The median Lab Assistant salary is $22.75 per hour, or $47,320 per year, based on 988 job postings across 82 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$22.75
Median hourly
$47,320
Annual salary
$18-$34
Pay range
82
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Lab Assistant earns $22.75/hr, with most posted roles landing between $20.00 and $27.50/hr.
Recent posted pay is up, with the last 30 days showing +5.8% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: San Francisco, CALIFORNIA is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Dublin, OHIO sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
+5.8%
Current median: $22.75/hr
Prior period: $21.50/hr
Job openings
+78.7%
504 recent postings
Previous period: 282 postings
Daily pay signal
$21.50/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Lab Assistant postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is moving up even though posting volume changed. Recent listings are showing a median of $22.75/hr, up from $21.50/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$18.00
$37,440/yr
Median
$22.75
$47,320/yr
Top earners
$34.00
$70,720/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $22.50/hr | 491 |
Mar 2026 | $22.00/hr | 295 |
Feb 2026 | $22.00/hr | 82 |
Jan 2026 | $26.75/hr | 44 |
Dec 2025 | $24.50/hr | 19 |
Nov 2025 | $32.52/hr | 57 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
8 postings · 5 companies
$15.50
$14-$18
Estimated from national data
~$18.62
—
10 postings · 8 companies
$21.00
$20-$25
Estimated from national data
~$22.07
—
191 postings · 54 companies
$31.00
$28-$35
19 postings · 13 companies
$23.00
$22-$25
Estimated from national data
~$19.11
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.49
—
Estimated from national data
~$19.26
—
24 postings · 16 companies
$20.00
$20-$21
Estimated from national data
~$23.78
—
10 postings · 3 companies
$20.00
$20-$23
Estimated from national data
~$19.24
—
50 postings · 28 companies
$20.75
$19-$24
Estimated from national data
~$22.51
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.67
—
Estimated from national data
~$20.02
—
Estimated from national data
~$22.18
—
Estimated from national data
~$23.40
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.98
—
29 postings · 13 companies
$21.00
$20-$24
28 postings · 14 companies
$21.50
$20-$23
6 postings · 5 companies
$17.00
$15-$19
30 postings · 8 companies
$24.00
$23-$24
Estimated from national data
~$18.60
—
Estimated from national data
~$19.24
—
Estimated from national data
~$18.54
—
6 postings · 1 companies
$22.00
$22-$22
Estimated from national data
~$22.71
—
Estimated from national data
~$18.61
—
36 postings · 11 companies
$18.50
$19-$21
Estimated from national data
~$22.79
—
30 postings · 18 companies
$24.00
$21-$26
13 postings · 9 companies
$22.00
$19-$24
6 postings · 2 companies
$21.50
$21-$22
30 postings · 3 companies
$17.50
$18-$18
9 postings · 4 companies
$18.50
$19-$20
8 postings · 4 companies
$23.00
$23-$25
Estimated from national data
~$22.87
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.67
—
Estimated from national data
~$20.37
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.98
—
Estimated from national data
~$19.11
—
17 postings · 15 companies
$20.00
$17-$23
9 postings · 5 companies
$15.50
$13-$20
Estimated from national data
~$23.76
—
Estimated from national data
~$19.49
—
49 postings · 9 companies
$27.28
$26-$33
Estimated from national data
~$24.34
—
9 postings · 5 companies
$24.00
$23-$25
Estimated from national data
~$21.05
—
Est.Estimated values are based on national averages.
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Lab Assistant salaries.
San Francisco
California · 10 postings
$38.00/hr
Los Angeles
California · 20 postings
$28.00/hr
San Diego
Ca · 11 postings
$28.00/hr
San Diego
California · 15 postings
$28.00/hr
Los Angeles
Ca · 11 postings
$27.50/hr
Dublin
Ohio · 23 postings
$17.50/hr
Raritan
New Jersey · 21 postings
$18.50/hr
Baltimore
Maryland · 16 postings
$20.50/hr
Duluth
Minnesota · 15 postings
$24.00/hr
Seattle
Washington · 15 postings
$27.28/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Lab Assistant positions.
Stanford Health Care
19 postings
$40.50/hr
Sutter Health
38 postings
$35.00/hr
Kaiser Permanente
55 postings
$32.52/hr
Seattle Children's
15 postings
$32.50/hr
Providence
23 postings
$30.50/hr
University Of Utah
5 postings
$13.00/hr
Labcorp
112 postings
$18.50/hr
University Health San Antonio
5 postings
$19.00/hr
Osf Healthcare
7 postings
$19.00/hr
Memphis-shelby County Schools
5 postings
$19.00/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Lab Assistant | 111 | $20.00/hr |
| Laboratory Assistant | 64 | $22.50/hr |
| Medical Laboratory Assistant | 36 | $24.00/hr |
| Lab Assistant I | 28 | $20.00/hr |
| Laboratory Assistant Ii | 22 | $36.20/hr |
| Certified Phlebotomy Technician (cpt) Laboratory Assistant Ii | 20 | $35.00/hr |
| Lab Assistant - Litholink | 10 | $18.50/hr |
| Lab Assistant - Microbiology | 10 | $18.50/hr |
| Medical Lab Assistant | 10 | $23.00/hr |
| Lab Assistant, Gen Lab | 9 | $32.50/hr |
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Lab Assistant salaries.
FAQ
The median Lab Assistant salary is $22.75 per hour, or $47,320 annually. Pay ranges from $18.00/hr (10th percentile) to $34.00/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 988 job postings, the highest paying states for Lab Assistants include California, Washington, Minnesota. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 988 Lab Assistant job postings across 82 states, from 317 different healthcare employers.
Lab Assistant pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Lab Assistant pay is currently trending upward. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates increased 5.8%.
Lab Assistant pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $4.75 to $11.25 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like San Francisco offer $38.00/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $17.50/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Lab Assistants typically earn around $18.00 to $20.00 per hour ($37,440 to $41,600 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $22.75/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 988 active postings with listed compensation for Lab Assistant. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
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