Histology Technicians
Prepare histological slides from tissue sections for microscopic examination and diagnosis by pathologists. May assist with research studies.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2012.01 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Histology Technicians separately. These are the figures for Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), a combined BLS occupation that includes it.
Median annual wage, U.S.$62,930
Employment, U.S.332,940
Median hourly wage$30.26
| 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 | Histotechnologists | 4 | 0.975 |
| 2 | Cytotechnologists | 5 | 0.955 |
| 3 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | 3 | 0.952 |
| 4 | Biological Technicians | 4 | 0.951 |
| 5 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 4 | 0.950 |
| 6 | Cytogenetic Technologists | 4 | 0.939 |
| 7 | Endoscopy Technicians | 1-2 | 0.936 |
| 8 | Chemical Technicians | 3 | 0.935 |
| 9 | Microbiologists | 4 | 0.933 |
| 10 | Forensic Science Technicians | 3 | 0.933 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Histology Technicians, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 0.87 | 0.952 |
| Food Science Technicians | Instructing | 0.88 | 0.932 |
| Agricultural Technicians | Instructing | 0.88 | 0.919 |
| Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping | Service Orientation | 0.88 | 0.912 |
| Police Identification and Records Officers | Speaking | 1.00 | 0.909 |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | Service Orientation | 1.00 | 0.909 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | Service Orientation | 1.00 | 0.907 |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | Quality Control Analysis | 1.00 | 0.906 |
| Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | Service Orientation | 1.00 | 0.905 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Histology Technicians, excluding software Histology Technicians 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 | 6 of 20 | 15.4x |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 5 of 20 | 7.2x |
| Graphics software | 5 of 20 | 4.4x |
| Statistical software | 4 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Database software | 7 of 20 | 1.9x |
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 3 of 20 | 2.9x |
| FileMaker Pro | 4 of 20 | 1.9x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 16 of 20 | 1.2x |
| National Instruments LabVIEW | 3 of 20 | 2.2x |
| Minitab | 3 of 20 | 2.0x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 2.88 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.50 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 3.84 | 4.32 |
| Biology | 3.75 | 3.71 |
| English Language | 3.32 | 3.08 |
| Administrative | 3.04 | 3.44 |
| Administration and Management | 2.80 | 3.12 |
| Education and Training | 2.72 | 3.12 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.68 | 3.08 |
| Mathematics | 2.64 | 2.58 |
| Production and Processing | 2.56 | 2.64 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.46 | 2.04 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.40 | 2.24 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.28 | 1.84 |
| Mechanical | 2.16 | 2.04 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.04 | 1.80 |
| Law and Government | 1.96 | 1.48 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.84 | 1.56 |
| Psychology | 1.80 | 1.36 |
| Telecommunications | 1.80 | 0.88 |
| Physics | 1.72 | 1.48 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.71 | 1.04 |
| Communications and Media | 1.52 | 1.00 |
| Transportation | 1.40 | 0.92 |
| Design | 1.40 | 0.80 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.32 | 0.80 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.28 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.28 | 0.56 |
| Building and Construction | 1.20 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.20 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.16 | not rated |
| Foreign Language | 1.16 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.12 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.12 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.08 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.75 | 3.38 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Information Ordering | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 2.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.25 | 2.75 |
| Oral Expression | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Written Expression | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.12 | 2.50 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.38 | 1.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 1.50 |
| Depth Perception | 2.25 | 1.38 |
| Number Facility | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Rate Control | 2.12 | 1.38 |
| Originality | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Memorization | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Static Strength | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Stamina | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Response Orientation | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.25 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.12 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.12 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 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.
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Brady Specimen Labeling System
- Cerner Millennium
- Laboratory information system LIS
- Specimen labeling system software
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Histology Technicians 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 |