Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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 according to prescription orders.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
343,550 0.8 % $14.43 $30,020 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.76 $11.51 $13.91 $17.03 $20.13
Annual Wage (2) $20,310 $23,940 $28,940 $35,420 $41,880


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 186,010 18.79 $13.74 $28,580
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 56,050 1.08 $16.26 $33,830
Other General Merchandise Stores 24,730 1.61 $13.50 $28,080
Grocery Stores 23,410 0.95 $13.96 $29,040
Department Stores 17,870 1.16 $13.13 $27,300

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 186,010 18.79 $13.74 $28,580
Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers 4,090 2.16 $15.16 $31,540
Other General Merchandise Stores 24,730 1.61 $13.50 $28,080
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 3,750 1.46 $14.52 $30,200
Department Stores 17,870 1.16 $13.13 $27,300

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 5,730 0.28 $19.40 $40,350
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (8) (8) $18.68 $38,850
Outpatient Care Centers 2,920 0.48 $18.26 $37,980
Computer Systems Design and Related Services (8) (8) $17.86 $37,150
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 1,130 0.04 $17.85 $37,120


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 28,670 2.04 0.76 $18.45 $38,380
Texas 28,260 2.74 1.02 $14.87 $30,940
Florida 21,760 3.04 1.14 $13.56 $28,190
New York 15,730 1.87 0.70 $15.04 $31,290
Illinois 15,630 2.80 1.05 $14.44 $30,030




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 3,160 4.51 1.68 $11.94 $24,830
Tennessee 11,180 4.30 1.60 $13.53 $28,140
Kentucky 6,810 3.93 1.47 $12.34 $25,660
Maine 2,050 3.57 1.33 $13.99 $29,090
Missouri 9,210 3.56 1.33 $12.97 $26,980




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 620 1.97 0.73 $18.75 $39,010
Washington 7,220 2.65 0.99 $18.46 $38,390
California 28,670 2.04 0.76 $18.45 $38,380
District of Columbia 780 1.21 0.45 $18.37 $38,200
Hawaii 1,170 2.03 0.76 $16.94 $35,230





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 9,210 2.57 0.96 $14.73 $30,630
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 8,270 1.63 0.61 $16.39 $34,090
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 7,320 2.87 1.07 $15.01 $31,210
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 6,570 1.72 0.64 $17.88 $37,200
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 5,140 2.31 0.86 $13.76 $28,610
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 4,790 2.34 0.87 $16.23 $33,750
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 4,420 2.44 0.91 $15.02 $31,230
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,400 2.57 0.96 $15.73 $32,710
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 4,320 2.54 0.95 $15.50 $32,230
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 4,310 3.92 1.46 $13.53 $28,150




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Morristown, TN 360 8.21 3.06 $13.68 $28,450
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 620 5.73 2.14 $13.00 $27,040
Johnson City, TN 430 5.66 2.11 $12.50 $26,000
Cleveland, TN 200 5.46 2.04 $12.38 $25,750
Anderson, SC 310 5.46 2.04 $12.71 $26,440
Cumberland, MD-WV 200 5.34 1.99 $13.30 $27,660
Columbia, MO 440 5.26 1.96 $12.33 $25,650
Muncie, IN 210 4.93 1.84 $12.22 $25,420
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV 200 4.88 1.82 $11.55 $24,030
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 560 4.87 1.82 $13.01 $27,070




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,270 1.45 0.54 $22.00 $45,760
Madera-Chowchilla, CA 170 4.59 1.71 $21.05 $43,780
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 1,980 2.08 0.78 $20.50 $42,650
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 1,610 1.68 0.63 $20.26 $42,150
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 210 2.11 0.79 $20.07 $41,740
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 310 2.64 0.99 $20.03 $41,650
Salinas, CA 280 1.82 0.68 $19.87 $41,330
Napa, CA 70 1.11 0.42 $19.86 $41,300
Redding, CA 160 2.83 1.06 $19.73 $41,040
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 360 2.09 0.78 $19.40 $40,350

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,140 4.10 1.53 $13.43 $27,940
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,080 6.56 2.45 $11.73 $24,390
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,010 3.45 1.29 $11.58 $24,080
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 950 8.19 3.06 $12.70 $26,410
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 940 7.13 2.66 $11.96 $24,880

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 950 8.19 3.06 $12.70 $26,410
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 940 7.13 2.66 $11.96 $24,880
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,080 6.56 2.45 $11.73 $24,390
Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 660 6.06 2.26 $12.66 $26,340
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 680 6.04 2.25 $13.14 $27,340

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 100 1.61 0.60 $19.75 $41,080
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 40 1.11 0.41 $18.50 $38,480
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 240 4.14 1.54 $18.30 $38,050
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 320 3.43 1.28 $18.25 $37,950
Northwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 150 3.05 1.14 $18.23 $37,910


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012