Start with the answer
Chemical Technicians pay in Idaho and Louisiana
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Chemical Technicians is $54,560 per year in Idaho. It is $85,850 per year in Louisiana. Idaho is 36.4% below Louisiana on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 19-4031 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 170 wage and salary jobs in Idaho and 960 in Louisiana. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
