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Healthcare Practitioners

Pharmacy Technicians

SOC 29-2052

Fill prescriptions and support pharmacists with the daily workload.

The job
Median pay
$46k
$38k to $50k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+6.4% projected
Openings a year
45k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Very low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
15/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
2nd pct
More exposed than 2% of occupations · modeled estimate · 67th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
64/100

At a glance

For Pharmacy Technicians, modeled exposure lands at the 2nd percentile, displacement risk very low, works-with-AI 15/100, tilting toward AI as a helper. Growth is the contrast with Psychiatric Technicians: +6.4% here against +22% there. About 44,700 job openings come up each year, among the larger pools in our data. Typical entry-level education is a high school diploma. A median wage of $45,750 sits $21,440 below the typical occupation we cover, and under half the median across Healthcare Practitioners. BLS's 2035 projection for Pharmacy Technicians is +6.4%, 2.7 points above typical growth across the occupations we cover.

Take the next step

Weigh it against Veterinary TechnologistsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostWashington leads at $59k; all states are listed below Find careers like itOpen the map at Pharmacy Technicians and explore its neighbours See open jobsPharmacy Technicians roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Pharmacy Technicians, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsSelf-reported pay and reviews on Glassdoor

Similar pay in Healthcare Practitioners

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Key skills

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.

StateJobsPer 1,000vs nationalMedian pay
Texas41,7403.01.0×$46k
California39,8602.20.7×$55k
Florida38,4603.91.3×$44k
New York24,4002.50.8×$44k
Illinois21,3403.51.1×$47k
Pennsylvania18,8803.11.0×$40k
Ohio17,8203.21.1×$41k
North Carolina17,2603.51.1×$45k
Georgia14,6803.01.0×$42k
Michigan14,2403.21.1×$44k
All 50 states and DC
StateJobsPer 1,000vs nationalMedian pay
New Jersey14,0203.31.1×$40k
Arizona12,9704.01.3×$48k
Missouri12,6104.31.4×$40k
Tennessee11,8703.61.2×$42k
Indiana10,7903.41.1×$45k
Virginia10,7202.60.9×$45k
Massachusetts10,1502.80.9×$46k
Wisconsin9,5403.21.1×$46k
Kentucky8,8704.41.5×$39k
Alabama8,5104.01.3×$39k
Washington8,1502.30.8×$59k
South Carolina8,0703.51.1×$42k
Maryland7,9902.90.9×$45k
Minnesota7,3402.50.8×$48k
Louisiana6,7003.51.1×$44k
Colorado6,0102.10.7×$50k
Oklahoma5,5003.21.1×$41k
Connecticut5,2003.11.0×$47k
Utah5,0302.91.0×$48k
Iowa4,6303.01.0×$45k
Arkansas4,5603.51.1×$39k
Oregon4,3202.20.7×$55k
Kansas4,2703.01.0×$43k
Nevada4,0702.60.9×$48k
Mississippi4,0403.51.1×$39k
West Virginia3,5605.11.7×$38k
Idaho2,9503.41.1×$46k
Nebraska2,6602.60.9×$47k
New Mexico2,5502.91.0×$47k
Maine2,0703.21.1×$45k
New Hampshire1,9702.90.9×$47k
Hawaii1,5402.50.8×$47k
Rhode Island1,5403.11.0×$44k
Delaware1,4803.11.0×$46k
Montana1,3402.60.9×$49k
South Dakota1,2302.70.9×$46k
Washington DC1,1301.60.5×$47k
North Dakota8902.10.7×$48k
Alaska8002.50.8×$53k
Vermont7602.50.8×$48k
Wyoming6002.10.7×$48k

Top metro areas

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ25,420 jobs · $45k median
  2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN15,830 jobs · $47k median
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA13,130 jobs · $51k median
  4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX12,000 jobs · $46k median
  5. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX10,610 jobs · $46k median
  6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL10,310 jobs · $45k median
  7. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ9,780 jobs · $48k median
  8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD9,030 jobs · $45k median

Explore the rankings

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.