How Much Do Laboratory Managers Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary laboratory managers make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for laboratory managers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of laboratory managers are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much laboratory managers can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Laboratory Managers

According to data from 2023, there were about 534,489 positions for laboratory managers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for laboratory managers was reported to be $110,677. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 508,076 job postings related to positions for laboratory managers.

How Much Money Do Laboratory Managers Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money laboratory managers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for laboratory managers.

Annual Salary for Laboratory Managers

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for laboratory managers and related professions earned about $67,912 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $216,757 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for laboratory managers in the United States in 2023 was $110,677.

Hourly Salary for Laboratory Managers

The BLS also breaks down compensation for laboratory managers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for laboratory managers in 2023 was $53. Lowest hourly earners took home $33 while the highest reported hourly salaries for laboratory managers was $104.

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Degree Options for Laboratory Managers

Advertised Compensation for Laboratory Managers

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for laboratory managers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for laboratory managers.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Laboratory Managers

During a review of 461,000 job postings related to laboratory managers, advertised salary was included in 141,058 of them, which was 31%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for laboratory managers was $90,496 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Laboratory Managers

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for laboratory managers. Based on 28% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for laboratory managers in the United States is about $44.

Salary Trend for Laboratory Managers

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for laboratory managers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for laboratory managers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for laboratory managers have increased 39%.

What's the Job Growth for Laboratory Managers?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for laboratory managers over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 534,944 jobs for laboratory managers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 161,600 jobs will be added. That's a 30.2% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about laboratory managers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for laboratory managers.

What do laboratory managers do?
Laboratory Managers: How do you become one?

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