How Much Does a Pharmacy Technician Make Yearly?
A pharmacy technician helps licensed pharmacists prepare prescription medications, provide customer service and perform administrative duties. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the May 2009 median yearly salary for pharmacy technicians was $28,070, with 50 percent earning between $23,020 and $33,820. The mean annual salary was $28,940.
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Salary by Industry
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Almost 55 percent of pharmacy technicians worked in health and personal care stores, where the annual mean salary was $27,590. The next highest concentration of jobs was in general medical and surgical hospitals, where the annual mean salary was $32,710. The highest paying industries were the federal executive branch, at $39,040; scientific research and development services, at $38,870; and insurance carriers, at $37,610.
Salary by State
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The states with the highest annual mean salaries were Alaska, at $37,090; California, at $36,770; Washington, at $36,670; Hawaii, at $35,130; and Nevada, at $33,960. In contrast, the annual mean salary in West Virginia was $23,760; in Kentucky was $24,480; and in Missouri was $25,190.
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Salary by Experience
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The website payscale.com, as of January 2011, reports the salary ranges for current job listings for pharmacy technicians by years of experience as: less than one year, $21,823 to $38,829; one to four years, $21,069 to $35,948; five to nine years, $23,785 to $36,212; 10 to 19 years, $27,837 to $39,665; and 20 years or more, $25,883 to $47,697.
Considerations
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Certification for pharmacy technicians through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) is optional. However, some states and employers require certification, and a certified pharmacy technician usually has better job and salary prospects, according to the BLS.
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References
- Photo Credit préparatrices en pharmacie image by cédric chabal from Fotolia.com
