Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) salary, United States
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The median annual wage for Pharmacy Technicians (the closest BLS occupation to Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)) in the United States was $45,750 in BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half of workers earned between $37,850 and $49,990.
What does the published range tell you about an offer?
BLS reports wages for Pharmacy Technicians (SOC 29-2052) in the United States. The published annual P25 to P75 band is $37,850 to $49,990. Its width is $12,140, calculated from those two observations. These are wages for the mapped occupation, not a separate survey of Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). Percentiles are not seniority levels. They do not identify a starting rate, a senior rate or what a particular candidate will accept.
Which duties should you settle before setting pay?
For pharmacy hiring, separate dispensing, sterile work, clinical decisions and supervision. Confirm the license and credentials the actual assignment needs. Overnight cover and call belong in the schedule discussion. The published occupation does not supply a numeric premium for any of those duties.
What do the comparison markets show?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reports an annual median of $44,640 for Pharmacy Technicians. The absolute gap is $1,110. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN reports an annual median of $46,820 for Pharmacy Technicians. The absolute gap is $1,070. Each linked table retains its own area. These are occupation comparisons, not exact-title offers.
What can the industry rows tell you?
Outpatient Care Centers (NAICS 621400) has a national annual median of $57,860 for Pharmacy Technicians. Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (NAICS 623100) has a national annual median of $51,050 for Pharmacy Technicians. National industry comparisons are not local title estimates. A hospital and an outpatient practice can assign different work even when the SOC is the same.
What changed between the two releases?
Pharmacy Technicians (SOC 29-2052) in the United States had an annual median of $43,460 in BLS OEWS May 2024; the BLS OEWS May 2025 median is $45,750. The absolute difference is $2,290. These are separate survey snapshots, not a forecast or a raise to apply to your budget.
Is this base salary or total compensation?
Neither. OEWS includes commissions and production bonuses as well as base rates. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, on-call pay, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits. Keep sign-on and retention payments separate when they are nonproduction bonuses. Travel per-diem reimbursements and contractor receipts are not a published employee salary. Do not add production pay twice.
What else should you ask about this pay table?
Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) maps to Pharmacy Technicians (SOC 29-2052). BLS reports Pharmacy Technicians as one occupation. It does not publish a separate estimate for Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), its setting or its engagement terms. The annual median in the United States is $45,750. Similar titles can share this same SOC and therefore the same figures; that is not evidence that their duties or offers are identical.
Does BLS observe Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) separately?
Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) maps to Pharmacy Technicians (SOC 29-2052). BLS reports Pharmacy Technicians as one occupation. It does not publish a separate estimate for Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), its setting or its engagement terms. The annual median in the United States is $45,750. Similar titles can share this same SOC and therefore the same figures; that is not evidence that their duties or offers are identical.
Can you turn the percentile band into junior and senior pay?
The published annual P25 to P75 band is $37,850 to $49,990. Its width is $12,140, calculated from those two observations. BLS percentiles describe the wage distribution, not years of experience. We do not assign an interpolated percentile, seniority premium or pay forecast.
What should you put in the hiring brief?
For pharmacy hiring, separate dispensing, sterile work, clinical decisions and supervision. Confirm the license and credentials the actual assignment needs. Overnight cover and call belong in the schedule discussion. The published occupation does not supply a numeric premium for any of those duties. Tell us which tasks and scheduling terms you can change before using this wage comparison in a search.
What if a wage is missing or marked “or more”?
A missing cell stays unavailable. “Or more” appears only when the actual source marks that cell as top-coded; it is a lower bound, not an exact wage. Exact published numbers remain exact even when above a historical top-code amount. Tools label any fallback to a state or national row.
The Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician national comparison markets use published employment, not geographic proximity. Read the geography and wage definitions.
BLS occupation: Pharmacy Technicians.
BLS reports Pharmacy Technicians as one occupation. It does not publish a separate estimate for Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), its setting or its engagement terms.
What does this occupation pay nationally?
BLS publishes five national pay points for Pharmacy Technicians, SOC 29-2052, in BLS OEWS May 2025: the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. The range bar and table below show each published point. Percentiles describe the spread of pay across workers, not experience levels. Read the median as a midpoint, not an offer for your vacancy.
