Laboratory assistant salary

Open laboratory assistant jobs post a median of $23.25 an hour, with the middle half paying $21.50–$26.25: about $48,400 a year full time. Measured from 325 jobs at 102 employers that state their pay, read from each employer's own job board.

Median posted /hr

Middle half /hr

A year, full time

estimate, 2,080 hours

BLS median /hr

May 2025

The jobs themselves: Laboratory assistant jobs

What laboratory assistants are paid

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint). The middle half of employers' rates is in the darker color.

Posted hourly rates of 325 open jobs. The chart spans the 2nd to the 98th percentile; the lowest rate posted is $15.46, the highest $53.30.

Posted on open jobs

$21.50–$26.25/hr

Middle half of 204 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $23.25. 40% of the 810 open laboratory assistant jobs state an hourly rate.

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Laboratory assistant pay by employer

What each employer posts for laboratory assistants, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.

Employer	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs stating pay
Kaiser Permanente	$31.75	$25.13–$43.96	17
AdventHealth	$21.25	$15.46–$52.92	15
Beth Israel Lahey Health	$24.50	$20.90–$28.26	12
Inspira Health	$22.75	$18.74–$26.75	12
Emanate Health	$28.75	$21–$36.47	11
Labcorp	$20.50	$17.75–$28	11
Mass General Brigham	$22.25	$17.71–$29.79	10
Sonic Healthcare USA	$20.75	$19.74–$26.05	10
Quest Diagnostics	$25.75	$17.20–$28.94	9
Mayo Clinic	$23.25	$20–$27.33	9
Sanford Health	$21.50	$16–$36	8
CommonSpirit Health	$27.25	$16.83–$38.49	7
Northwestern Medicine	$24.50	$19.20–$28.08	7
HealthPartners	$23	$18.42–$31.10	7
BJC HealthCare	$22.75	$17.75–$31.30	7
Sutter Health	$44.25	$29.96–$53.30	6
Endeavor Health	$23.75	$18.84–$30.60	6
Luminis Health	$21.75	$17.30–$26	6
Providence	$31.50	$21.16–$39.46	5
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center	$30.50	$21.30–$43.45	5
Inova	$24.25	$17.72–$31.17	5
UPMC	$23.50	$18.39–$30.40	5
Atlantic Health	$26.25	$20.97–$34.64	4
MultiCare Health System	$25.50	$19.51–$32.83	4
Advocate Health	$24.75	$19.80–$29.70	4
Sentara Health	$24.50	$18.86–$29.43	4
Essentia Health	$22.75	$17.63–$38.97	4
Hospital Sisters Health System	$22.75	$18.50–$26.83	4
Sarah Bush Lincoln	$22.25	$16.94–$27.57	4
Moffitt Cancer Center	$21.25	$16.91–$25.90	4
Monument Health	$19.50	$17.42–$21.72	4
Bassett Healthcare Network	$18	$18.02–$18.38	4
UW Health	$25	$18.50–$29.30	3
Boston Medical Center	$23.50	$20.12–$33.09	3
Saratoga Hospital	$23.25	$18.22–$28.27	3
American Oncology Network	$23	$15.60–$30.21	3
AtlantiCare	$22	$17.89–$27	3
ECU Health	$20.75	$18–$23.31	3
MarinHealth	$41	$37.47–$44.68	2
Catholic Health (Long Island)	$29.25	$27.15–$31.16	2

Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.

Laboratory assistant pay by state

States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state an hourly rate, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.

State	Median posted	Middle half	BLS median	Jobs
California	$32	$27.50–$37.25	$36.54 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	41
Washington	$28.75	$26.50–$33.50	$34.98 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	18
Colorado	$25.75	$23–$31	$33.68 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	15
Virginia	$23.75	$23.25–$24.75	$29.35 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	14
Massachusetts	$23.50	$22.50–$25.50	$38.04 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	33
Minnesota	$23.25	$22.25–$24.50	$35.79 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	25
New York	$23	$19.50–$27.25	$46.77 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	16
Texas	$23	$20.50–$25.25	$28.51 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	8
Illinois	$22.75	$20.50–$23.50	$34.59 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	32
New Jersey	$22	$20.50–$23	$32.91 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	26
Maryland	$21.75	$21.75–$22.50	$30.62 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	11
Florida	$21.25	$20.75–$22.25	$29.09 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	20

Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (May 2025).

Night shift laboratory assistant pay

Where one employer posts both night and other laboratory assistant jobs in the same state (9 such employers and states), the night jobs post the same base rate as the rest (the median gap is $0): most employers state their night differential apart from the base pay, so check the posting for it.

Employer, state	Night jobs, median	Other jobs, median
AdventHealth, FL	$21.25 (1)	$21.25 (11)
Beth Israel Lahey Health, MA	$24.50 (2)	$24.75 (10)
Inspira Health, NJ	$22.75 (3)	$22.75 (9)
Emanate Health, CA	$28.75 (4)	$28.75 (7)
Northwestern Medicine, IL	$23 (3)	$24.50 (4)
Kaiser Permanente, CA	$34.25 (1)	$34.25 (4)
Bassett Healthcare Network, NY	$18.50 (1)	$18 (3)
UPMC, PA	$23.50 (1)	$23.75 (3)

A job counts as a night job when its title names nights ("Nights", "NOC", "7p-7a"). Jobs in brackets.

