Average Pharmacy Aide Salary

How Much Does a Pharmacy Aide Make?

On average, a Pharmacy Aide make $34,560 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $22,840, while the top-paid 10 percent made $51,060.

Annually National Average Salary: $34,560

$22K

$27K

$34K

$37K

$51K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS.

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$18,770	$22,550	$27,080	$29,960	$36,570
Alaska	$29,100	$29,130	$34,200	$36,770	$37,250
Arizona	$27,880	$29,260	$33,700	$37,460	$47,240
Arkansas	$23,310	$23,380	$26,920	$29,380	$36,390
California	$29,750	$35,610	$47,170	$59,810	$70,250
Colorado	$28,380	$29,010	$32,840	$31,130	$47,240
Connecticut	$28,920	$29,250	$30,980	$29,960	$35,240
Delaware	$22,850	$23,570	$28,280	$29,740	$32,160
District of Columbia	$36,780	$36,780	$47,130	$59,050	$59,050
Florida	$22,720	$28,360	$33,070	$36,750	$38,630
Georgia	$22,940	$23,600	$31,820	$36,230	$46,210
Hawaii	$23,700	$28,750	$36,180	$45,290	$57,490
Idaho	$22,810	$23,360	$29,930	$37,090	$37,460
Illinois	$23,700	$28,020	$30,090	$30,240	$36,690
Indiana	$23,370	$27,210	$31,830	$37,090	$38,180
Iowa	$22,550	$22,860	$28,250	$29,780	$36,950
Kansas	$18,480	$22,720	$26,040	$28,900	$36,520
Kentucky	$22,380	$22,620	$25,200	$27,670	$28,920
Louisiana	$17,550	$21,140	$24,600	$28,560	$35,100
Maine	$28,900	$29,000	$33,520	$36,800	$42,170
Maryland	$24,440	$24,480	$31,930	$36,590	$46,740
Massachusetts	$29,500	$29,520	$37,010	$47,880	$47,880
Michigan	$22,880	$23,410	$28,820	$29,810	$37,610
Minnesota	$27,710	$28,820	$33,030	$37,090	$42,710
Mississippi	$22,550	$22,710	$26,100	$25,920	$31,020
Missouri	$22,900	$23,070	$28,550	$29,690	$36,330
Montana	$22,870	$24,240	$31,960	$37,190	$46,600
Nebraska	$22,340	$22,920	$27,140	$29,130	$36,770
Nevada	$23,070	$23,420	$31,710	$37,500	$37,530
New Jersey	$29,250	$29,250	$33,370	$36,590	$36,620
New Mexico	$26,710	$28,320	$30,480	$29,140	$37,090
New York	$28,880	$29,040	$33,880	$37,750	$38,370
North Carolina	$22,660	$27,040	$33,190	$36,590	$46,210
Ohio	$22,760	$23,370	$30,750	$36,590	$38,530
Oklahoma	$17,850	$22,300	$25,530	$29,090	$30,850
Oregon	$24,810	$28,900	$34,800	$37,920	$47,330
Pennsylvania	$24,240	$29,130	$32,480	$36,850	$39,690
South Carolina	$17,850	$23,080	$28,490	$30,450	$36,460
South Dakota	$22,920	$23,630	$28,100	$29,740	$36,360
Tennessee	$17,470	$22,620	$24,880	$28,800	$29,760
Texas	$22,390	$23,090	$28,220	$29,690	$36,770
Utah	$24,240	$28,990	$37,280	$46,590	$47,430
Vermont	$24,710	$28,950	$30,880	$36,360	$37,230
Virginia	$22,900	$23,530	$29,370	$30,310	$41,930
Washington	$29,620	$30,730	$36,520	$37,640	$46,600
West Virginia	$19,120	$21,370	$23,050	$23,130	$28,820
Wisconsin	$22,760	$23,160	$26,950	$29,360	$30,480
Puerto Rico	$17,050	$17,660	$20,750	$23,060	$28,460

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is California, where the average salary is $47,170.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

