If you’re a pharmacy technician, there are a lot of opportunities for you out there. Depending on the state you live in, you could make anything from $14 to $32 an hour. When I was looking for a job, many companies were hiring, especially with major chains like Walmart and Target. Even CVS is coming back around as they’re getting new competition. What’s your salary? Check out the state by state guide below.
Introduction
Using occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’ve analyzed and compiled a round-up of the average pharmacy technician salary by state in the U.S. Read on for a full breakdown of where pharmacy technicians make the most money, and where they’re making the least.
10 States Where Pharmacy Technicians Earn the Most Money
The national average annual wage of an pharmacy technician is $34,020, according to the BLS, which is over $15,000 less than average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. The average pharmacy technician salary can vary significantly depending on the state. In the best-paying state for pharmacy technicians, the average salary is about $10,000 more than the national average for all pharmacy technicians.
Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for pharmacy technicians.
- Alaska average pharmacy technician salary: $43,150
- California average pharmacy technician salary: $42,610
- Washington average pharmacy technician salary: $42,470
- Oregon average pharmacy technician salary: $40,920
- North Dakota average pharmacy technician salary: $39,770
- Hawaii average pharmacy technician salary: $38,720
- Minnesota average pharmacy technician salary: $37,670
- Nevada average pharmacy technician salary: $37,620
- Wyoming average pharmacy technician salary: $37,460
- Rhode Island average pharmacy technician salary: $37,410
No. 7 Minnesota has seen a dramatic increase in the average salary for pharmacy technicians over the years. From an average salary of $31,830 in 2013, pharmacy technician salaries have increased by over 18%, reaching $37,670 in 2018. No. 4 Oregon has seen healthy growth in wages as well, with pharmacy technician salaries rising by nearly 16% over the last five years
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10 States Where Pharmacy Technicians Earn the Least Money
The bottom-10 states where pharmacy technicians make the least money are mainly a mix of states in the South and Midwest, though Pennsylvania, the fourth-lowest paying state, is in the Northeast. Here’s a look at the 10 worst states for pharmacy technician’s salaries:
- West Virginia average pharmacy technician salary: $28,650
- Kentucky average pharmacy technician salary: $29,270
- Arkansas average pharmacy technician salary: $29,640
- Pennsylvania average pharmacy technician salary: $30,000
- Alabama average pharmacy technician salary: $30,040
- Georgia average pharmacy technician salary: $30,240
- Ohio average pharmacy technician salary: $30,500
- Oklahoma average pharmacy technician salary: $30,790
- North Carolina average pharmacy technician salary: $30,890
- Indiana average pharmacy technician salary: $31,160
While pharmacy technician wages have not fallen in these states, their five-year growth has been relatively minimal. For instance, in Pennsylvania, the average pharmacy technician salary has barely budged over the last five years, rising by just 2.3% from 2013 to 2018. Alabama at least bucks this trend, with a 13.4% increase in pharmacy technician salaries since 2013.
Conclusion
My Conclusion: you need to know the average salary in your state to determine if it is worth it to get a job as a pharmacy technician.
