Phlebotomists Salary: $56,934 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 138,880 phlebotomists nationally earn a mean of $56,934. Projections imply about 2.3% annual growth; CA accounts for about 11,930 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,729 |
| 25th percentile | $48,120 |
| Median (50th) | $57,037 |
| 75th percentile | $62,487 |
| 90th percentile | $72,350 |
What education do you need?
For Phlebotomists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The Phlebotomists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Phlebotomists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$56,934 Average Wage
In 2023, Phlebotomists earned an average of $56,934.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 11,930 employees, $57,001 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Phlebotomists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,180 employees, $56,202 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,520 employees, $56,152 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,380 employees, $54,743 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,200 employees, $56,884 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 830 employees, $56,728 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 730 employees, $60,224 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 560 employees, $64,869 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 460 employees, $68,565 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 420 employees, $50,578 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 260 employees, $50,835 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Phlebotomists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Phlebotomists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Phlebotomists in 2023 was 138,880 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Phlebotomists was $56,934 in 2023.
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.