Pharmacy Aides Salary: $37,000 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 41,100 pharmacy aides work nationally, and $37,000 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 0.7% annual growth; much hiring sits in retail trade.
Pharmacy Aides: what the data shows
Common questions about pharmacy aides careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a pharmacy aides?
Pharmacy Aides is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-9095.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 41,100 workers.
What does a pharmacy aides do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Assisting and Caring for Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a pharmacy aides make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,000 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $52,203 — 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 | $36,910 |
| 25th percentile | $37,630 |
| Median (50th) | $45,313 |
| 75th percentile | $67,352 |
| 90th percentile | $76,865 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Sales and Marketing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is pharmacy aides in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 7.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 41,100.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do pharmacy aidess work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 41,100 | 17.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 40,580 | 17.2% |
| Retail Trade | 33,290 | 14.2% |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 27,520 | 11.7% |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 27,520 | 11.7% |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers | 27,500 | 11.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Pharmacy Aides 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Pharmacists | 328,870 | $137,480 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Pharmacy Aides workforce.
Employment Over Time
41,100 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Pharmacy Aides grew from 33,600 in 2009 to 37,480 in 2025 (11.5%).
Historical employment for Pharmacy Aides 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
$37,000 Median pay (BLS national)
Pharmacy Aides earn $37,000 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 Aides.
Salary distribution for Pharmacy Aides.
Employment Growth Projections
0.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
38,782 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.5%
40,129 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 7.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Pharmacy Aides.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Pharmacy Aides and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Pharmacy Aides employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Pharmacy Aides.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Pharmacy Aides.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Pharmacy Aides.
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: 9,430 employees, $50,760 avg wage
- TX: 3,300 employees, $37,580 avg wage
- NY: 2,800 employees, $39,410 avg wage
- FL: 1,570 employees, $37,120 avg wage
- NC: 1,530 employees, $34,170 avg wage
- PA: 1,500 employees, $38,220 avg wage
- IL: 1,260 employees, $38,080 avg wage
- WA: 1,250 employees, $44,600 avg wage
- OH: 1,220 employees, $38,040 avg wage
- OK: 1,030 employees, $31,850 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Pharmacy Aides.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,660 employees, $47,880 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,340 employees, $40,460 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,070 employees, $37,270 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 990 employees, $37,680 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 960 employees, $65,100 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 830 employees, $30,020 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 800 employees, $45,910 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 700 employees, $37,510 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 700 employees, $53,310 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 650 employees, $35,380 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Pharmacy Aides.
Diversity
Demographic information on Pharmacy Aides in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Pharmacy Aides is about 41,100 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Pharmacy Aides.
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 Aides.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Pharmacy Aides.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Pharmacy Aides in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Pharmacy Technology.
Common majors for Pharmacy Aides.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Pharmacy Aides workers.
Education level distribution for Pharmacy Aides.
Skills
Pharmacy Aides need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Pharmacy Aides.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Pharmacy Aides.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Pharmacy Aides include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Sales and Marketing, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Pharmacy Aides.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Pharmacy Aides include Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Pharmacy Aides.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Pharmacy Aides.
Daily Activities
Pharmacy Aides spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People.
Most important work activities for Pharmacy Aides.
About
Pharmacy Aides
Pharmacy Aides earn $37,000 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
31-9095 - Pharmacy Aides
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Pharmacy Aides reports an average salary of $52,203.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 41,100 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.7%, 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.