Side-by-side distribution
Lab Technician
$28.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 46%
- Live roles
- 1,233
Nurse
$46.75/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 51.8%
- Live roles
- 34,267
Highest-paying jobs
Prototyping Lab Technician, Robotics
ICE - Materials Lab FA Technician
Lab Technician - Crypto and Key Management Infrastructure
Lab Technician, Fluidstack Labs
Laboratory Operations & Maintenance Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Microbiology Medical Lab Technician/Medical Technologist (Part-Time/Evenings)
Laboratory Technician (Contract-to-Hire)
HVAC Supervisor & Engineering Lab Technician (2nd shift)
Hardware & Testing Lab Technician
Highest-paying jobs
Cardiology Nurse Practitioner
Structural Heart Nurse Practitioner
Chief Nurse Executive - MGB
Community Health Nurse
Substitute Nurse: Candidate Pool:
Relief Veterinary Assistant/ Veterinary Nurse - Santa Monica
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - CRNA
Experienced Dermatology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant with Shareholder Track
Psych Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP, Psych APRN)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Aspen Dental
|
$54,080 | 39 |
Advocate Health
|
$72,956 | 35 |
Sanford Health
|
$68,640 | 23 |
Siemens Healthineers
|
$47,537 | 23 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$80,309 | 18 |
University of Rochester
|
$47,497 | 17 |
Essentia Health
|
$63,648 | 13 |
USC
|
$52,062 | 13 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Advocate Health
|
$99,320 | 1,636 |
| AD AdventHealth | $93,725 | 1,274 |
CVS Health
|
$137,259 | 911 |
CenterWell
|
$122,720 | 604 |
Trinity Health
|
$98,696 | 551 |
DaVita
|
$99,840 | 515 |
BAYADA Home Health Care
|
$69,680 | 511 |
|
Sanford Health
|
$83,200 | 364 |
Lab Technician salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $74,651 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $53,550 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $53,092 | 13 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 17 |
| New York | $49,920 | 7 |
Nurse salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $180,788 | 85 |
| Los Angeles | $155,000 | 35 |
| Seattle | $150,972 | 55 |
| Boston | $117,915 | 230 |
| Berlin | $116,834 | 7 |
| Austin | $109,900 | 43 |
| Sydney | $100,478 | 14 |
| Chicago | $99,216 | 99 |
| Denver | $97,521 | 129 |
| New York | $96,824 | 364 |
Lab Technician vs Nurse: which pays more?
The median for Lab Technician is $28.00/hr per year (typically $23.00/hr–$34.00/hr), versus $46.75/hr for Nurse ($40.50/hr–$53.46/hr). That puts Nurse about 67% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Lab Technician and Nurse are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.