Pharmacy Technician Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 23,772 US job postings by 1,181 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for pharmacy technicians: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 23,772 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for pharmacy technicians in US job postings is $23.66 an hour (5,678 postings from 289 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $20.66 to $27.31 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $23.62 an hour (2,242 postings).
- The skills that most set pharmacy technician postings apart are aseptic technique, customer service, pharmaceutical calculations.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Pharmacy Technician job postings in the US, October 2026
- $23.66/hr
- Median advertised pay (5,678 postings)
- $20.66–$27.31
- Middle 50% of postings
- $23.62/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 23,772
- US job postings from 1,181 employers
How much does a pharmacy technician make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $23.66 an hour, from 5,678 US job postings by 289 employers that state pay. That is about $49,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 5,678 US pharmacy technician job postings: median $49,000 a year ($23.66 an hour), middle half $43,000 to $57,000.
- Median: $49,000 ($23.66/hr)
- 25th percentile: $43,000
- 75th percentile: $57,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 2.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 13.4% |
| $40K–$50K | 39.3% |
| $50K–$60K | 26.0% |
| $60K–$70K | 11.1% |
| $70K–$80K | 4.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 1.8% |
| $90K–$100K | 1.3% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $23.66 | $20.66–$27.31 | 1,021 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $49,000 | $43K–$57K | 5,678 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Pharmacy Technicians (29-2052) at $46,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a pharmacy technician?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $23.62 an hour (2,242 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $23.62/hr | 2,242 |
| 2-4 years | withheld | 173 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 21 |
Pharmacy technician levels and pay
Levels as they appear in job titles, ordered by the median experience asked.
| Level in title | Share of postings | Median experience asked | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| No level in title | 93.9% | 1 year | $23.40/hr |
| Level II | 1.5% | 1 year | – |
Highest-paying pharmacy technician jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technician (general) | $23.62/hr | 5,542 | 277 |
Pharmacy technician pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $23.88/hr | $19.25–$26.00 | 107 | 1.5% |
| Washington | $23.62/hr | $22.25–$28.50 | 132 | 1.9% |
| New York | $23.00/hr | $19.75–$27.33 | 227 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | $22.50/hr | $20.06–$24.87 | 197 | 4.0% |
| Florida | $20.63/hr | $18.25–$23.58 | 127 | 3.8% |
| North Carolina | $20.12/hr | $18.75–$21.62 | 139 | 2.9% |
| Texas | $20.00/hr | $18.50–$23.00 | 215 | 5.8% |
| Maryland | $19.82/hr | $18.75–$25.10 | 140 | 1.6% |
| New Jersey | $19.75/hr | $18.75–$23.00 | 109 | 2.0% |
| Virginia | $18.75/hr | $18.75–$20.75 | 123 | 2.3% |
Skills employers ask for in pharmacy technician job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 24% |
| Attention to detail | 21% |
| Customer service | 20% |
| Organizational skills | 12% |
| Problem-solving | 9% |
| Interpersonal skills | 9% |
| Excel | 8% |
| Aseptic technique | 8% |
| Work independently | 7% |
| Microsoft Office | 6% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set pharmacy technicians apart
- Aseptic technique44.2× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Inventory management13.4× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Medical terminology9.1× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Hipaa5.8× as often as in all postings · 6%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a pharmacy technician job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a pharmacy technician do?
Employers post these jobs as Pharmacy Tech, Certified Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacy Technician II, Pharmacy Technician I, Retail Pharmacy Technician and other titles. The largest specializations are Pharmacy Technician - Full Time (1%).
The closest official occupation is Pharmacy Technicians (29-2052.00). Its most important tasks:
- Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate.
- Enter prescription information into computer databases.
- Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
- Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.
- Receive and store incoming supplies, verify quantities against invoices, check for outdated medications in current inventory, and inform supervisors of stock needs and shortages.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a pharmacy technician?
Among 1,632 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 2% say 0 years and 66% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,632 US pharmacy technician job postings: median 1 year, and 66% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 10% |
| 1 yr | 57% |
| 2 yrs | 22% |
| 3-4 yrs | 9% |
| 5-7 yrs | 3% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 79%, Part-time 21% of the 813 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a pharmacy technician: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technician | 753 (63.8%) |
| Pharmacy Tech | 161 (13.6%) |
| Certified Pharmacy Technician | 109 (9.2%) |
| Pharmacy Technician II | 87 (7.4%) |
| Pharmacy Technician I | 84 (7.1%) |
| Retail Pharmacy Technician | 47 (4.0%) |
| Compounding Pharmacy Technician | 33 (2.8%) |
| Pharmacy Tech II | 30 (2.5%) |
| Pharmacy Technician III | 28 (2.4%) |
| Inpatient Pharmacy Technician | 26 (2.2%) |
| Specialty Pharmacy Technician | 26 (2.2%) |
| Pharmacy Technician Certified | 25 (2.1%) |
| Registered Pharmacy Technician | 24 (2.0%) |
| Pharmacy Tech I | 21 (1.8%) |
| Pharmacy Technician Specialist | 21 (1.8%) |
| Lead Pharmacy Technician | 20 (1.7%) |
| Pharmacy Technician Trainee | 18 (1.5%) |
| Certified Pharmacy Tech | 18 (1.5%) |
| Pharm Tech | 15 (1.3%) |
| Pharmacy Technician 2 | 15 (1.3%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Pharmacy technician job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Tech | 800 | 161 | – | – | communication, customer service, attention to detail |
| Certified Pharmacy Technician | 3,578 | 109 | $19.89/hr | – | attention to detail, communication, customer service |
Pharmacy Technician compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technician | $23.66/hr | 1 year | 23,772 | – |
| Pharmacist | $68.00/hr | 2 years | 28,524 | 17 |
| Surgical Technologist | $35.17/hr | 1 year | 5,504 | 13 |
| Patient Services Representative | $21.50/hr | 1 year | 14,137 | 20 |
| Biologist | – | 2 years | 678 | 13 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacist | 17 | $68.00/hr |
| Surgical Technologist | 13 | $35.17/hr |
| Patient Services Representative | 20 | $21.50/hr |
| Biologist | 13 | – |
| Sterile Processing Technician | 17 | $26.00/hr |
| Laboratory Technician | 16 | $22.84/hr |
Applying for pharmacy technician jobs?
- Pharmacy technician resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find pharmacy technician jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a pharmacy technician make an hour?
What is the starting salary for a pharmacy technician?
What are the pharmacy technician levels?
What are the highest-paying pharmacy technician jobs?
How much does a Certified Pharmacy Technician make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.