What Does a Pharmacy Technician Do?
Pharmacists, patients, and prescribers count on pharmacy technicians to ensure the accuracy of every prescription before it reaches the pharmacist's final check. They count and package medicines, run insurance claims, manage stock and, in hospitals, prepare IV bags and unit doses. The work happens in retail drugstores, hospitals and mail-order pharmacies.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Accredited Pharmacy Technician, Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), Chemotherapy Pharmacy Technician (Chemo Pharmacy Technician), Compounding Technician, OR Pharmacy Tech (Operating Room Pharmacy Tech), RPhT (Registered Pharmacy Technician).
Pharmacy Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a pharmacy technician include:
- Enter new prescriptions into the pharmacy system and check patient profiles for missing details.
- Count, pour and package medications and print labels for pharmacist verification.
- Process insurance claims and fix rejections such as early refill or prior authorization flags.
- Order stock from wholesalers and put away deliveries in the right storage conditions.
- Pull expired and recalled drugs from shelves and process returns.
- Compound creams, liquids or IV admixtures using sterile technique in hospital settings.
- Restock automated dispensing cabinets on hospital units and fix count errors.
- Answer phones and route clinical questions from patients to the pharmacist.
- Ring up prescriptions at the register and explain pickup, copay and refill options.
- Keep counting trays, scales and work areas clean and log refrigerator temperatures daily.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a pharmacy technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential from PTCB or NHA
- State technician registration or license where required
- Pharmacy software and insurance billing
- Accurate counting and label checking
- Sterile compounding skills for hospital roles
- Brand and generic drug names
- Friendly, patient service at the counter
- Discretion with patient health information
Education and Training
A diploma alone isn't likely to get you far if you rush and skip checks, but if you're one of several applicants for a hospital post, national certification can be what prompts a pharmacy to hire you and train you in IV work. Most states require technicians to be registered or licensed.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $37,850 - $49,990 per year, with a median of $45,750.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pharmacy Technicians.
Employment of pharmacy technicians should grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS projections. In fact, BLS expects roughly 44,700 openings a year, since many technicians move on to pharmacy school, nursing or other work. Hospital and specialty pharmacies tend to look for certification and sterile compounding skills, so both are worth earning early.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Pharmacy technicians.
Pharmacy Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $36,020 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $37,850 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $45,750 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $49,990 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $61,040 |
Highest-Paying States for Pharmacy Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($58,900), California ($55,110), Oregon ($54,900), Alaska ($52,640), Colorado ($49,970). Pay is lowest in Alabama ($39,030), Arkansas ($38,680), West Virginia ($38,210).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $39,030 |
| Alaska | $52,640 |
| Arizona | $47,640 |
| Arkansas | $38,680 |
| California | $55,110 |
| Colorado | $49,970 |
| Connecticut | $47,050 |
| Delaware | $46,430 |
| District of Columbia | $47,410 |
| Florida | $43,590 |
| Georgia | $41,910 |
| Hawaii | $46,760 |
| Idaho | $46,420 |
| Illinois | $46,650 |
| Indiana | $44,560 |
| Iowa | $44,860 |
| Kansas | $43,310 |
| Kentucky | $39,200 |
| Louisiana | $44,410 |
| Maine | $45,400 |
| Maryland | $45,120 |
| Massachusetts | $46,470 |
| Michigan | $44,340 |
| Minnesota | $48,300 |
| Mississippi | $39,040 |
| Missouri | $40,100 |
| Montana | $49,400 |
| Nebraska | $46,610 |
| Nevada | $47,980 |
| New Hampshire | $47,360 |
| New Jersey | $39,610 |
| New Mexico | $46,630 |
| New York | $43,930 |
| North Carolina | $44,530 |
| North Dakota | $47,560 |
| Ohio | $40,650 |
| Oklahoma | $40,500 |
| Oregon | $54,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $40,040 |
| Rhode Island | $44,380 |
| South Carolina | $42,120 |
| South Dakota | $46,170 |
| Tennessee | $41,920 |
| Texas | $45,900 |
| Utah | $48,140 |
| Vermont | $47,940 |
| Virginia | $44,610 |
| Washington | $58,900 |
| West Virginia | $38,210 |
| Wisconsin | $45,970 |
| Wyoming | $48,260 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as pharmacy technicians about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% are on the phone every day
- 100% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 97% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 90% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
- 85% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 84% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 78% use email every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Post-secondary certificate | 42% |
| High school diploma or GED | 36% |
| Some college | 15% |
Tools and Software Pharmacy Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy organized work with data, records and clear procedures as well as hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics, English Language, Computers and Electronics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Pharmacy Technician Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 29-2052.00 (Pharmacy Technicians). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.