Phlebotomists Salary: $43,660 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 138,880 phlebotomists work nationally, and $43,660 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.3% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Phlebotomists: what the data shows
Common questions about phlebotomists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a phlebotomists?
Phlebotomists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-9097.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 138,880 workers.
What does a phlebotomists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a phlebotomists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $43,660 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $56,934 — 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 | $43,729 |
| 25th percentile | $48,120 |
| Median (50th) | $57,037 |
| 75th percentile | $62,487 |
| 90th percentile | $72,350 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is phlebotomists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 25.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 138,880.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do phlebotomistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 138,880 | 16.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 132,900 | 16.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 130,100 | 15.7% |
| Hospitals | 99,440 | 12.0% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 97,100 | 11.7% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 82,380 | 9.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Phlebotomists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Phlebotomists workforce.
Employment Over Time
138,880 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Phlebotomists grew from 39,260 in 2013 to 51,320 in 2025 (30.7%).
Historical employment for Phlebotomists from the California OEWS series, 2013–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,660 Median pay (BLS national)
Phlebotomists earn $43,660 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 Phlebotomists.
Salary distribution for Phlebotomists.
Employment Growth Projections
2.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
57,379 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.8%
64,155 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 25.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Phlebotomists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Phlebotomists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Phlebotomists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Phlebotomists.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Phlebotomists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Phlebotomists.
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:
- TX: 13,410 employees, $42,290 avg wage
- CA: 13,150 employees, $55,360 avg wage
- FL: 9,760 employees, $40,570 avg wage
- IL: 7,640 employees, $45,090 avg wage
- GA: 5,470 employees, $43,700 avg wage
- NY: 5,190 employees, $50,860 avg wage
- PA: 5,140 employees, $42,390 avg wage
- NC: 5,120 employees, $41,240 avg wage
- OH: 4,640 employees, $41,250 avg wage
- NJ: 4,160 employees, $47,400 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Phlebotomists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,760 employees, $51,670 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,080 employees, $46,960 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,380 employees, $54,830 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,040 employees, $45,080 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 3,320 employees, $46,240 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,860 employees, $43,940 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,850 employees, $47,510 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,620 employees, $41,070 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,620 employees, $45,510 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,690 employees, $52,160 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Phlebotomists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Phlebotomists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Phlebotomists is about 138,880 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Phlebotomists.
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 Phlebotomists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Phlebotomists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Phlebotomists in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Phlebotomists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Phlebotomists workers.
Education level distribution for Phlebotomists.
Skills
Phlebotomists need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Phlebotomists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Phlebotomists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Phlebotomists include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Education and Training, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Phlebotomists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Phlebotomists include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Phlebotomists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Phlebotomists.
Daily Activities
Phlebotomists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Phlebotomists.
About
Phlebotomists
Phlebotomists earn $43,660 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
31-9097 - Phlebotomists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Phlebotomists reports an average salary of $56,934.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 138,880 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.3%, 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.