California - $47,170

District of Columbia - $47,130

Utah - $37,280

Massachusetts - $37,010

Washington - $36,520

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$1,500	$1,833	$2,250	$2,417	$3,000
Alaska	$2,417	$2,417	$2,833	$3,000	$3,083
Arizona	$2,250	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083	$3,917
Arkansas	$1,917	$1,917	$2,167	$2,417	$3,000
California	$2,417	$2,917	$3,917	$4,917	$5,833
Colorado	$2,333	$2,417	$2,667	$2,583	$3,917
Connecticut	$2,333	$2,417	$2,500	$2,417	$2,917
Delaware	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$2,667
District of Columbia	$3,000	$3,000	$3,917	$4,917	$4,917
Florida	$1,833	$2,333	$2,750	$3,000	$3,167
Georgia	$1,833	$1,917	$2,583	$3,000	$3,833
Hawaii	$1,917	$2,333	$3,000	$3,750	$4,750
Idaho	$1,833	$1,917	$2,417	$3,083	$3,083
Illinois	$1,917	$2,333	$2,500	$2,500	$3,000
Indiana	$1,917	$2,250	$2,583	$3,083	$3,167
Iowa	$1,833	$1,833	$2,333	$2,417	$3,000
Kansas	$1,500	$1,833	$2,167	$2,333	$3,000
Kentucky	$1,833	$1,833	$2,083	$2,250	$2,333
Louisiana	$1,417	$1,750	$2,000	$2,333	$2,917
Maine	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,500
Maryland	$2,000	$2,000	$2,583	$3,000	$3,833
Massachusetts	$2,417	$2,417	$3,083	$3,917	$3,917
Michigan	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$3,083
Minnesota	$2,250	$2,333	$2,750	$3,083	$3,500
Mississippi	$1,833	$1,833	$2,167	$2,083	$2,583
Missouri	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$3,000
Montana	$1,833	$2,000	$2,583	$3,083	$3,833
Nebraska	$1,833	$1,833	$2,250	$2,417	$3,000
Nevada	$1,917	$1,917	$2,583	$3,083	$3,083
New Jersey	$2,417	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,000
New Mexico	$2,167	$2,333	$2,500	$2,417	$3,083
New York	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083	$3,167
North Carolina	$1,833	$2,250	$2,750	$3,000	$3,833
Ohio	$1,833	$1,917	$2,500	$3,000	$3,167
Oklahoma	$1,417	$1,833	$2,083	$2,417	$2,500
Oregon	$2,000	$2,333	$2,833	$3,083	$3,917
Pennsylvania	$2,000	$2,417	$2,667	$3,000	$3,250
South Carolina	$1,417	$1,917	$2,333	$2,500	$3,000
South Dakota	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$3,000
Tennessee	$1,417	$1,833	$2,000	$2,333	$2,417
Texas	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$3,000
Utah	$2,000	$2,333	$3,083	$3,833	$3,917
Vermont	$2,000	$2,333	$2,500	$3,000	$3,083
Virginia	$1,833	$1,917	$2,417	$2,500	$3,417
Washington	$2,417	$2,500	$3,000	$3,083	$3,833
West Virginia	$1,583	$1,750	$1,917	$1,917	$2,333
Wisconsin	$1,833	$1,917	$2,167	$2,417	$2,500
Puerto Rico	$1,417	$1,417	$1,667	$1,917	$2,333

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is District of Columbia, where the average salary is $3,917.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