Laboratory assistant jobs that state a yearly salary

Some jobs state a salary for the year instead of an hourly rate. They are measured on their own here, never converted.

5 open jobs from 4 employers state a yearly salary: a median of $45,300, the middle half $45,200 to $53,500, from $37,800 to $107,601 posted.

Best-paid open laboratory assistant jobs

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

Lab Assistant, StaffFlex contract
AdventHealth · Denver, CO· 4d ago
$52.92/hr
Lab Assistant Lead
Sutter Health · Dublin, CA· 1mo ago
$38.08–$53.30/hr
Lab Associate III Microbiology - Per Diem
Sutter Health · Livermore, CA· 4w ago
$37.38–$52.32/hr
Laboratory Assistant II
Kaiser Permanente · Modesto, CA· 3d ago
$41.78–$43.96/hr
Outreach Lab Assistant III-P - Full Time - Day, 8 hrs
Stanford Health Care · Menlo Park, CA· 3w ago
$39.49–$44.48/hr
Laboratory Assistant II, Laboratories-Clinical, Full-Time, Days
MarinHealth · Greenbrae, CA· 3d ago
$37.47–$44.68/hr
Laboratory Assistant II, Laboratories-Clinical, Full-Time, Evenings
MarinHealth · Greenbrae, CA· 3d ago
$37.47–$44.68/hr
Pathology Lab Assistant Sr. - Per Diem - Mercy San Diego
Scripps Health · San Diego, CA· 3d ago
$30.61–$43.79/hr
Shared Resources Specialist I - Clinical Research Specimen Processing
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · Seattle, WA· 5d ago
$30.52–$43.45/hr
Laboratory Assistant, Olympia Medical Center (Per Diem)
Kaiser Permanente · Olympia, WA· 1w ago
$29.43–$43.68/hr
Specimen Processing Specialist Lead
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · Seattle, WA· 5d ago
$29.07–$41.38/hr
Specimen Processor
CommonSpirit Health · Stockton, CA· 2w ago
$31.91–$36.44/hr

Every open job: Laboratory assistant jobs

What BLS measures

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys what people employed in the occupation earn, at every level of experience. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered, so the two measure different things.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation	10th pct	25th pct	Median	75th pct	90th pct	Employed
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010)	$18.71 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)	$22.91 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)	$30.26 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)	$39.16 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)	$48.55 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)	332,940 (source: BLS OEWS, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)

The posted median ($23.25) is $7.01 below the BLS median ($30.26 (source: BLS OEWS May 2025, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, opens in a new tab)). Posted ranges run from a new hire's rate to an experienced one's, and their midpoint is counted here.

Laboratory assistant salary: common questions

How much does a laboratory assistant make an hour?

Open laboratory assistant jobs on CareJobs.Now that state an hourly rate post a median of $23.25, with the middle half between $21.50–$26.25 (325 jobs from 102 employers, each employer's advertised range counted once). Postings advertise a base rate, usually before shift differentials and bonuses. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics measured a median of $30.26/hr ($62,930 a year) for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians in May 2025.

How much does a laboratory assistant make a year?

At the posted median of $23.25 an hour, full time (2,080 hours a year) comes to about $48,400, and the middle half to $44,700 to $54,600. That is arithmetic on the hourly rate, not a salary any job states. 5 open jobs state a yearly salary instead, a median of $45,300.

Which states pay laboratory assistants the most?

By the median hourly rate open jobs post: California ($32), Washington ($28.75) and Colorado ($25.75). The lowest: Florida ($21.25), Maryland ($21.75) and New Jersey ($22). Each state's page breaks its pay down by town and employer.

Which employers pay laboratory assistants the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least 5 open jobs: Sutter Health ($44.25), Kaiser Permanente ($31.75) and Providence ($31.50). The employer table lists the 40 employers with the most jobs stating pay.

Do night shift laboratory assistants earn more?

Not in the base rate employers post: where one employer posts both night and other laboratory assistant jobs in the same state (9 such employers and states), the median gap is $0. Most state their night differential separately in the posting.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay CareJobs.Now's open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 325 of 810 open laboratory assistant jobs (40%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none, "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out, and each employer's advertised range counts once in the median, so no single employer sets it.

More pay by job: Lab

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Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used: a plain hourly or yearly figure or range in US dollars, read from the job's own posting. A range counts at its midpoint. In the median and the middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; an employer's own figures count its jobs one by one. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates under a third or over three times the occupation's median are left out. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours (40 a week). A job counts under its occupation and every occupation above it, and under every state it is open in. A page exists while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate. BLS figures are as published.

CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (SOC 29-2010), published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians by state, published May 15, 2026
BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035: Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (Occupational Outlook Handbook), published August 27, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). Laboratory assistant salary. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/lab-assistant

How the board counts