Pharmacy Technician Salary Information

Pharmacy Technician Salary information for the United States can be found at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

The average hourly wage for a Pharmacy Technician as noted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics ranges from around $9.27 per hour at the low end of the scale up to as high as $18.98 per hour at the high end.

Pharmacy technician salaries are expected to be less for those who don't have previous pharm tech experience, and, as you might expect, more for those who do.

These are just rough estimates, of course, and will vary greatly depending on :

  • whether the hours worked are part time or full time,
  • the type of establishment where the individual is employed (like an independent pharmacy, chain pharmacy, hospital, etc.) and
  • whether the job is in a metropolitan or rural-type setting.

Job prospects for pharmacy technicians are expected to be good, specifically for those techs with previous job experience, previous or current service in the United States military (Army, Navy, Coast Guard, or Air Force, more on this below) or national certification.

Pharmacy Technician Work Schedules

As far as projected work schedules are concerned, a pharmacy technician is likely to work nights, weekends, and on holidays - in other words, at any time the pharmacy is open to the public.

In pharmacies that are open 24 hours a day, it is possible to pull a work shift between 9 pm and 9 am as long as a licensed pharmacist is on duty to supervise the dispensing of medicines.


Number of Jobs Held by Pharm Techs in the US

In the year 2008 pharmacy technicians held approximately 326,300 jobs. About 75% of these jobs were in retail pharmacies that were either part of a drugstore chain or owned independently, a grocery store, mass retailer or a department store.

Approximately 16% of the jobs were in hospitals and a small number of pharmacy technicians worked in mail order and Internet pharmacies, pharmaceutical wholesalers as well as the Federal Government (Veterans Adminstration (VA) Pharmacies, the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force.)  

DoD Medical Education and Training

The US Military trains their pharm techs (as well as many other medical trainees) at the Department of Defense (DoD) METC (Medical Education and Training Center) in Houston, TX.  The METC campus is the largest of its kind in the world.  For more information about this, follow this link to the American Pharmacists Association website.

Wrapping up Pharmacy Technician Salary

Just about all states have legislated how many technicians can safely work under a pharmacist (in a civilian setting) at any one time. If these laws are changed, it could directly affect employment.

The prospect of a job looks good if you decide that you want to become a pharmacy technician. You will find, as expected,  that you can either work full-time or part-time.

When job openings come about for pharmacy technicians, it will be because of employment growth as well as the need to replace any workers who decide to transfer to another occupation or leave the labor force. 

Check out the job openings below to begin or continue your search for your new job!  The perfect job is out there for you, you just have to find it!  

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