Pharmacy Aides Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for pharmacy aidess across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $40,450 ≈ $19/hr
National median salary $37,680
Total employment 39,530 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -0.1% Decline
Annual openings 6,100 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 41,100 → 41,100 (-100)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. District of Columbia$56,990
  2. California$48,200
  3. Utah$48,010
  4. Hawaii$47,450
  5. Oregon$46,150

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Mississippi$31,110
  2. Louisiana$31,710
  3. Oklahoma$32,250
  4. Tennessee$32,430
  5. Kansas$32,840
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 District of Columbia $56,990 $59,960 $27 +40.9% 120
2 California $48,200 $42,200 $23 +19.2% 8,440
3 Utah $48,010 $51,600 $23 +18.7% 250
4 Hawaii $47,450 $46,250 $23 +17.3% 110
5 Oregon $46,150 $40,250 $22 +14.1% 450
6 Washington $45,390 $45,110 $22 +12.2% 1,990
7 Arizona $44,000 $43,360 $21 +8.8% 810
8 Colorado $41,600 $37,580 $20 +2.8% 370
9 Nevada $40,930 $39,080 $20 +1.2% 410
10 New York $40,650 $38,040 $20 +0.5% 2,360
11 Idaho $40,500 $37,690 $19 +0.1% 110
12 Rhode Island $40,120 $38,020 $19 -0.8%
13 Ohio $39,990 $37,500 $19 -1.1% 690
14 Maine $39,820 $38,060 $19 -1.6% 150
15 Connecticut $39,750 $36,350 $19 -1.7% 490

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 221 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Vallejo, CA $69,870 $60,660 80
2 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $55,710 $57,600 70
3 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT $51,850 $49,410 150
4 Salem, OR $51,590 $50,490 60
5 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT $49,620 $49,750 50
6 Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area $49,190 $44,120
7 Jacksonville, FL $47,830 $44,530 50
8 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $47,450 $53,210 380
9 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $46,830 $56,390 690
10 Urban Honolulu, HI $46,250 $46,160 80

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing pharmacy aidess (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Outpatient Care Centers $71,660 $68,190 1,470
2 Ambulatory Health Care Services $70,180 $63,480 1,850
3 General Merchandise Retailers $59,970 $54,780 2,070
4 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, State Government Owned $49,990 $47,020 40
5 Sector 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance $49,670 $54,580 4,260
6 Management of Companies and Enterprises $48,700 $49,450 140
7 Management of Companies and Enterprises $48,700 $49,450 140
8 Sector 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises $48,700 $49,450 140
9 Insurance Carriers $48,250 $49,420 160
10 Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers $48,250 $49,420 160
11 Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS $47,130 $49,390 120
12 Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS $47,130 $49,390 120

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
14,351
$10-20k
4,835
$20-30k
6,975
$30-40k
8,729
$40-50k
5,737
$50-60k
1,386
$60-70k
2,788
$70-80k
1,173
$80-90k
182
$90-100k
76
$100-110k
241
$110-120k
186
$120-130k
493
$130-140k
50
$140-150k
717
$150-160k
49
$200k+
99

Pay by age band

16-24
$15,119
25-34
$30,985
35-44
$52,368
45-54
$49,652
55-64
$45,170
65+
$22,117

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$25,309
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$29,195
Bachelors Degree
$33,809
Associates Degree
$26,861
Some college, but less than 1 year
$27,352
GED or alternative credential
$84,464
Grade 11
$11,965
Masters Degree
$33,090
Grade 10
$8,568
12th grade - no diploma
$96,793
Professional degree
$14,099
No schooling completed
$52,853
Grade 9
$510
Grade 6
$12,846

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
26,445 · $46,488
Part-time
13,337 · $16,140

Race / ethnicity

White
$26,883
Two or More Races
$25,936
Other
$51,982
Black
$29,511
Asian
$32,499
American Indian
$18,638
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$48,937
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$61,171

Top fields of study

Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences And Administration
$46,069
Psychology
$24,266
Community And Public Health
$36,157
Biology
$34,292
Chemistry
$12,148
Nursing
$8,156
Engineering Technologies
$74,425
Nutrition Sciences
$25,488

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Active Listening
3.5
Service Orientation
3.4
Speaking
3.4
Reading Comprehension
3.3
Social Perceptiveness
3.3
Critical Thinking
3.0
Coordination
3.0
Judgment and Decision Making
3.0
Active Learning
2.9
Monitoring
2.8
Writing
2.8
Complex Problem Solving
2.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do pharmacy aides make in the U.S.?

The median pharmacy aides salary in the United States is $37,680 per year (mean $40,450), and about 80% earn between $29,820 and $56,010.

How much do pharmacy aides make per hour?

Roughly $19 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $40,450 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays pharmacy aides the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for pharmacy aides at $56,990 per year (median $59,960).

What is the job outlook for pharmacy aides?

Employment is projected to change -0.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 6,100 openings per year.