Starting a career in pharmacy and wondering what a standard pharmacy technician salary is? There are many factors that influence this figure, the most significant being the relative cost of living for the specific job locale, experience, credentials and even industry within the profession. For instance, all other things equal, the median pharmacy tech salary in California will be roughly $10K per year more than one in Ohio or Alabama, simply because the cost of living is higher in CA.

Likewise, if the candidate has a pharmacy technician certification, degree, or other credential, they can command a higher salary, regardless of location. Many states don’t require certification, so many don’t have formal qualifications and simply learn the position on the job, similarly to an apprenticeship under the supervision of the pharmacist.

Work experience is another important factor when determining salary. Pharmacy technician trainees typically start at around $25, 000 per year, and are then bumped to $30,000 after gaining sufficient experience. And after years of experience, pharmacy technicians can expect a ceiling of around $40,000 to $45,000, again depending on location.

Another significant contributor to a pharmacy technician’s salary is the specific type of establishment they work in within the industry. For instance, hospital pharmacy technicians are among the most highly paid, and conversely, pharmacy retail chains like Walgreens, Krogers, Target and CVS pay the least.

According to one prominent salary specific website I found, pharmacy technicians are classified in three groups, entry level (pharmacy technician I), intermediate (level II), and supervisor. The salary levels for these three groups are illustrated in the table below.

Experience Level	Lowest 25%	Median Salary	Highest 25%
Pharmacy Technician I	$29,216	$32,360	$35,601
Pharmacy Technician II	$33,471	$37,620	$42,101
Pharmacy Technician Supervisor	$42,408	$47,357	$54,556

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes slightly different numbers than the above source. According to the BLS 2010 Occupational Employment and Wages, the national mean wage for pharmacy techs is $29,330, and an hourly wage is $14.10, calculated over a total employment figure of 333,500. Within the occupation itself, the median annual salary is $28,400 with an hourly wage of $14.10.

As for growth opportunities, pharmacy technicians are somewhat limited unless they choose to pursue post graduate education and obtain a pharmacy degree such as a pharm.D. Otherwise, a supervisory role within the pharmacy, sometimes requiring up to 7 years experience is the pinnacle for technicians. Pharmacy technicians in supervisory roles can expect to receive the highest pay scale mentioned above, which is from $45,000 to $55,000.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pharmacy technician salary is around $28,070 as of May 2009. Included in this statistic, the lowest 10 percent make $19,480 or less per year, and the highest 10 percent make just over $40,000 per year.

How to Maximize Your Salary

Just like with all professions, pay scales are influenced by many factors, such as, education, certification, experience, industry, location, and many more variables. Here are a few ways pharmacy technicians can tip the scales in their favor and increase their salary.

College Education

A pharmacy technicians with a college degree can usually demand a higher starting salary. A degree, preferably in some area of concentration that can be utilized in the pharmacy technician profession will enable pharmacy techs to maximize their starting salary.

Pharmacy Technician Certification

Certification is another way to maximize starting and ongoing pharmacy technician pay. When employers can minimize their on-the-job training, this saves them money and they can in turn offer some of these savings onto the technician in the form of higher pay. To earn a pharmacy technician certificate, applicants must pass the certification exam provided by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. In order to take the certification test, a high school diploma, GED or equivalent is required, along with no felonies or drug-related convictions. Once certified, 20 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain certification. It is possible to find an employer who will pay the costs of certification and continuing education.

Experience Level

Again, as with most professions, experience has a large influence over salary in the pharmacy technician field. Between one and three years, generally classifies a pharmacy technician as entry-level. Intermediate pharmacy technicians have four plus years of experience. Supervisors will generally have six or more years of experience.

Pharmacy Industry

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the highest paid technicians work in federal, state or local government positions, scientific research pharmacies, pharmacies connected with insurance carriers, and pharmacies at specialty hospitals. However, personal care stores, general and surgical hospitals, and chain retail stores employ the most pharmacy technicians where pharmacy technician wages tend to fall in to the average category.

State or Region

Alaska employs a relatively few amount of pharmacy technicians, however, they also have the highest average salary for a pharmacy technician at over $37,000 in 2009. Alaska is closely followed by California, Washington, Hawaii and Nevada.

If you’re considering the pharmacy technician profession, and are looking for the highest pharmacy technician wages you can manage to get, without relocating or other aggressive steps, it’s best to attend an accredited pharmacy technician school, obtain your certification, and get the necessary experience to climb the ladder and maximize your pharmacy technician salary.