OK, so you think you may have found your passion in life – becoming a pharmacy technician.

However, the million-dollar question is…

How much will I earn per year as a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT)?

We will share more information on pharmacy technician salaries with you, but there are some other things to consider first:

Is being a pharmacy technician a growing or a dying career?

How are the employment prospects for a certified pharmacy technician?

And where is the best place to live and get paid as a certified pharmacy technician?

Keep reading and, hopefully, we can answer some of these questions for you.

What kind of salary can I expect?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for pharmacy technicians was $31,750 in May 2017. By the term “median wage,” we mean that half the workers in the occupation earned more than this. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $46,980.

What are the highest paying states for pharmacy technicians?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 5 highest paying states. Numbers are based on the mean.

  1. Washington – $20.41 per hour / $42,440 per year
  2. California – $19.66 per hour / $40,890 per year
  3. Oregon – $19.10 per hour / $39,730 per year
  4. Alaska – $19.06 per hour / $39,640 per year
  5. North Dakota – $18.73 per hour / $38,960 per year

What are the lowest paying states for pharmacy technicians?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 5 lowest paying states. Numbers are based on the mean.

  1. West Virginia – $13.41 per hour / $27,900 per year
  2. Kentucky – $13.88 per hour / $28,870 per year
  3. Alabama – $14.02 per hour / $29,170 per year
  4. Georgia – $14.16 per hour / $29,450 per year
  5. Pennsylvania – $14.28 per hour / $29,700 per year

What is the career ranking for this job?

Well, according to usnews.com, becoming a pharmacy technician is exceptionally fulfilling. They analyze a boatload of data about salary, unemployment rate, and stress to select the top jobs for each year.

Pharmacy technicians are ranked:

  • #22 in Best Health Care Support Jobs

What is the growth potential as a pharmacy technician?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical job growth in a sector is 7%. Pharmacy technician job growth between 2016 and 2026 is expected to be 12%, adding 47,600 new jobs. That is faster than average.

What are the unemployment figures like for pharmacy technicians?

When looking at a career to get into, it is a good idea to factor in data on how long you can stay employed. Pharmacy technicians have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the US. According to usnews.com, the unemployment rate for pharmacy technicians is only 2.1%.

The bottom line: Becoming a pharmacy technician is not just a rewarding career; it is a growing and lucrative one, too.