Stain, mount, and study cells to detect evidence of cancer, hormonal abnormalities, and other pathological conditions following established standards and practices.
Explore this career interactively, with full detail →
Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. In its May 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 projections, BLS reports this occupation together with others under the combined code 29-2010 ("Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians"). The wage, growth, openings and employment figures above describe that combined group, not this occupation alone. Skills, interests and other O*NET details are specific to this career.
State licensing. Cytotechnologists is licensed or registered in 11 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 2 professional certifications to Cytotechnologists. 1 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Cytologist (CT(ASCP)). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (62.4%), have a consistently fast work pace (40.1%), cannot pause their work (45.6%), and are exposed to the outdoors (under 0.5%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 117.5 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 7 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Healthcare practitioners and technical", which includes this career, 12.0% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,605 for union members and $1,521 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to cytotechnologists.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For the occupation group that includes cytotechnologists (the Department reports one figure for the 6-digit occupation code, which covers 4 related careers), employers filed 2,727 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 3,425 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $66,600 (the middle half ran from $58,700 to $76,700) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to cytotechnologists, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for cytotechnologists are: e-mail (100%), spend time making repetitive motions (95%), indoors, environmentally controlled (95%), importance of being exact or accurate (95%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (95%), spend time sitting (95%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (45% of 22 respondents) was "none"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (32% of 22 respondents) was "none"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (27% of 22 respondents) was "none or short demonstration". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to cytotechnologists in the work done and the skills used: Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists, Cytogenetic Technologists, Histotechnologists, Histology Technicians, Physicians, Pathologists, Neurodiagnostic Technologists, Radiologists, Phlebotomists (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare cytotechnologists with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
CIP 26.0401
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist
CIP 51.1002
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist
CIP 51.1007