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,020 |
| 25th percentile | $37,850 |
| Median | $45,750 |
| 75th percentile | $49,990 |
| 90th percentile | $61,040 |
| Mean (average) | $46,620 |
For Pharmacy Technicians in the United States, BLS reports a median of $45,750; the middle half of workers earned between $37,850 and $49,990 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Hourly wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.32 |
| 25th percentile | $18.20 |
| Median | $22.00 |
| 75th percentile | $24.04 |
| 90th percentile | $29.35 |
| Mean (average) | $22.41 |
For Pharmacy Technicians in the United States, BLS reports a median of $22.00; the middle half of workers earned between $18.20 and $24.04 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What BLS wages include and exclude
OEWS includes commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits. It is neither pure base salary nor total compensation.
Included
- Base rates
- Commissions
- Cost-of-living allowances
- Deadheading pay
- Guaranteed pay
- Hazard pay
- Incentive pay
- Longevity pay
- Over-the-road pay (Mileage)
- Piece rates
- Portal-to-portal rates
- Production bonuses
- Tips
Excluded
- Attendance bonuses
- Back pay
- Clothing allowances
- Discount
- Draw
- Holiday bonus
- Holiday premium pay
- Jury duty pay
- Meal and lodging payments
- Merchandise discounts
- Non-production bonuses
- On-call pay
- Overtime pay
- Perquisites
- Profit-sharing payments
- Relocation allowances
- Severance pay
- Shift differentials
- Stock bonuses
- Tool/equipment allowances
- Tuition repayment
- Uniform allowance
- Weekend premium pay
- Year-end bonuses
Employment: 471,680 jobs nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, BLS OEWS May 2025. SOC 29-2052 Pharmacy Technicians, United States. Published 2026-05-15. BLS release tables (find this SOC and area). Release notes. Methodology and retrieval dates. CSV
How has published pay changed since the last BLS release?
These are separate BLS estimates, not a wage growth forecast. Survey coverage and area boundaries can change. The table places the published median for Pharmacy Technicians in United States from BLS OEWS May 2024 next to BLS OEWS May 2025. A top-coded value is a floor, not an exact median.
| Pay basis | BLS OEWS May 2024 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| annual | $43,460 | $45,750 |
| hourly | $20.90 | $22.00 |
Prior release: 2024-05, published 2025-04-02. Current release: 2025-05, published 2026-05-15. A top-coded value is a floor, not an exact median.
What does this pay include, and what does it leave out?
OEWS counts base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It describes employee wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Employer benefits and self-employed earnings are outside these wage estimates. Compare the regular pay for the duties you need covered.
A BLS occupation can include different settings, shifts and levels; it does not price your exact schedule.
Overtime, shift differentials and on-call pay are excluded. If this job has a call rota or extra shifts, spell out those payments rather than treating the BLS median as the whole package.
Meal and lodging payments and relocation allowances are excluded. A travel per diem for those costs is not part of this wage. Keep it separate from the pay comparison.
Non-production bonuses are excluded. A sign-on or retention payment that is not tied to production should be discussed separately. BLS does not publish an amount to add for that payment.
BLS pay definitions. These notes do not add an estimated bonus or premium.
How does clinical pay compare with management pay here?
These duties map to different BLS occupations. A manager's median is not a promised raise for a clinician. Read the mapping on each page. Each link below opens a related occupation with its own SOC code, published percentiles and source line. Compare the duties before comparing medians, because a title change can mean a different occupation.
Which metro areas publish pay for this occupation?
