Occupational Employment and Wages, November 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)
265,190 1.1 % $12.09 $25,150 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.08 $9.55 $11.62 $14.16 $16.81
Annual Wage (2) $16,800 $19,870 $24,160 $29,440 $34,970

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 147,090 $11.42 $23,760
General medical and surgical hospitals 46,080 $13.46 $27,990
Grocery stores 17,750 $12.14 $25,240
Other general merchandise stores 12,740 $11.99 $24,940
Department stores 12,190 $11.09 $23,070

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 300 $18.08 $37,610
Federal government (OES designation) 4,200 $15.97 $33,220
Local government (OES designation) 730 $15.35 $31,920
Other ambulatory health care services 260 $15.14 $31,490
Warehousing and storage 270 $14.68 $30,540

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 5,280 $10.59 $22,030 0.304%
Alabama 5,480 $10.35 $21,520 0.296%
West Virginia 2,020 $9.96 $20,710 0.292%
Missouri 7,230 $10.47 $21,790 0.273%
Indiana 7,470 $11.37 $23,660 0.259%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
California 23,860 $15.91 $33,090 0.163%
Alaska 430 $15.73 $32,710 0.145%
Washington 4,800 $15.13 $31,480 0.184%
District of Columbia 550 $15.00 $31,190 0.090%
Nevada 1,770 $14.15 $29,440 0.153%

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 $9.70 $20,190 0.668%
Punta Gorda, FL MSA 170 $10.88 $22,630 0.434%
Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA 710 $10.52 $21,890 0.426%
Springfield, MO MSA 700 $9.82 $20,430 0.416%
Cumberland, MD-WV MSA 150 $10.99 $22,870 0.405%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Francisco, CA PMSA 1,220 $18.60 $38,680 0.128%
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,090 $18.34 $38,160 0.128%
Oakland, CA PMSA 1,510 $17.91 $37,260 0.150%
Yolo, CA PMSA 60 $17.59 $36,590 0.063%
Salinas, CA MSA 270 $17.36 $36,100 0.175%

About November 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.

All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

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

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005