Bioinformatics Technicians: Career Overview
Apply principles and methods of bioinformatics to assist scientists in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. Apply bioinformatics tools to visualize, analyze, manipulate or interpret molecular data. May build and maintain databases for processing and analyzing genomic or other biological information.
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What Do Bioinformatics Technicians Take On?
Typical responsibilities of bioinformatics technicians include:
- Analyze or manipulate bioinformatics data using software packages, statistical applications, or data mining techniques.
- Extend existing software programs, web-based interactive tools, or database queries as sequence management and analysis needs evolve.
- Maintain awareness of new and emerging computational methods and technologies.
- Conduct quality analyses of data inputs and resulting analyses or predictions.
- Enter or retrieve information from structural databases, protein sequence motif databases, mutation databases, genomic databases or gene expression databases.
- Develop or maintain applications that process biologically based data into searchable databases for purposes of analysis, calculation, or presentation.
- Confer with researchers, clinicians, or information technology staff to determine data needs and programming requirements and to provide assistance with database-related research activities.
- Participate in the preparation of reports or scientific publications.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective bioinformatics technicians draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Bioinformatics Technicians Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Bioinformatics Analyst
- Bioinformatics Research Technician
- Bioinformatics Specialist
- Bioinformatics Technician
- Biometrics Technician
- Biotechnician
- Data Analyst
- Data Technician
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 445,011 bioinformatics technicians working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -2.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Bioinformatics Technicians
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $121,896 |
| Hourly median | $58.60 |
| 10th percentile | $83,237 |
| 25th percentile | $102,566 |
| 75th percentile | $141,226 |
| 90th percentile | $160,556 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Bioinformatics Technicians Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $175,170 |
| District of Columbia | $100,740 |
| North Carolina | $98,010 |
| Arizona | $92,500 |
| Massachusetts | $89,150 |
| New York | $87,010 |
| Illinois | $78,790 |
| Texas | $74,560 |
| Alaska | $73,990 |
| Washington | $69,690 |
| Michigan | $66,130 |
| Tennessee | $63,190 |
| Indiana | $59,840 |
| New Jersey | $58,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,580 |
| Virginia | $52,440 |
| Iowa | $46,970 |
| South Carolina | $45,970 |
| Maryland | $41,680 |
| Georgia | $36,190 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for bioinformatics technicians vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $104,850 | 17.5% | 2.90 |
| New England | $89,150 | 0.8% | 0.31 |
| Southwest | $79,942 | 2.7% | 0.22 |
| Great Lakes | $78,206 | 54.6% | 10.38 |
| Middle Atlantic | $60,632 | 9.0% | 0.69 |
| Southeast | $57,298 | 14.1% | 1.53 |
| Plains States | $46,970 | 1.3% | 0.95 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $186,360 | 130 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $100,740 | 270 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | NC | $98,990 | |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $90,700 | 30 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $89,150 | 30 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $82,910 | 100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $78,910 | 1,530 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $69,690 | 350 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of bioinformatics technicians work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,540 | $77,910 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 460 | $73,960 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 280 | $78,870 |
| Educational Services | 280 | $77,130 |
| Manufacturing | 190 | $79,810 |
| Finance and Insurance | 110 | $66,560 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 100 | $78,840 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 90 | $73,420 |
Bioinformatics Technicians work in the following industries:
Software Bioinformatics Technicians Use
- File versioning software: Apache Subversion SVN (hot technology)
- Development environment software: C (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- File versioning software: Git (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Jenkins CI (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of bioinformatics technicians tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Sitting
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level bioinformatics technicians positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Natural Sciences Managers (Supplemental)
- Computer and Information Research Scientists (Supplemental)
- Database Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Database Architects (Primary-Short)
- Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (Supplemental)
- Statisticians (Supplemental)
- Biostatisticians (Supplemental)
- Data Scientists (Primary-Short)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future bioinformatics technicians typically earn programs in:
Mathematics and Statistics
8 programs across 3 majors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
4 programs across 4 majors
- Computational Science
- Mathematics & Computer Science
- Mathematical Economics
- Mathematics and Atmospheric/Oceanic Science
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
2 programs across 1 majors
References
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 15-2099.01 (Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other).
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