Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

29-2052 Pharmacy Technicians

Prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist. May measure, mix, count out, label, and record amounts and dosages of medications.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
255,290 1.4 % $11.87 $24,700 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.96 $9.40 $11.37 $13.85 $16.61
Annual Wage (2) $16,550 $19,550 $23,650 $28,820 $34,560

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Health and personal care stores 138,450 $11.12 $23,120
General medical and surgical hospitals 45,810 $13.28 $27,610
Grocery stores 16,580 $11.92 $24,790
Other general merchandise stores 12,060 $11.85 $24,650
Department stores 11,870 $10.84 $22,540

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing (7) $17.00 $35,370
Federal government (OES designation) 4,150 $15.88 $33,040
Local government (OES designation) 670 $15.37 $31,960
Warehousing and storage (7) $15.24 $31,710
Business support services 40 $14.78 $30,750

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Kentucky 5,210 $10.68 $22,220 0.301%
Alabama 5,350 $10.18 $21,170 0.292%
West Virginia 1,910 $10.07 $20,950 0.279%
Minnesota 7,050 $13.64 $28,360 0.271%
Indiana 7,290 $11.11 $23,110 0.254%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Alaska 400 $15.90 $33,080 0.136%
California 21,520 $15.80 $32,860 0.148%
Washington 4,860 $15.05 $31,310 0.188%
District of Columbia 380 $14.68 $30,530 0.063%
Oregon 3,090 $13.99 $29,110 0.199%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Gadsden, AL MSA 240 $10.03 $20,850 0.670%
Columbia, MO MSA 310 $9.97 $20,730 0.405%
Punta Gorda, FL MSA 150 $11.00 $22,880 0.390%
Florence, AL MSA 190 $10.88 $22,620 0.384%
Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR MSA 200 $8.99 $18,690 0.381%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,140 $18.46 $38,390 0.120%
Oakland, CA PMSA 1,430 $17.68 $36,770 0.142%
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,020 $17.38 $36,140 0.120%
Yolo, CA PMSA 60 $17.15 $35,680 0.063%
Salinas, CA MSA 230 $16.87 $35,100 0.148%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005