SalaryExplorer

SOC 19-4031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Chemical Technicians — Michigan

Michigan · 8 metro areas compared

$58,180 /year
$27.97per hour
2,220jobs in area
−3.7%vs US median

The median wage here is $58,180 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $60,390.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $60,39010TH$44,520MEDIAN$58,18075TH$69,09090TH$85,520

How pay has moved

$67,803$36,168202020212022202320242025$58,180
$41,440 in 2020 to $58,180 in 2025, +40.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.7%
Openings per year
6,700
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Michigan.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $58,180 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $60,390. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $47,880 and $69,090. The lowest tenth earn under $44,520, while the highest tenth earn more than $85,520.

The area has 2,220 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.5 of every thousand jobs. Michigan ranks number 30th out of 51 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Midland records the highest median at $82,780. Of the 774 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 404th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Michigan · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$44,520−26.3%
25th$47,880−20.7%
Median (50th)$58,180−3.7%
75th$69,090+14.4%
90th$85,520+41.6%
Mean$61,340+1.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Highest-paying metro areas in Michigan

Median annual wage for Chemical Technicians, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Midland$82,78050
2Bay City$78,12080
3Niles$77,84040
4Lansing$66,330120
5Kalamazoo$65,250300
6Detroit$49,460760
7Grand Rapids$49,230240
8Ann Arbor$47,880100

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Michigan run 3.8% below the national average, so the median of $58,180 goes as far as $60,478 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.1% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$58,180as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$60,478US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $58,180 a year, 3.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $44,520 to $85,520 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 2,220 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 30th of 51 states for this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Midland, at $82,780.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Chemical Technicians in Michigan?

The median annual wage is $58,180, or $27.97 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $60,390, so pay in Michigan is 3.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Michigan earns more than $85,520 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $44,520 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Midland, at $82,780 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 2,220 jobs in this occupation in Michigan. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.