Cytogenetic Technologists
Analyze chromosomes or chromosome segments found in biological specimens, such as amniotic fluids, bone marrow, solid tumors, and blood to aid in the study, diagnosis, classification, or treatment of inherited or acquired genetic diseases. Conduct analyses through classical cytogenetic, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) or array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) techniques.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2011.01 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Cytogenetic Technologists separately. These are the figures for Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), a combined BLS occupation that includes it.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,910 | $47,650 | $62,930 | $81,450 | $100,990 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,250 | $49,440 | 1.60 |
| Alaska | 680 | $60,950 | 0.97 |
| Arizona | 6,440 | $62,530 | 0.93 |
| Arkansas | 3,180 | $49,670 | 1.14 |
| California | 29,210 | $76,010 | 0.75 |
| Colorado | 5,000 | $70,050 | 0.81 |
| Connecticut | 3,670 | $65,310 | 1.01 |
| Delaware | 690 | $68,630 | 0.67 |
| District of Columbia | 960 | $76,560 | 0.64 |
| Florida | 25,790 | $60,510 | 1.21 |
| Georgia | 11,540 | $62,180 | 1.10 |
| Hawaii | 1,090 | $66,020 | 0.81 |
| Idaho | 1,590 | $47,450 | 0.87 |
| Illinois | 10,330 | $71,950 | 0.79 |
| Indiana | 7,210 | $57,080 | 1.05 |
| Iowa | 3,240 | $54,260 | 0.97 |
| Kansas | 3,930 | $62,050 | 1.28 |
| Kentucky | 4,860 | $60,880 | 1.13 |
| Louisiana | 3,790 | $54,460 | 0.91 |
| Maine | 1,250 | $68,690 | 0.91 |
| Maryland | 6,200 | $63,690 | 1.05 |
| Massachusetts | 10,850 | $79,120 | 1.39 |
| Michigan | 10,000 | $61,260 | 1.06 |
| Minnesota | 7,190 | $74,440 | 1.14 |
| Mississippi | 3,070 | $50,640 | 1.23 |
| Missouri | 7,670 | $60,300 | 1.22 |
| Montana | 1,020 | $65,190 | 0.93 |
| Nebraska | 1,930 | $60,540 | 0.88 |
| Nevada | 2,040 | $57,320 | 0.61 |
| New Hampshire | 800 | $81,020 | 0.54 |
| New Jersey | 7,000 | $68,450 | 0.76 |
| New Mexico | 2,160 | $47,360 | 1.16 |
| New York | 16,460 | $97,280 | 0.79 |
| North Carolina | 13,710 | $60,650 | 1.30 |
| North Dakota | 1,370 | $62,680 | 1.49 |
| Ohio | 13,050 | $63,800 | 1.10 |
| Oklahoma | 4,250 | $53,300 | 1.16 |
| Oregon | 2,660 | $83,010 | 0.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 13,020 | $51,680 | 1.00 |
| Rhode Island | 1,060 | $75,780 | 0.98 |
| South Carolina | 4,380 | $55,280 | 0.89 |
| South Dakota | 1,280 | $60,890 | 1.31 |
| Tennessee | 8,410 | $62,070 | 1.20 |
| Texas | 29,530 | $59,290 | 0.98 |
| Utah | 6,370 | $49,090 | 1.71 |
| Vermont | 460 | $78,680 | 0.71 |
| Virginia | 7,150 | $61,050 | 0.81 |
| Washington | 7,430 | $72,760 | 0.98 |
| West Virginia | 1,800 | $61,810 | 1.20 |
| Wisconsin | 8,480 | $60,670 | 1.35 |
| Wyoming | 450 | $65,510 | 0.75 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biological Technicians | 4 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Microbiologists | 4 | 0.967 |
| 3 | Cytotechnologists | 5 | 0.967 |
| 4 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 5 | 0.960 |
| 5 | Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 5 | 0.957 |
| 6 | Physicians, Pathologists | 5 | 0.952 |
| 7 | Geneticists | 5 | 0.952 |
| 8 | Forensic Science Technicians | 3 | 0.944 |
| 9 | Histotechnologists | 4 | 0.944 |
| 10 | Food Science Technicians | 3 | 0.943 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Cytogenetic Technologists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Technicians | Mathematics | 0.87 | 0.980 |
| Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | Operations Monitoring | 1.24 | 0.935 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | Operation and Control | 1.00 | 0.913 |
| Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians | Mathematics | 1.00 | 0.911 |
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | Operation and Control | 1.25 | 0.909 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | Mathematics | 1.13 | 0.905 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Cytogenetic Technologists, excluding software Cytogenetic Technologists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory information management system LIMS | 8 of 20 | 20.5x |
| Basic Local Alignment Search Tool BLAST | 5 of 20 | 38.5x |
| Laboratory information system LIS | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| Statistical software | 6 of 20 | 6.9x |
| Orchard Software Orchard Harvest LIS | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| STARLIMS | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| PHYLIP | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Graphics software | 6 of 20 | 5.3x |
| ClustalW | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| R | 7 of 20 | 3.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Chemistry | 3.00 | 4.10 |
| English Language | 2.79 | 3.42 |
| Education and Training | 2.74 | 3.05 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.65 | 3.60 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.45 | 2.65 |
| Mathematics | 2.40 | 3.10 |
| Administrative | 2.40 | 2.95 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.35 | 2.35 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.15 | 2.50 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.15 | 1.95 |
| Production and Processing | 2.10 | 1.95 |
| Administration and Management | 1.74 | 1.95 |
| Mechanical | 1.70 | 1.25 |
| Law and Government | 1.65 | 1.35 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.65 | 1.30 |
| Physics | 1.53 | 1.05 |
| Communications and Media | 1.40 | 0.90 |
| Telecommunications | 1.40 | 0.75 |
| Design | 1.25 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.25 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.20 | not rated |
| Psychology | 1.10 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.10 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.06 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.05 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.05 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.00 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.00 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.00 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Information Ordering | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Visualization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Control Precision | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Originality | 2.50 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Depth Perception | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Auditory Attention | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Reaction Time | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Rate Control | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Static Strength | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Adobe Illustrator hot
- C++ hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Python hot
- Cell Bioscience Automated Image Capture
- Digital karyotyping software
- Genetix CytoVision
- Genial Genetics Shire
- Genial Genetics iPassport QMS
- Geniel Genetics iGene
- Image analysis software
- Image capture software
- KARIO
- LUCIA MFISH
- Lucia CGH
- Lucia Comet Assay
- Lucia FISH
- Lucia Karyo
- Lucia Metaphase Finder
- MetaSystems Isis Color Karyotyping
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Cytogenetic Technologists separately. These are the figures for Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), a combined BLS occupation that includes it.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington, NC | 1,820 | 12.54 | $51,000 |
| Rochester, MN | 2,880 | 10.94 | Not available |
| Kankakee, IL | 820 | 9.05 | $61,200 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 830 | 4.12 | $56,660 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 2,840 | 3.85 | Not available |
| Madison, WI | 2,790 | 3.20 | $59,090 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 4,860 | 2.75 | $48,630 |
| New Haven, CT | 1,540 | 2.56 | Not available |
| Ponce, PR | 340 | 2.53 | $36,280 |
| Birmingham, AL | 2,790 | 2.51 | $51,430 |