Pharmacy Technicians Salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
SOC 29-2052 · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$46,675
$22.44/hr
2% higher than the US national median ($45,760)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Pharmacy Technicians salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS September 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q3 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$38K
P25$40K
P50$47K
P75$58K
P90$64K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.8% (JOLTS, September 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 3.7% a year (BLS ECI, Q3 2026). Budget a 3.3-3.8% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $46,675 to $57,803 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Pharmacy Technicians pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 5.3% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.7% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.8% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 5.5% to 5.8% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.7 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Nov 3, 2026JOLTS September 2026: sector openings at 5.8% (down 35K). BLS revised August up from 5.4% to 5.9%, so last month's pullback largely did not happen. Still the tightest major sector; layoffs fell 70K.
Oct 30, 2026ECI Q3 2026: health care and social assistance wages rose 3.7% over the year (3.6% in Q2), the fastest of the sectors we track.
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings fell to 5.4% (down 115K; July revised up to 5.8%), still the tightest major sector. Quits held at 2.0%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS September 2026, ECI Q3 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Pharmacy Technicians in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is $46,675 per year ($22.44/hr). This is 2% higher than the national median of $45,760.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Wage Percentiles: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · BLS metro data
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$18.25
$37,960
+5.4%
P25
$19.15
$39,832
+5.2%
P50MEDIAN
$22.44
$46,675
+2.0%
P75
$27.79
$57,803
+15.6%
P90Top earners
$30.88
$64,230
+5.2%
How Washington DC compares for Pharmacy Technicians
Computed from this metro's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Pharmacy Technicians in Washington DC is above national (+5.4%) at entry, in line with national (+2.0%) at the median and above national (+5.2%) at the top.
An offer at the national median of $45,760 would sit at about the 47th percentile in Washington DC.
The top of the range earns 1.69 times the bottom here, close to the 1.69 times seen nationally.
Washington DC employs 6,650 people in this role, 1.4% of the national total.
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Pharmacy Technicians
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Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+6.4%
Faster than average
Annual openings
49K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
490K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Health and Personal Care Retailers
NAICS 456100
245K
$39,240
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
81K
$50,680
Wage range across top 5 industries: $39,240 to $50,680 (29% spread)
See the complete picture
Full percentile breakdown · JOLTS market signals · Geographic comparison · AI analyst briefs
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median pharmacy technicians salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
The median (P50) annual salary for Pharmacy Technicians in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is approximately $46,675, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 2% higher than the national median of $45,760. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