This table lists every metro area where BLS published a median for Pharmacy Technicians in BLS OEWS May 2025. Each row shows the median, the middle half of pay from the 25th to the 75th percentile, employment and the location quotient. Metros without a published median are left out rather than estimated. Select a metro for its own pay page.
| Metro area | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,320 | $52,650 to $73,010 | 4,630 | 0.73 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $60,550 | $51,030 to $81,440 | 4,040 | 0.56 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $50,760 | $45,180 to $62,910 | 13,130 | 0.69 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $50,270 | $45,470 to $59,740 | 4,630 | 0.89 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $48,520 | $43,800 to $54,760 | 4,670 | 0.79 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $47,760 | $46,190 to $55,460 | 9,780 | 1.36 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46,890 | $39,610 to $61,670 | 7,370 | 0.90 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $46,820 | $38,830 to $49,950 | 15,830 | 1.16 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $46,660 | $39,830 to $57,800 | 6,650 | 0.70 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $46,400 | $37,740 to $49,570 | 10,610 | 1.06 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $46,260 | $38,160 to $49,540 | 12,000 | 0.98 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $46,220 | $37,780 to $49,220 | 3,970 | 0.96 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $46,130 | $38,470 to $48,500 | 2,430 | 1.08 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $45,540 | $38,190 to $48,920 | 3,650 | 1.09 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $45,240 | $37,100 to $47,880 | 10,310 | 1.21 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $45,230 | $36,790 to $49,500 | 4,130 | 1.00 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $45,220 | $37,280 to $48,190 | 4,980 | 1.23 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $45,020 | $37,330 to $49,420 | 7,930 | 0.90 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $44,880 | $36,300 to $48,170 | 9,030 | 1.03 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $44,640 | $37,530 to $53,770 | 25,420 | 0.88 |
| Northern New Jersey market: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Shared metro, not New Jersey-only. | $44,640 | $37,530 to $53,770 | 25,420 | 0.88 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $43,370 | $36,810 to $47,510 | 6,200 | 1.41 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $43,330 | $37,440 to $49,330 | 5,830 | 1.01 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $43,080 | $37,300 to $47,290 | 6,060 | 1.41 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $41,780 | $36,610 to $47,130 | 4,270 | 1.26 |
| Cleveland, OH | $39,310 | $36,800 to $49,030 | 3,970 | 1.27 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $32,320 | $26,880 to $43,810 | 3,720 | 1.77 |
How do you find pay for a state or nonmetro area?
Choose a state, metro or nonmetropolitan area below to open the published figures for Pharmacy Technicians. If BLS did not publish a median, the guide shows the state or national estimate with a clear fallback label. It does not create a salary page for that missing combination. Every area page names its source row.
Does this pay differ by healthcare industry?
National industry estimates for Pharmacy Technicians, SOC 29-2052. Industry names are the names published by BLS. These are not local industry wages. Each row uses the pay basis BLS published for that industry, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with employment. Cells BLS did not publish stay blank rather than estimated. Compare rows only within the same pay basis.
| Industry / NAICS | Basis | P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physicians NAICS 621100 | annual | $37,460 | $43,040 | $47,720 | $58,360 | $64,390 | 10,460 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners NAICS 621300 | annual | $34,840 | $35,830 | $40,370 | $45,760 | $49,180 | 1,490 |
| Outpatient Care Centers NAICS 621400 | annual | $37,100 | $45,190 | $57,860 | $76,740 | $83,260 | 8,090 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories NAICS 621500 | annual | $37,380 | $38,380 | $44,610 | $64,570 | $68,770 | Not published by BLS |
| Home Health Care Services NAICS 621600 | annual | $42,350 | $45,590 | $49,830 | $54,430 | $62,990 | 1,020 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services NAICS 621900 | annual | $43,990 | $45,290 | $50,270 | $53,300 | $61,560 | 380 |
| Hospitals NAICS 622000 | annual | $39,910 | $46,820 | $50,760 | $61,460 | $73,270 | 85,080 |
| Nursing and Residential Care Facilities NAICS 623000 | annual | $38,490 | $44,330 | $49,710 | $51,050 | $63,800 | 370 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) NAICS 623100 | annual | $44,330 | $46,350 | $51,050 | $51,060 | $60,740 | 210 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities NAICS 623200 | annual | $40,440 | $41,310 | $46,670 | $51,250 | $66,760 | 70 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly NAICS 623300 | annual | $38,100 | $38,490 | $41,590 | $48,700 | $81,840 | 80 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, BLS OEWS May 2025. National industry-specific estimates. A value marked “or more” is top-coded.
