How Much Do Pharmacy Technicians Make? (2023 Update)
Are you wondering how much Pharmacy Technicians get paid?
The typical wage for a pharmacy technician in 2022 was $40,260 per year or $19.35 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The answer to the question “how much do pharmacy technicians make?” depends on a variety of variables.
These variables may include your residence, your level of qualification (i.e. national certification), and the length of time you have worked as a pharmacy technician.
Pharmacy technicians typically earn between $34,590 and $45,710 per year, or $16.63 and $21.97 per hour.
Pharmacy Tech Salary Based on Location
Location is just one factor that affects a pharmacy technician’s pay. Pharmacy technicians who work for large, private, or well-funded hospitals typically earn more than those who work for independent, small pharmacies.
Smaller communities may also pay less for pharmacy technicians. This is frequently true, albeit not always. Salary may also be impacted by geography. Pharmacy technicians in smaller, rural communities typically earn less than those in larger, urban centers.
The BLS reports that pharmacy techs working in department stores and other general merchandise locations make the least, compared with techs working in state, local and private hospitals.
Generally pharmacy technicians working in these environments make the most, followed by those working in grocery stores and then independent drug stores.
Working for an all-night pharmacy, which can offer a shift-differential, is another method to raise your pay.
The strong demand for pharmacy technicians in California, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska may be the cause of the rising wage rates on the west coast. A portion of this may also be due to rising population rates.
Top paying states for pharmacy technicians include:
For qualified pharmacy technicians, each of these regions offers positions with average salaries ranging from $45,240 to $52,090.
There are a lot of PT positions open in hospitals, outpatient care facilities, and research facilities. Universities that conduct research and provide outpatient care also give pharmacy technicians well-paying jobs.
The least-paid areas of the nation are typically those with lower population densities, such as rural Midwest areas where there may not be as much of a need for healthcare services. In these areas, pharmacy technicians typically earn between $24,000 and $33,750 annually.
Nevertheless, these areas also have significantly lower cost of living than coastal areas and major cities.
However, the cost of living in these areas is also significantly lower than the cost of living in coastal regions and large cities.
Therefore, it might not be important that pharmacy technicians in these areas make less money than those in other major cities.
Pharmacy Tech Salary Based on Education and Experience
Through 2023, the employment and wage outlook for pharmacy technicians is anticipated to be excellent, especially for those with formal training and prior retail experience. Those who work in pharmacies or grocery stores are included in this.
The pay rate for in-house technicians with little to no formal training is typically much lower than that of pharmacy techs with a certificate from an accredited institution. However, some retail establishments and drug stores do offer in-house training.
In the beginning, a pharmacy technician without any formal training might earn $10–15 per hour. How much pharmacy technicians make annually is greatly influenced by their formal training.
The majority of pharmacies, including Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens, prefer candidates with at least a year of experience in a healthcare setting, as well as practical knowledge of retail, working with medications, or administering medications.
Individuals with less than ten years of experience will most likely make around $16/hour, while recent graduates from formal training programs are more likely to earn an additional $3 to $4 per hour than compared to entry level technicians.
The majority of recent graduates work in supermarkets or shopping malls. With more experience, pharmacy technicians are more likely to find jobs in hospitals or outpatient care facilities, where they can earn salaries that are closer to the top 10 percent of the industry average.
The top-paying position in a retail establishment and a hospital pharmacy can have salaries that are $10,000 apart.