District of Columbia - $3,917

California - $3,917

Massachusetts - $3,083

Utah - $3,083

Hawaii - $3,000

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$9.03	$10.84	$13.02	$14.40	$17.58
Alaska	$13.99	$14.01	$16.44	$17.68	$17.91
Arizona	$13.40	$14.07	$16.20	$18.01	$22.71
Arkansas	$11.21	$11.24	$12.94	$14.12	$17.49
California	$14.30	$17.12	$22.68	$28.75	$33.78
Colorado	$13.65	$13.95	$15.79	$14.97	$22.71
Connecticut	$13.91	$14.06	$14.90	$14.40	$16.94
Delaware	$10.98	$11.33	$13.60	$14.30	$15.46
District of Columbia	$17.68	$17.68	$22.66	$28.39	$28.39
Florida	$10.93	$13.64	$15.90	$17.67	$18.57
Georgia	$11.03	$11.35	$15.30	$17.42	$22.22
Hawaii	$11.39	$13.82	$17.39	$21.77	$27.64
Idaho	$10.97	$11.23	$14.39	$17.83	$18.01
Illinois	$11.39	$13.47	$14.47	$14.54	$17.64
Indiana	$11.24	$13.08	$15.30	$17.83	$18.36
Iowa	$10.84	$10.99	$13.58	$14.32	$17.76
Kansas	$8.89	$10.93	$12.52	$13.89	$17.56
Kentucky	$10.76	$10.87	$12.12	$13.31	$13.91
Louisiana	$8.44	$10.16	$11.83	$13.73	$16.88
Maine	$13.89	$13.94	$16.12	$17.69	$20.28
Maryland	$11.75	$11.77	$15.35	$17.59	$22.47
Massachusetts	$14.18	$14.19	$17.80	$23.02	$23.02
Michigan	$11.00	$11.26	$13.86	$14.33	$18.08
Minnesota	$13.32	$13.86	$15.88	$17.83	$20.53
Mississippi	$10.84	$10.92	$12.55	$12.46	$14.92
Missouri	$11.01	$11.09	$13.72	$14.28	$17.47
Montana	$10.99	$11.65	$15.36	$17.88	$22.40
Nebraska	$10.74	$11.02	$13.05	$14.01	$17.68
Nevada	$11.09	$11.26	$15.25	$18.03	$18.04
New Jersey	$14.06	$14.06	$16.04	$17.59	$17.61
New Mexico	$12.84	$13.61	$14.66	$14.01	$17.83
New York	$13.89	$13.96	$16.29	$18.15	$18.45
North Carolina	$10.90	$13.00	$15.96	$17.59	$22.22
Ohio	$10.94	$11.24	$14.78	$17.59	$18.52
Oklahoma	$8.58	$10.72	$12.28	$13.99	$14.83
Oregon	$11.93	$13.89	$16.73	$18.23	$22.75
Pennsylvania	$11.65	$14.01	$15.61	$17.72	$19.08
South Carolina	$8.58	$11.10	$13.70	$14.64	$17.53
South Dakota	$11.02	$11.36	$13.51	$14.30	$17.48
Tennessee	$8.40	$10.87	$11.96	$13.85	$14.31
Texas	$10.76	$11.10	$13.57	$14.28	$17.68
Utah	$11.65	$13.94	$17.92	$22.40	$22.80
Vermont	$11.88	$13.92	$14.85	$17.48	$17.90
Virginia	$11.01	$11.31	$14.12	$14.57	$20.16
Washington	$14.24	$14.78	$17.56	$18.10	$22.40
West Virginia	$9.19	$10.28	$11.08	$11.12	$13.86
Wisconsin	$10.94	$11.14	$12.96	$14.12	$14.65
Puerto Rico	$8.20	$8.49	$9.98	$11.09	$13.69

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is California, where the average salary is $22.68.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

California - $22.68

District of Columbia - $22.66

Utah - $17.92

Massachusetts - $17.80

Washington - $17.56

Pharmacy Aides: Salary Overview

A pharmacy aide is an assistant to the pharmacist and they typically fulfill a variety of roles in a pharmacy: they record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store merchandise, and inform the supervisor about stock needs.

They may also operate the cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.

Pharmacy aides answer phone inquiries, prepare bottles of solid and liquid medications for dispensing, help customers find merchandise in the store, and provide them with information about the effects of medication.

Depending on the place of employment, they may also clean shelves and work areas and deliver medication to clinics and other treatment centers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for pharmacy aids was $26,450 as of May 2019 which means that half the workers in this profession earned less than this and half earned more.

Pharmacy Aide Salary by Industry

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest employer of pharmacy aides were health and personal care stores.

Pharmacy aides employed in this sector earned, on average, $26,800 per year as of May 2019.

The mean annual wage for pharmacy aides who worked for food and beverage stores (which are their second-biggest employer) was $26,020.

Pharmacy aides who worked for general medical and surgical hospitals earned, on average, $36,110 a year- higher than the average for all industries.

Another field where pharmacy aides reported higher-than-average earnings are outpatient care centers.

In this sector the mean annual wage for this profession was $50,380 in 2019- almost double the median for all industries.

However, outpatient care centers hire only a few pharmacy aides, and job prospects may not occur very often.

Another field where you may find employment as a pharmacy aid are electronic shopping and mail-order houses.

Although at the moment there are not very many pharmacy aides employed by online stores, as online shopping in the pharmacy sector is growing new job opportunities may occur.

The mean annual wage reported by pharmacy aides in this sector was $43,770 in 2019.

Pharmacy aides who work for insurance carriers earned, on average, $43,770 while those who work for psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals reported an average annual wage of $39,710.

In conclusion, salaries for pharmacy aides vary widely depending on the industry of employment but there are also other factors that can help you earn a wage that is higher than the average for this profession.

Experience plays an important role in how much a pharmacy aide makes.

As an entry-level employee, you may earn a starting salary that is lower than $20,000 and after earning 10-20 years of experience you may earn more than $40,000.

Your level of education may also influence how much money you make as a pharmacy aide.

Graduating from a post-secondary program in pharmacy technology may help you earn a higher starting salary.

Earning an associate’s degree can give you an advantage over your competitors on the job market and may improve your earnings potential.

Depending on the state where you reside you may also need a license which means passing an exam and completing some formal education.

Two organizations offer certification in this field: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the National Healthcareer Association.

Your level of skills may also help you earn a higher than average salary.

As a pharmacy aide, you will need math skills, customer service skills, but also organizational skills.

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Pharmacy Aides. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.