Pharmacy Technician Employment & Salary Trends, and Career Opportunities in Montana

Overview

Montana is home to more than 800 salaried pharmacy technicians. This means, well under one percent of the nations 334,400 salaried pharmacy technicians live in The Treasure State. Although the talent pool is small, aspiring technicians are still attracted to the state based on:

• The opportunity to work at renowned facilities such as Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, Benefis Healthcare Hospital, and Billings Clinic (all nationally ranked and/or high-performing in multiple specialties)

• Access to more than a 15 other top rated hospitals and dozens of other quality medical facilities
• Access to a sizable collection of quality health care and pharmacy technician training programs
• Salaries: The state of Montana has one of the nation’s highest average salary for pharmacy technicians

Employment and Salary Trends for Montana Pharmacy Technicians

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov), Montana is home to approximately 870 salaried pharmacy technicians. This figure does not include technicians-in-training. The state’s salaried pharmacy technicians average $30,640 per year. In 2006, Montana-based pharmacy technicians averaged $26,520. This means salaries here have increased by $686 each year, between 2006 and today. Across the nation, pharmacy technicians average around $28,400 per year, with the top ten percent averaging $41,880 and the bottom ten percent earning $20,310 per year.

In addition to salary growth, aspiring Montana pharmacy technicians can expect some employment growth in the coming years. In 2006, the state was home to 730 pharmacy technicians. This means, the industry here added 140 new jobs between 2006 and today. Overall, the pharmacy technician industry will experience a significant amount of employment growth between now and 2020. The industry expects to add 108,300 new jobs, so employment is expected to grow by an impressive 32 percent.

Pharmacy Technician Career Opportunities in Montana

The U.S. is home to hundreds of thousands of large chain pharmacies, so its not surprising that a large percentage of pharmacy technicians work in these retail settings. Large chain pharmacies may be the largest employers of pharmacy technicians, but they are not the only ones. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacy technicians may also work at hospitals and in other fields such as technology and education. Other retail environments include department stores, mail-order houses, and grocery stores.

While these options are open to both entry-level and advanced pharmacy technicians, many technicians new to the scene choose the chain pharmacy as a first stop, and hospitals as a second. Some of the largest (or most recognized) pharmacies in the state include:

• CVS
• Barrett Drug
• Albertson’s Osco Pharmacy
• Costco Pharmacy
• Healthcare Plus Pharmacy
• Kmart
• Price Pharmacy
• Safeway Pharmacy
• Snyder’s Drug Store
• Smith’s Food & Drug Store
• PharmaCare Pharmacy
• ShopKo Pharmacy
• Target Pharmacy
• Walgreens
• Walmart

Some of Montana’s largest hospitals/hospital systems include:

• Advanced Care Hospital of Montana
• Benefis Health System – Benefis Healthcare Hospital
• Billings Clinic
• Community Medical Center
• Great Falls Clinic Medical Center
• Kalispell Regional Medical Center
• St. Patrick Hospital
• St. Vincent Healthcare
• The HealthCenter
• Trinity Hospital
• Wheatland Memorial Healthcare

Schools Offering Pharmacy Technician Training Programs Include: