Pharmacy technicians

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

380k

Average Age

36.5

Estimated Job Growth

3.62%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$33,204

Average Male Salary

$38,377

Average Female Salary

$31,837

About

Pharmacy technicians are most often employed by the Pharmacies & drug stores industry. The average yearly wage for Pharmacy technicians was $33,204 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Pharmacy technicians by wage are Dental assistants, Food & tobacco roasting, baking, & drying machine operators & tenders, and Shipping, receiving, & traffic clerks.

Pharmacy technicians are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Pharmacy technicians are Sioux Falls City PUMA, SD, Levittown PUMA, PA, and Summerville Town & Ladson PUMA, SC. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Pharmacy technicians are Carr 3 (Sureste) PUMA, PR, St. Clair County (Northwest, Southwest & Southeast) PUMA, IL, and Bayamón Municipio (OEste) PUMA, PR.

Photo by Kyle Riess

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Pharmacy technicians and on wages and locations for those in the field. Pharmacies & drug stores is the industry that employs the most Pharmacy technicians, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Pharmacy technicians, by average wage, is Convenience Stores. Pharmacy technicians are paid most in Pender & New Hanover (North) Counties PUMA, NC but are relatively concentrated in Carr 3 (Sureste) PUMA, PR.

Yearly Wage

$33,204

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,043

In 2020, Pharmacy technicians earned an average of $33,204, $22,749 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Food & tobacco roasting, baking, & drying machine operators & tenders make somewhat more than Pharmacy technicians while Dental assistants make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Pharmacy technicians as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.327

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Pharmacy technicians had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.327, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Pharmacy technicians (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Pharmacy technicians.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Pharmacy technicians

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Pharmacy technicians.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Pharmacy technicians, by number of employees, are Pharmacies & drug stores, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Veterinary services, Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores, Outpatient care centers, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Offices of physicians, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Insurance carriers, Electronic shopping and mail-order houses, and Department stores.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Pharmacy technicians, by average wage, are Convenience Stores, Medical equipment & supplies manufacturing, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Industries by Share

380k

2020 Workforce

± 15,111

1.86%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.55%

The number of people employed as Pharmacy technicians has been growing at a rate of 1.86%, from 372,867 people in 2019 to 379,787 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Pharmacy technicians employed by various industries. Pharmacies & drug stores employs the largest share of Pharmacy technicians at 56.5%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 19.9% and Veterinary services with 6.17%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Pharmacy technicians in the US. The average age of male Pharmacy technicians in the workforce is 34.6 and of female Pharmacy technicians is 37, and the most common race/ethnicity for Pharmacy technicians is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

79.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,917

300k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 13,442

79.1% of Pharmacy technicians are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Pharmacy technicians.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Pharmacy technicians

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

59.7% of Pharmacy technicians are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.8% of Pharmacy technicians, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Pharmacy technicians.

Age by Sex

34.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.09

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.584

The median age of Pharmacy technicians is 36.5, and Male employees are generally 2.39 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Pharmacy technicians from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Pharmacy technicians is Health but a relatively high number of Pharmacy technicians hold a major in Biology.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Projections

Projections on job growth for Pharmacy Technicians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Pharmacy Technicians are expected to see a growth of 3.62% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

3.62%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Pharmacy Technicians. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.