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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2052.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$45,750
Employment, U.S.471,680
Median hourly wage$22.00
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36,020 | $37,850 | $45,750 | $49,990 | $61,040 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 8,510 | $39,030 | 1.33 |
| Alaska | 800 | $52,640 | 0.81 |
| Arizona | 12,970 | $47,640 | 1.32 |
| Arkansas | 4,560 | $38,680 | 1.15 |
| California | 39,860 | $55,110 | 0.72 |
| Colorado | 6,010 | $49,970 | 0.69 |
| Connecticut | 5,200 | $47,050 | 1.01 |
| Delaware | 1,480 | $46,430 | 1.01 |
| District of Columbia | 1,130 | $47,410 | 0.53 |
| Florida | 38,460 | $43,590 | 1.28 |
| Georgia | 14,680 | $41,910 | 0.99 |
| Hawaii | 1,540 | $46,760 | 0.81 |
| Idaho | 2,950 | $46,420 | 1.13 |
| Illinois | 21,340 | $46,650 | 1.15 |
| Indiana | 10,790 | $44,560 | 1.11 |
| Iowa | 4,630 | $44,860 | 0.98 |
| Kansas | 4,270 | $43,310 | 0.98 |
| Kentucky | 8,870 | $39,200 | 1.46 |
| Louisiana | 6,700 | $44,410 | 1.14 |
| Maine | 2,070 | $45,400 | 1.06 |
| Maryland | 7,990 | $45,120 | 0.95 |
| Massachusetts | 10,150 | $46,470 | 0.92 |
| Michigan | 14,240 | $44,340 | 1.07 |
| Minnesota | 7,340 | $48,300 | 0.82 |
| Mississippi | 4,040 | $39,040 | 1.14 |
| Missouri | 12,610 | $40,100 | 1.42 |
| Montana | 1,340 | $49,400 | 0.86 |
| Nebraska | 2,660 | $46,610 | 0.85 |
| Nevada | 4,070 | $47,980 | 0.87 |
| New Hampshire | 1,970 | $47,360 | 0.95 |
| New Jersey | 14,020 | $39,610 | 1.08 |
| New Mexico | 2,550 | $46,630 | 0.96 |
| New York | 24,400 | $43,930 | 0.83 |
| North Carolina | 17,260 | $44,530 | 1.15 |
| North Dakota | 890 | $47,560 | 0.68 |
| Ohio | 17,820 | $40,650 | 1.06 |
| Oklahoma | 5,500 | $40,500 | 1.06 |
| Oregon | 4,320 | $54,900 | 0.72 |
| Pennsylvania | 18,880 | $40,040 | 1.03 |
| Rhode Island | 1,540 | $44,380 | 1.01 |
| South Carolina | 8,070 | $42,120 | 1.15 |
| South Dakota | 1,230 | $46,170 | 0.88 |
| Tennessee | 11,870 | $41,920 | 1.19 |
| Texas | 41,740 | $45,900 | 0.98 |
| Utah | 5,030 | $48,140 | 0.96 |
| Vermont | 760 | $47,940 | 0.83 |
| Virginia | 10,720 | $44,610 | 0.86 |
| Washington | 8,150 | $58,900 | 0.76 |
| West Virginia | 3,560 | $38,210 | 1.67 |
| Wisconsin | 9,540 | $45,970 | 1.07 |
| Wyoming | 600 | $48,260 | 0.71 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmacy Aides | 1-2 | 0.968 |
| 2 | Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | 3 | 0.961 |
| 3 | Medical Assistants | 3 | 0.958 |
| 4 | Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | 3 | 0.957 |
| 5 | Phlebotomists | 3 | 0.957 |
| 6 | Postal Service Clerks | 1-2 | 0.956 |
| 7 | Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 1-2 | 0.950 |
| 8 | Dental Assistants | 3 | 0.949 |
| 9 | Cashiers | 1-2 | 0.948 |
| 10 | Tellers | 1-2 | 0.948 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Pharmacy Technicians, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | Instructing | 0.88 | 0.961 |
| Phlebotomists | Instructing | 1.00 | 0.957 |
| Dental Assistants | Instructing | 0.88 | 0.949 |
| Opticians, Dispensing | Persuasion | 1.00 | 0.944 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | Instructing | 0.76 | 0.938 |
| Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | Management of Personnel Resources | 1.00 | 0.935 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Pharmacy Technicians, excluding software Pharmacy Technicians already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 5 of 20 | 7.2x |
| Practice management software PMS | 3 of 20 | 8.7x |
| Scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 2.6x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| JavaScript | 4 of 20 | 2.2x |
| Microsoft Windows | 7 of 20 | 1.3x |
| FileMaker Pro | 3 of 20 | 1.5x |
| Email software | 6 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Web browser software | 9 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Microsoft Access | 5 of 20 | 0.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.25 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.59 | 4.96 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.85 | 3.25 |
| Mathematics | 3.82 | 3.64 |
| English Language | 3.75 | 3.33 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.71 | 3.98 |
| Law and Government | 3.49 | 2.98 |
| Administrative | 3.31 | 3.83 |
| Production and Processing | 3.24 | 3.23 |
| Chemistry | 2.94 | 2.92 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.92 | 2.33 |
| Education and Training | 2.88 | 3.18 |
| Administration and Management | 2.87 | 2.88 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.62 | 1.84 |
| Telecommunications | 2.62 | 1.37 |
| Communications and Media | 2.57 | 2.13 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.25 | 2.14 |
| Biology | 2.25 | 1.84 |
| Psychology | 2.13 | 2.57 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 2.04 | 2.07 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.04 | 1.50 |
| Transportation | 1.96 | 1.22 |
| Foreign Language | 1.93 | 1.21 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.75 | 1.26 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.53 | 1.12 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.52 | 0.79 |
| Physics | 1.52 | 0.78 |
| Mechanical | 1.52 | 0.76 |
| Food Production | 1.35 | not rated |
| Design | 1.33 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.24 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.23 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.15 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.15 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.75 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Memorization | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Visualization | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Control Precision | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Originality | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Static Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Depth Perception | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Reaction Time | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Response Orientation | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.12 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Apple Safari hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Edge hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Mozilla Firefox hot
- Billing and reimbursement software
- Compounder software
- Database software
- Drug compatibility software
- Label-making software
- Medical condition coding software
- Patient record maintenance software
- Pharmaceutical software
- Pharmacy management software
- Prescription processing software
- Pyxis MedStation software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguadilla, PR | 510 | 3.46 | $26,350 |
| Arecibo, PR | 360 | 3.45 | $26,810 |
| Guayama, PR | 120 | 3.31 | $35,700 |
| Ponce, PR | 480 | 2.48 | $27,970 |
| Mayaguez, PR | 340 | 2.12 | $36,100 |
| Muncie, IN | 260 | 1.93 | $38,200 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 800 | 1.87 | $38,730 |
| Springfield, IL | 570 | 1.86 | $42,160 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 1,540 | 1.86 | $45,770 |
| Johnson City, TN | 460 | 1.85 | $38,480 |