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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

29-2052 Pharmacy Technicians

Prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist. May measure, mix, count out, label, and record amounts and dosages of medications according to prescription orders.


National estimates for Pharmacy Technicians
Industry profile for Pharmacy Technicians
Geographic profile for Pharmacy Technicians

National estimates for Pharmacy Technicians:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Pharmacy Technicians:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
415,310 0.9 % $ 17.52 $ 36,450 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Pharmacy Technicians:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 12.21 $ 13.99 $ 16.87 $ 20.03 $ 24.25
Annual Wage (2) $ 25,400 $ 29,090 $ 35,100 $ 41,660 $ 50,430


Industry profile for Pharmacy Technicians:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Pharmacy Technicians are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Pharmacy Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Pharmacy Technicians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 210,520 21.80 $ 16.55 $ 34,420
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 66,240 1.18 $ 19.80 $ 41,180
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 41,960 1.44 $ 15.87 $ 33,000
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 14,260 3.80 $ 17.99 $ 37,410
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 8,690 2.11 $ 18.33 $ 38,120

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Pharmacy Technicians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 210,520 21.80 $ 16.55 $ 34,420
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 14,260 3.80 $ 17.99 $ 37,410
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 8,690 2.11 $ 18.33 $ 38,120
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 41,960 1.44 $ 15.87 $ 33,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 66,240 1.18 $ 19.80 $ 41,180

Top paying industries for Pharmacy Technicians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 6,650 0.69 $ 23.89 $ 49,690
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 6,560 0.32 $ 22.93 $ 47,690
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 1,590 0.05 $ 21.15 $ 43,990
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 160 0.06 $ 21.14 $ 43,960
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,350 0.02 $ 21.02 $ 43,730


Geographic profile for Pharmacy Technicians:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Pharmacy Technicians are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Pharmacy Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Pharmacy Technicians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 36,690 3.03 1.02 $ 17.79 $ 37,010
California 36,100 2.20 0.74 $ 22.89 $ 47,620
Florida 29,840 3.53 1.18 $ 16.77 $ 34,880
Illinois 19,880 3.53 1.18 $ 16.68 $ 34,700
New York 18,970 2.18 0.73 $ 17.84 $ 37,100




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacy Technicians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kentucky 10,210 5.73 1.92 $ 14.60 $ 30,370
West Virginia 3,140 4.84 1.62 $ 15.33 $ 31,890
Rhode Island 1,770 4.01 1.34 $ 18.74 $ 38,980
Maine 2,280 3.96 1.33 $ 16.29 $ 33,890
Arkansas 4,570 3.88 1.30 $ 14.91 $ 31,010




Top paying states for Pharmacy Technicians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 36,100 2.20 0.74 $ 22.89 $ 47,620
Alaska 610 2.08 0.70 $ 22.32 $ 46,430
Washington 7,740 2.42 0.81 $ 22.31 $ 46,400
District of Columbia 660 0.97 0.32 $ 22.23 $ 46,240
Oregon 5,020 2.78 0.93 $ 20.87 $ 43,410





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Pharmacy Technicians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 19,980 2.26 0.76 $ 18.10 $ 37,660
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 14,880 3.41 1.14 $ 16.98 $ 35,320
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 11,900 2.04 0.68 $ 22.73 $ 47,270
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 11,580 3.23 1.08 $ 17.99 $ 37,420
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 9,950 3.69 1.24 $ 16.05 $ 33,380
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 8,970 3.58 1.20 $ 17.27 $ 35,920
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 8,650 2.91 0.98 $ 17.94 $ 37,330
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 6,740 3.20 1.07 $ 17.76 $ 36,940
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 6,570 3.69 1.24 $ 16.96 $ 35,280
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 6,410 2.46 0.83 $ 19.17 $ 39,880




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacy Technicians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Dothan, AL 360 6.45 2.16 $ 14.38 $ 29,910
Flint, MI 760 6.29 2.11 $ 14.63 $ 30,440
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 760 6.26 2.10 $ 15.43 $ 32,100
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 210 6.04 2.02 $ 14.07 $ 29,270
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 3,670 5.97 2.00 $ 15.14 $ 31,490
The Villages, FL 180 5.86 1.96 $ 15.15 $ 31,520
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 1,410 5.81 1.95 $ 15.87 $ 33,000
Iowa City, IA 500 5.78 1.94 $ 18.48 $ 38,440
Pocatello, ID 190 5.76 1.93 $ 16.49 $ 34,300
Florence, SC 470 5.61 1.88 $ 15.82 $ 32,900




Top paying metropolitan areas for Pharmacy Technicians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,470 1.33 0.45 $ 27.22 $ 56,620
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4,620 1.98 0.66 $ 26.93 $ 56,020
Santa Rosa, CA 320 1.66 0.56 $ 25.39 $ 52,810
Stockton-Lodi, CA 650 2.63 0.88 $ 24.45 $ 50,860
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 460 3.50 1.17 $ 24.32 $ 50,580
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 320 1.76 0.59 $ 23.83 $ 49,570
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 2,610 2.69 0.90 $ 23.82 $ 49,540
Napa, CA 120 1.73 0.58 $ 23.40 $ 48,670
Modesto, CA 450 2.50 0.84 $ 23.33 $ 48,520
Redding, CA 170 2.68 0.90 $ 23.32 $ 48,510

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Pharmacy Technicians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,160 3.05 1.02 $ 16.20 $ 33,700
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,150 12.02 4.02 $ 15.02 $ 31,240
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,080 6.78 2.27 $ 13.34 $ 27,750
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 1,000 4.06 1.36 $ 14.90 $ 30,990
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 970 4.03 1.35 $ 13.45 $ 27,970

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacy Technicians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,150 12.02 4.02 $ 15.02 $ 31,240
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,080 6.78 2.27 $ 13.34 $ 27,750
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 410 5.86 1.96 $ 14.16 $ 29,440
Northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 390 5.86 1.96 $ 14.89 $ 30,960
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 610 5.75 1.93 $ 16.66 $ 34,650

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pharmacy Technicians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 180 1.78 0.60 $ 24.12 $ 50,180
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 280 2.35 0.79 $ 21.55 $ 44,830
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 270 2.76 0.92 $ 21.45 $ 44,620
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 130 1.32 0.44 $ 20.86 $ 43,390
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 330 3.17 1.06 $ 20.67 $ 43,000


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021