Career comparison
Biological Technician vs. Medical Laboratory Technician
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Medical laboratory technicians earn more at the median ($62,930 vs. $57,510), while medical laboratory technicians usually get to work faster (2 years (technician) or 4 years (technologist) of training). Biological technicians run experiments and lab work that power biology and biotech research. Medical laboratory technicians run the lab tests doctors use to diagnose and treat patients.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Biological Technician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $57,510 ($27.65/hr) | $62,930 ($30.26/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $40,330 – $84,940 | $38,910 – $100,990 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +7.4% (much faster than average) | +2.7% (about as fast as average) |
| Openings per year | 9,400 | 20,800 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Training time | 4 years | 2 years (technician) or 4 years (technologist) |
| Key credential | ASCP Technologist in Molecular Biology | ASCP Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) |
| Work setting | Biological technicians work in labs, sometimes with biohazards and research animals.. | Technicians work in hospital labs, reference labs, clinics and blood banks, handling biological samples with safety precautions.. |
What each job does
Biological Technician
- Prepare samples and reagents
- Run experiments and assays
- Culture cells and microorganisms
- Operate lab instruments
- Record and analyze data
Medical Laboratory Technician
- Process patient samples
- Run tests on automated analyzers
- Perform manual tests and microscopy
- Run quality control
- Check and report results
How they’re similar
Both careers involve indoor work, hands-on work, and working with information. Both are part of the science, engineering & lab field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose biological technician if…
- I love biology
- I like hands-on experiments
- I’m patient and precise
Choose medical laboratory technician if…
- I love science
- I’m precise and careful
- I want health care without direct patient care
Still torn? Take the Biological Technician fit quiz and the Medical Laboratory Technician fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, biological technician or medical laboratory technician?
Medical Laboratory Technicians earn more at the median: $62,930 versus $57,510 for biological technicians, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Medical Laboratory Technicians typically train faster (2 years (technician) or 4 years (technologist)) than biological technicians (4 years).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects biological technicians to grow +7.4% from 2025–35, compared with +2.7% for medical laboratory technicians.