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Semiconductor Technician

$51,180
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Operate and monitor equipment that makes semiconductor chips in a clean-room factory.

Where you work

Clean rooms in chip factories

The hours

Shift work, including nights

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$51,180
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~3,900
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+11%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
31,900
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training or short program.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Equipment operationAttention to detailFollowing proceduresRecord-keeping

The honest take

Runs and monitors the equipment that makes computer chips in ultra-clean factories.

Standard Occupational Classification 51-9141. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.