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Biological Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Technicians: what changes?

Consider Biological Technicians if you want to assist biological and medical scientists. Consider Occupational Health and Safety Technicians if you would rather collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Entry credentials differ: Biological Technicians, bachelor's degree; Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, high school diploma or equivalent.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Biological Technicians and Occupational Health and Safety Technicians. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Biological Technicians

National median pay (2025)
$57,510
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
9,400
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Biological Technicians brief

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

National median pay (2025)
$61,560
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
3,800
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Occupational Health and Safety Technicians brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Biological Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Biological Technicians is at 9,400 annual openings, compared with 3,800 annual openings for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians.

2

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians is at 19.4% projected growth, compared with 7.4% projected growth for Biological Technicians.

3

Typical preparation differs.

Biological Technicians: Bachelor's degree Occupational Health and Safety Technicians: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

4

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians has the edge on median pay

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians is at $61,560, compared with $57,510 for Biological Technicians.

57.4/ 100

Biological Technicians

vs
61/ 100

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Biological Technicians vs Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

DimensionBiological TechniciansOccupational Health and Safety Technicians
Median pay (2025)$57,510$61,560
Pay percentile42.8 percentile50.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)7.4%19.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)9,4003,800
2025 employment74,40031,200
How you qualifyBachelor's degreeHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 4Job Zone 3
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Biological Technicians briefRead Occupational Health and Safety Technicians brief

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