How much do calibration technicians make in 2026?
Calibration technicians have their own BLS wage series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 17-3028 national median at $67,820 a year ($32.61 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $46,680 and the top 10% at $106,550. It is a small occupation of roughly 16,540 workers, and its pay structure is unusually legible. The bottom of the band is routine in-house calibration — running scheduled instrument checks against a procedure and recording results. The middle is accredited work: performing calibrations under an ISO/IEC 17025 quality system, applying the correct standards and traceability chain, and documenting results properly. The top is metrology proper: calculating measurement uncertainty budgets, developing and validating procedures, acting as technical authority in an accredited laboratory and handling audits. Industry matters too — aerospace, defence, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and nuclear work pays above general manufacturing calibration because the consequences of an out-of-tolerance instrument are regulatory rather than merely commercial. ASQ Certified Calibration Technician is the recognised credential. Employment is projected to grow 4.7% through 2034 with roughly 1,400 openings a year. → Full calibration technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $67,820 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Calibration Technicians earn a national median $67,820/yr ($32.61/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3028); the P10 to P90 range is $46,680 to $106,550.
- Calibration technicians have a dedicated BLS series: a $67,820 median with a $46,680 to $106,550 band, and a clear internal ladder from routine checks to uncertainty analysis.
- The paid skill is measurement uncertainty and traceability — technicians who can build an uncertainty budget and defend it in an audit sit at the top of the band.
- Aerospace, defence, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and nuclear calibration pay above general manufacturing because out-of-tolerance findings carry regulatory consequences.
US Calibration Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do calibration technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 17-3028; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-3028, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a calibration technician earn at each career stage?
Calibration pay follows scope of accreditation and analytical responsibility rather than instrument volume. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 17-3028.
By State
Which states pay calibration technicians the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations, and for a 16,540-worker occupation they should be treated as indicative. Real geography follows accredited laboratories and regulated manufacturing: aerospace, defence, semiconductor and medical device clusters hold nearly all the senior metrology roles.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($77,990), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay calibration technicians the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro concentration is genuine in this occupation because accredited laboratories and their customers cluster together, though field service calibration technicians cover wide territories from a van and are paid with travel structures instead.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a calibration technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does calibration technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Calibration Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify calibration technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a calibration technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Calibration Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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