Business phone system for testing laboratories

Testing laboratories in the United States

County Business Patterns counted 7,463 testing laboratories in the U.S. in 2023 (NAICS 541380, Testing Laboratories). They employed 158,265 people in mid-March and paid $11.9 billion in annual payroll. The average establishment has 21.2 employees. That is 2.2 establishments for every 100,000 residents.

California has the most (956), followed by Texas (808), Florida (404), and New York (319). Relative to population, Wyoming leads with 6.6 per 100,000 residents, and District of Columbia has the fewest at 1.1.

Why the phone matters for testing laboratories

Testing labs serve contractors, manufacturers and property owners who need results on a schedule. Calls about sample drop-off, turnaround and results need quick routing.

Calls testing laboratories commonly handle:

• A contractor calls to schedule material testing.
• A homeowner calls about water testing.
• A client calls about results.
• The lab calls a client about a sample issue.
• A manufacturer calls about certification testing.

Texting and after-hours calls

Labs text sample receipt and results-ready notices.

After-hours calls are mostly routine.

How big testing laboratories are

42.7% of U.S. testing laboratories with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023. 61.5% had fewer than ten. Most phone decisions in this industry are made for small teams, where one shared number and sensible routing matter more than a desk phone per person.

Testing laboratories by state

Establishment counts for the 51 states (and DC) where Census published a figure, with the rate per 100,000 residents.

Largest metro areas for testing laboratories

Census published testing laboratory counts for 339 metro and micropolitan areas. The 25 largest:

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for testing laboratories in the U.S.

The average U.S. testing laboratory has 21.2 employees, so the comparison uses a 21-person team. Priced per seat, 21 users would run $630.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $523.95 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 21 people cost $419.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $2,532. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

How Callata works for testing laboratories

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Existing numbers can be ported at no charge, and team texting turns on after the one-time $49 carrier registration (10DLC) is approved.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.