Where is published pay highest and lowest for this occupation?
Highest and lowest published numeric medians for Pharmacy Technicians, SOC 29-2052. Top-coded medians cannot be ranked exactly and are not placed in this list. The table shows up to ten metros at each end, with employment and location quotient. Location quotient describes employment concentration, not pay. A metro missing here may still publish a capped value.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $77,360 | 200 | 0.86 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $75,490 | 1,780 | 0.52 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $61,800 | 370 | 0.60 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,320 | 4,630 | 0.73 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $60,550 | 4,040 | 0.56 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $59,380 | 200 | 0.70 |
| Vallejo, CA | $58,670 | 440 | 1.00 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $58,590 | 2,460 | 0.67 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $58,470 | 2,820 | 0.86 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $58,250 | 100 | 0.81 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $36,610 | 120 | 1.05 |
| Jefferson City, MO | $36,410 | 200 | 0.84 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $36,280 | 940 | 1.21 |
| Mayaguez, PR | $36,100 | 340 | 2.12 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | $35,910 | 230 | 1.73 |
| Guayama, PR | $35,700 | 120 | 3.31 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $32,320 | 3,720 | 1.77 |
| Ponce, PR | $27,970 | 480 | 2.48 |
| Arecibo, PR | $26,810 | 360 | 3.45 |
| Aguadilla, PR | $26,350 | 510 | 3.46 |
How does this pay compare with all wages in each metro?
We divide this occupation's median by the all-occupations median for the same area and pay basis. This is simple arithmetic on BLS rows. It is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a percentile. Location quotient is shown separately. A ratio above one means this occupation's median is higher than the area's all-occupations median.
| Metro | Occupation median | All-occupations median | Median ratio | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez, PR | $36,100 | $25,270 | 1.43 times | 2.12 |
| Guayama, PR | $35,700 | $25,260 | 1.41 times | 3.31 |
| Napa, CA | $77,360 | $55,210 | 1.40 times | 0.86 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | $47,100 | $35,560 | 1.32 times | 0.74 |
| Salinas, CA | $57,180 | $47,380 | 1.21 times | 0.64 |
| Laredo, TX | $43,800 | $37,250 | 1.18 times | 0.66 |
| Chico, CA | $56,320 | $48,050 | 1.17 times | 0.91 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $56,600 | $49,290 | 1.15 times | 0.87 |
| El Centro, CA | $51,130 | $45,140 | 1.13 times | 0.80 |
| Yuba City, CA | $56,160 | $49,970 | 1.12 times | 1.21 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, BLS OEWS May 2025. SOC 29-2052 Pharmacy Technicians, metropolitan areas listed above. Published 2026-05-15. BLS release tables (find this SOC and area). Release notes. Methodology and retrieval dates. CSV
What do we see when recruiting for this role?
Read the Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) brief alongside the occupation mapping. Required credentials, current duties and the work setting can differ within Pharmacy Technicians. A BLS wage is a description of surveyed workers, not an offer recommendation. Compare the actual responsibilities and the candidate's preferences before changing the brief.
Qualitative view from our search work. Not BLS data.
What is the median pay for Pharmacy Technicians?
$45,750 nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025). 50% of workers in this occupation earned less than this and 50% earned more. The median covers every setting BLS surveyed, so it is a midpoint of reported pay, not an offer benchmark for your vacancy. Read the mapping note and the percentile range before you set pay.
How much do the best-paid workers earn?
10% of workers in this occupation earned more than $61,040, and 10% earned less than $36,020.
Is this the pay for Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) exactly?
No. BLS reports Pharmacy Technicians as one occupation. It does not publish a separate estimate for Retail / Outpatient Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), its setting or its engagement terms. Treat these figures as the closest published evidence, not an exact-title benchmark.
What is the hourly equivalent?
BLS publishes a median hourly wage of $22.00 and an annual median of $45,750. Annual wages generally use 2,080 hours. Published rounding means these two figures need not multiply exactly; we retain both source values.
Where is the median highest?
Among the metro areas listed on this page, Napa, CA has the highest published median at $77,360.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimates 471,680 jobs nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025).
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