Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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 areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacy Technicians:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pharmacy Technicians:
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
United States Department of Labor
