Pharmacy technicians have the highest paychecks of all hospital work settings, but most of them aren't working in hospitals, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As of 2021, the most recent data available, 16 percent of pharmacy technicians work in hospitals, where their median salary is $38,270. In pharmacies and drugstores, where 50 percent of them work, the median annual pay is $35,940.
The Bureau lists a third work environment, food and beverage stores, in which pharmacy technicians are paid $36,090 and account for 9 percent of the workforce.
As hospital pharmacies struggle to fill this position — which helps fill prescriptions under a pharmacist's supervision — multiple reports and surveys say higher pay would draw in more applicants and boost retention rates.