Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 436,630 |
0.7 % |
$ 18.25 |
$ 37,970 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Pharmacy Technicians:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.82 |
$ 14.17 |
$ 17.66 |
$ 22.04 |
$ 22.88 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,740 |
$ 29,460 |
$ 36,740 |
$ 45,850 |
$ 47,580 |
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 |
217,820 |
21.59 |
$ 16.94 |
$ 35,230 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
67,180 |
1.20 |
$ 20.81 |
$ 43,290 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
41,780 |
1.41 |
$ 16.49 |
$ 34,300 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
38,830 |
1.26 |
$ 18.90 |
$ 39,320 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses |
15,470 |
3.35 |
$ 18.73 |
$ 38,950 |
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 |
217,820 |
21.59 |
$ 16.94 |
$ 35,230 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses |
15,470 |
3.35 |
$ 18.73 |
$ 38,950 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) |
10,410 |
2.77 |
$ 18.52 |
$ 38,530 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
41,780 |
1.41 |
$ 16.49 |
$ 34,300 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
38,830 |
1.26 |
$ 18.90 |
$ 39,320 |
Top paying industries for Pharmacy Technicians:
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) |
| California |
38,220 |
2.31 |
0.75 |
$ 24.04 |
$ 49,990 |
| Texas |
35,290 |
2.89 |
0.93 |
$ 18.43 |
$ 38,330 |
| Florida |
33,730 |
3.92 |
1.26 |
$ 17.33 |
$ 36,040 |
| Pennsylvania |
21,900 |
3.92 |
1.27 |
$ 16.71 |
$ 34,760 |
| Illinois |
21,660 |
3.85 |
1.24 |
$ 17.83 |
$ 37,090 |
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 |
9,320 |
5.07 |
1.64 |
$ 16.05 |
$ 33,390 |
| West Virginia |
3,130 |
4.76 |
1.54 |
$ 15.49 |
$ 32,230 |
| Alabama |
8,080 |
4.19 |
1.35 |
$ 15.68 |
$ 32,620 |
| Maine |
2,400 |
4.05 |
1.31 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,220 |
| Tennessee |
12,080 |
4.04 |
1.30 |
$ 16.76 |
$ 34,850 |
Top paying states for Pharmacy Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
38,220 |
2.31 |
0.75 |
$ 24.04 |
$ 49,990 |
| Washington |
7,680 |
2.40 |
0.77 |
$ 22.52 |
$ 46,830 |
| Alaska |
650 |
2.19 |
0.71 |
$ 22.19 |
$ 46,160 |
| Oregon |
4,360 |
2.39 |
0.77 |
$ 21.75 |
$ 45,240 |
| District of Columbia |
770 |
1.16 |
0.37 |
$ 21.65 |
$ 45,030 |
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 |
21,060 |
2.43 |
0.78 |
$ 19.22 |
$ 39,970 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
16,760 |
3.96 |
1.28 |
$ 18.32 |
$ 38,100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
13,770 |
2.41 |
0.78 |
$ 23.08 |
$ 48,010 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
10,480 |
3.95 |
1.27 |
$ 17.80 |
$ 37,020 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
9,930 |
2.77 |
0.89 |
$ 18.69 |
$ 38,880 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
9,250 |
3.77 |
1.22 |
$ 18.02 |
$ 37,470 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
8,650 |
2.99 |
0.96 |
$ 19.23 |
$ 39,990 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
7,600 |
3.59 |
1.16 |
$ 18.92 |
$ 39,350 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
7,110 |
2.75 |
0.89 |
$ 17.02 |
$ 35,390 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
6,740 |
3.74 |
1.21 |
$ 17.62 |
$ 36,650 |
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) |
| Rochester, MN |
770 |
6.66 |
2.15 |
$ 19.98 |
$ 41,550 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA |
250 |
6.32 |
2.04 |
$ 15.59 |
$ 32,420 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA |
1,500 |
6.29 |
2.03 |
$ 16.40 |
$ 34,110 |
| Muncie, IN |
260 |
5.89 |
1.90 |
$ 16.13 |
$ 33,560 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH |
210 |
5.86 |
1.89 |
$ 15.07 |
$ 31,340 |
| Springfield, IL |
550 |
5.68 |
1.83 |
$ 16.72 |
$ 34,770 |
| Iowa City, IA |
490 |
5.64 |
1.82 |
$ 18.71 |
$ 38,910 |
| Beckley, WV |
220 |
5.59 |
1.80 |
$ 14.94 |
$ 31,070 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL |
280 |
5.52 |
1.78 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,520 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
680 |
5.51 |
1.78 |
$ 15.90 |
$ 33,080 |
United States Department of Labor
