Career comparison
Medical Laboratory Technician vs. Pathologist
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Pathologists earn more at the median ($312,400 vs. $62,930), while medical laboratory technicians usually get to work faster (2 years (technician) or 4 years (technologist) of training). Medical laboratory technicians run the lab tests doctors use to diagnose and treat patients. Pathologists diagnose disease by studying tissue, blood and body fluids.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Pathologist | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $62,930 ($30.26/hr) | $312,400 ($150.19/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $38,910 – $100,990 | $92,540 – $449,970 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +2.7% (about as fast as average) | +4.8% (about as fast as average) |
| Openings per year | 20,800 | 300 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Training time | 2 years (technician) or 4 years (technologist) | 12 years after high school |
| Key credential | ASCP Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) | ABPath board certification |
| Work setting | Technicians work in hospital labs, reference labs, clinics and blood banks, handling biological samples with safety precautions.. | Pathologists work in hospital labs, reference labs, academic centers and medical examiner offices.. |
What each job does
Medical Laboratory Technician
- Process patient samples
- Run tests on automated analyzers
- Perform manual tests and microscopy
- Run quality control
- Check and report results
Pathologist
- Examine tissue under the microscope
- Diagnose cancer and disease
- Interpret lab test results
- Direct clinical laboratories
- Perform frozen sections during surgery
How they’re similar
Both careers involve indoor work, working with information, and steady routines. They sit in different fields, science, engineering & lab and healthcare, but share transferable skills such as attention to detail and attention to detail.
Which should you choose?
Choose medical laboratory technician if…
- I love science
- I’m precise and careful
- I want health care without direct patient care
Choose pathologist if…
- I love solving diagnostic puzzles
- I prefer less patient contact
- I’m extremely detail-oriented
Still torn? Take the Medical Laboratory Technician fit quiz and the Pathologist fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, medical laboratory technician or pathologist?
Pathologists earn more at the median: $312,400 versus $62,930 for medical laboratory 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 pathologists (12 years after high school).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects pathologists to grow +4.8% from 2025–35, compared with +2.7% for medical laboratory technicians.