Pharmacy Technicians Salary: $43,460 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 487,920 pharmacy technicians work nationally, and $43,460 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 9% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.1% annual growth.
Pharmacy Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about pharmacy technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a pharmacy technicians?
Pharmacy Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-2052.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 487,920 workers.
What does a pharmacy technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Working with Computers, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Processing Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a pharmacy technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $43,460 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $57,799 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,906 |
| 25th percentile | $46,850 |
| Median (50th) | $50,989 |
| 75th percentile | $66,150 |
| 90th percentile | $81,794 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is pharmacy technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 16.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 35.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 487,920.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do pharmacy technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 487,920 | 16.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 462,660 | 16.0% |
| Retail Trade | 345,940 | 11.9% |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 257,120 | 8.9% |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 257,120 | 8.9% |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers | 256,330 | 8.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Pharmacy Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Pharmacy Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
487,920 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Pharmacy Technicians grew from 109,660 in 2009 to 178,640 in 2025 (62.9%).
Historical employment for Pharmacy Technicians from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,460 Median pay (BLS national)
Pharmacy Technicians earn $43,460 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Pharmacy Technicians.
Salary distribution for Pharmacy Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
3.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
208,068 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 16.5%
242,345 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 35.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Pharmacy Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Pharmacy Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Pharmacy Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Pharmacy Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Pharmacy Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Pharmacy Technicians.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 45,210 employees, $56,270 avg wage
- TX: 41,610 employees, $43,890 avg wage
- FL: 38,950 employees, $42,810 avg wage
- NY: 26,450 employees, $45,010 avg wage
- IL: 22,790 employees, $44,110 avg wage
- OH: 20,100 employees, $41,430 avg wage
- PA: 19,630 employees, $40,710 avg wage
- NC: 16,600 employees, $42,360 avg wage
- GA: 15,780 employees, $41,300 avg wage
- MI: 14,610 employees, $42,530 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Pharmacy Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 26,860 employees, $45,710 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 17,140 employees, $45,250 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 16,040 employees, $53,430 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 11,680 employees, $44,650 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 10,050 employees, $44,530 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 10,000 employees, $45,980 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 9,120 employees, $42,390 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 8,630 employees, $48,480 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 8,410 employees, $48,220 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 8,370 employees, $42,920 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Pharmacy Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Pharmacy Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Pharmacy Technicians is about 487,920 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Pharmacy Technicians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Pharmacy Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Pharmacy Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Pharmacy Technicians in 2023 were Pharmacy Technology, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Pharmacy Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Pharmacy Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Pharmacy Technicians.
Skills
Pharmacy Technicians need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Learning.
Required skills for Pharmacy Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Pharmacy Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Pharmacy Technicians include Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics, English Language, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Pharmacy Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Pharmacy Technicians include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Pharmacy Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Pharmacy Technicians.
Daily Activities
Pharmacy Technicians spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Working with Computers, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Processing Information, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Pharmacy Technicians.
About
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy Technicians earn $43,460 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-2052 - Pharmacy Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Pharmacy Technicians reports an average salary of $57,799.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 487,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.