Phlebotomist Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 8,028 US job postings by 718 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for phlebotomists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 8,028 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for phlebotomists in US job postings is $22.50 an hour (1,870 postings from 165 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $20.02 to $25.50 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $22.50 an hour (763 postings).
- The skills that most set phlebotomist postings apart are venipuncture, phlebotomy.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Phlebotomist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $22.50/hr
- Median advertised pay (1,870 postings)
- $20.02–$25.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- $22.50/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 8,028
- US job postings from 718 employers
How much does a phlebotomist make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $22.50 an hour, from 1,870 US job postings by 165 employers that state pay. That is about $47,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 1,870 US phlebotomist job postings: median $47,000 a year ($22.50 an hour), middle half $42,000 to $53,000.
- Median: $47,000 ($22.50/hr)
- 25th percentile: $42,000
- 75th percentile: $53,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $30K–$40K | 16.7% |
| $40K–$50K | 45.0% |
| $50K–$60K | 29.8% |
| $60K–$70K | 3.1% |
| $70K–$80K | 3.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 1.0% |
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 | $22.50 | $20.02–$25.50 | 690 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $47,000 | $42K–$53K | 1,870 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Phlebotomists (31-9097) at $45,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a phlebotomist?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $22.50 an hour (763 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $22.50/hr | 763 |
| 2-4 years | $23.18/hr | 770 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 16 |
Highest-paying phlebotomist jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phlebotomist (general) | $22.50/hr | 1,810 | 151 |
Phlebotomist 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $23.86/hr | $22.27–$25.50 | 102 | 4.6% |
Skills employers ask for in phlebotomist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 28% |
| Venipuncture | 26% |
| Phlebotomy | 24% |
| Customer service | 24% |
| Interpersonal skills | 17% |
| Work independently | 17% |
| Attention to detail | 16% |
| Organizational skills | 9% |
| Venipunctures | 9% |
| Problem-solving | 8% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set phlebotomists apart
- Venipuncture120.7× as often as in all postings · 26%
- Phlebotomy75.9× as often as in all postings · 24%
- Venipunctures278.5× as often as in all postings · 9%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a phlebotomist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a phlebotomist do?
Employers post these jobs as Phlebotomy Technician, Mobile Phlebotomist, Phlebotomist I, Phlebotomist II, Lab Assistant/Phlebotomist and other titles. The largest specializations are Laboratory Assistant (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Phlebotomists (31-9097.00). Its most important tasks:
- Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
- Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
- Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
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 phlebotomist?
Among 1,012 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 2% say 0 years and 63% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,012 US phlebotomist job postings: median 1 year, and 63% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 7% |
| 1 yr | 56% |
| 2 yrs | 27% |
| 3-4 yrs | 8% |
| 5-7 yrs | 2% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | 0% |
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 69%, Part-time 31% of the 460 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a phlebotomist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Phlebotomist | 488 (68.0%) |
| Phlebotomy Technician | 36 (5.0%) |
| Mobile Phlebotomist | 35 (4.9%) |
| Phlebotomist I | 31 (4.3%) |
| Phlebotomist II | 25 (3.5%) |
| Lab Assistant/Phlebotomist | 20 (2.8%) |
| PRN Phlebotomist | 17 (2.4%) |
| Lead Phlebotomist | 17 (2.4%) |
| Certified Phlebotomist | 13 (1.8%) |
| Phlebotomy Tech | 12 (1.7%) |
| Phlebotomist PRN | 12 (1.7%) |
| Phlebotomist, Full Time | 11 (1.5%) |
| Phlebotomy Supervisor | 11 (1.5%) |
| Certified Phlebotomy Technician | 10 (1.4%) |
| Phlebotomist Float | 10 (1.4%) |
| Phlebotomist, Lab | 9 (1.2%) |
| Phlebotomist Technician | 9 (1.2%) |
| Part-Time Phlebotomist | 8 (1.1%) |
| Outpatient Phlebotomist | 7 (1.0%) |
| Outreach Phlebotomist | 7 (1.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Phlebotomist 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phlebotomy Technician | 272 | 36 | – | – | – |
| Mobile Phlebotomist | 453 | 35 | – | – | communication, work independently, attention to detail |
Phlebotomist vs Phlebotomy Technician
| Phlebotomist | Phlebotomy Technician | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 3,454 | 272 |
| Employers | 488 | 36 |
| Median advertised pay | $21.96/hr | – |
| Median experience asked | 1 year | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Phlebotomist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phlebotomist | $22.50/hr | 1 year | 8,028 | – |
| Medical Assistant | $23.00/hr | 1 year | 22,021 | 19 |
| Patient Care Technician | $22.05/hr | 1 year | 8,483 | 17 |
| Veterinary Technician | $26.50/hr | 2 years | 3,272 | 14 |
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | $37.86/hr | 1 year | 6,314 | 15 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | 19 | $23.00/hr |
| Patient Care Technician | 17 | $22.05/hr |
| Veterinary Technician | 14 | $26.50/hr |
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | 15 | $37.86/hr |
| Emergency Medical Technician | 14 | $26.00/hr |
| Clinical Research Coordinator | 16 | $79K |
Applying for phlebotomist jobs?
- Phlebotomist 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 phlebotomist jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a phlebotomist make an hour?
What is the starting salary for a phlebotomist?
What are the highest-paying phlebotomist jobs?
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; 20 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.