Biological Technicians
What Biological Technicians Do
Assist biological and medical scientists. Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, monitor experiments, collect data and samples, make observations, and calculate and record results. May analyze organic substances, such as blood, food, and drugs.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Biologyimportance 4.4/5
- English Languageimportance 3.8/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
- Chemistryimportance 3.2/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.4/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.2/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 2.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.3/5
- Contact With Others4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Chemists86% skill match
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers85% skill match
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians84% skill match
- Animal Breeders84% skill match
- Forest and Conservation Technicians83% skill match
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers83% skill match
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists83% skill match
- Nuclear Power Reactor Operators82% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.9/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.8/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- BD Biosciences CellQuest
- BoxShade
- ClustalW
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Database software
- Gene Codes Sequencher
- Gene Runner
- Geographic information system GIS software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- RealisticHigh
- InvestigativeHigh
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where biological technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Corvallis, OR12.98× national avg
- 2Iowa City, IA12.30× national avg
- 3Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA8.47× national avg
- 4Madison, WI7.18× national avg
- 5Durham-Chapel Hill, NC6.74× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- ChemistsLateral Move
- Forensic Science TechniciansLateral Move
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersCareer Change
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including HealthLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)grads earn ~$49,395
- Florida International University (Miami, FL)grads earn ~$46,718
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$56,037
- Texas A&M University-College Station (College Station, TX)grads earn ~$61,734
- University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)grads earn ~$51,313
Biochemistry
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)grads earn ~$64,145
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)grads earn ~$67,925
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus (Seattle, WA)grads earn ~$58,818
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$60,501
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$73,506
Neuroscience
- University of California-Davis (Davis, CA)grads earn ~$63,720
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)grads earn ~$58,824
- Ohio State University-Main Campus (Columbus, OH)grads earn ~$68,480
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)grads earn ~$65,124
- Binghamton University (Vestal, NY)grads earn ~$77,478