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The national median salary for Pharmacy Aides is $37,690 per year ($18.12/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $34,986 and $43,638 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $56,014 per year. There are approximately 39,530 pharmacy aides employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Record drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.1%
Little or no change
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
41K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Health and Personal Care Retailers
NAICS 456100
27K
$36,770
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only)
NAICS 4450A1
4K
$35,810
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
2K
$43,730
General Merchandise Retailers
NAICS 455000
2K
$59,970
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
1K
$71,660
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,810 to $71,660 (100% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.34
$29,827
P25
$16.82
$34,986
P50MEDIAN
$18.12
$37,690
P75
$20.98
$43,638
P90
$26.93
$56,014
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average pharmacy aides salary?
The national median salary for Pharmacy Aides is $37,690 per year ($18.12/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $34,986 and $43,638 annually.
How much do top-earning pharmacy aides make?
The 90th percentile salary for Pharmacy Aides is $56,014 per year ($26.93/hr). The 75th percentile is $43,638 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for pharmacy aides?
Entry-level Pharmacy Aides (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,827 per year ($14.34/hr). The 25th percentile is $34,986 per year.
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.
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