's degrees
Materials Science621 credentials conferred nationally, mostly graduate degrees

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 West Virginia

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). Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other in West Virginia, pay and employment. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/careers/life-physical-and-social-science-technicians-all-other/in/west-virginia

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