Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-2052

Pharmacy Technicians

Median pay sits 86% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Surgeons, All Other, Psychiatrists, Anesthesiologists, Prosthodontists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Pharmacy Technicians: Surgeons, All Other ($414K) , Psychiatrists ($282K) , Anesthesiologists ($391K) , Prosthodontists ($311K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Pharmacy Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2052 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate
  2. 2. Enter prescription information into computer databases
  3. 3. Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients
  4. 4. Compute charges for medication or equipment dispensed to hospital patients and enter data in computer
  5. 5. Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs
  6. 6. Prepare and process medical insurance claim forms and records
  7. 7. Receive and store incoming supplies, verify quantities against invoices, check for outdated medications in current inventory, and inform…
  8. 8. Answer telephones, responding to questions or requests
  9. 9. Assist customers by answering simple questions, locating items, or referring them to the pharmacist for medication information
  10. 10. Operate cash registers to accept payment from customers
  11. 11. Transfer medication from vials to the appropriate number of sterile, disposable syringes, using aseptic techniques
  12. 12. Price and file prescriptions that have been filled

Pharmacy Technicians: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2052 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  3. 3. Speaking 3.8
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.3
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.1
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.1
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  8. 8. Service Orientation 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.6
  2. 2. Medicine and Dentistry 3.9
  3. 3. Mathematics 3.8
  4. 4. English Language 3.8
  5. 5. Computers and Electronics 3.7
  6. 6. Law and Government 3.5
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-86%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $45,750/yr
$46K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
49,000
Annual openings
471,680
Estimated US jobs
Surgeons, All Other
Highest-pay peer · $414K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Pharmacy Technicians

1. Washington $58,900
2. Utah $48,140
3. California $55,110
4. Oregon $54,900
5. Colorado $49,970
6. Montana $49,400
7. Minnesota $48,300
8. Alaska $52,640
9. Wyoming $48,260
10. Nevada $47,980

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Psychiatrists $281,870
  2. 2. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  3. 3. Surgeons, All Other $414,010
  4. 4. Prosthodontists $311,180
  5. 5. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  6. 6. Dermatologists $328,730

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Pharmacy Technicians sits 86% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $45,750.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 49,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $58,900. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Surgeons, All Other at $414,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Pharmacy Technicians pay-rank #67 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Pharmacy Technicians lands at #67, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Pharmacy Technicians pays 86% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Pharmacy Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2052

Washington · top state for Pharmacy Technicians

$59K published median

Utah · #2 state pay

$48K · behind Washington

Surgeons, All Other

Highest-pay peer vs Pharmacy Technicians · $414K

Psychiatrists

Lower-pay peer beside Pharmacy Technicians · $282K

Compare Pharmacy Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Pharmacy Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Pharmacy Technicians

Against another occupation

Surgeons, All Other card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Pharmacy Technicians land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Pharmacy Technicians is pay-rank #67 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians ($46K), Psychiatric Technicians ($45K), Emergency Medical Technicians ($44K), Opticians, Dispensing ($47K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do pharmacy technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Pharmacy Technicians. Leading ones include: Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate; Enter prescription information into computer databases; Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients; Compute charges for medication or equipment dispensed to hospital patients and enter data in computer. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for pharmacy technicians? ▼
For SOC 29-2052, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.8), Speaking (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Pharmacy Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $45,750 as the national median for Pharmacy Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $36,020 to $61,040. Beside Surgeons, All Other ($414,010), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Pharmacy Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Pharmacy Technicians is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 49,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Pharmacy Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Pharmacy Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Pharmacy Technicians? ▼
Washington ($58,900), Utah ($48,140), California ($55,110) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Pharmacy Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2052. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Pharmacy Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics