Pharmacy Technician Employment & Salary Trends, and Career Opportunities in New York

Overview

New York is home to more than 15,000 salaried pharmacy technicians. This means, around 4.5 percent of the nation’s 334,400 salaried technicians live in the Empire State. Aspiring pharmacy technicians choose New York for:

• The opportunity to work at renowned facilities such as New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, NYU Langone Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Hospital for Special Surgery (all are on the list of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Hospitals)

• Access to 209 other outstanding hospitals and the third largest collection of health care facilities in the country

• Access to hundreds of exceptional health care and pharmacy technician training programs

• Employment: New York has the nation’s fourth highest employment level for this occupation

Employment and Salary Trends for New York Pharmacy Technicians

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov), New York is home to 15,730 salaried pharmacy technicians. They average $31,290 per year. In 2006, New York-based pharmacy technicians averaged $27,870. This means salaries have increased by $500+ each year. 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 New York pharmacy technicians can expect significant employment growth in the coming years. In 2006, the state was home to 11,960 pharmacy technicians. This means, the industry here added 3,770 new jobs between 2006 and today. Overall, the pharmacy technician industry will experience a significant amount of growth between now and 2020. Employment is expected to grow by 32 percent, meaning the industry expects to add an impressive 108,300 new jobs.

One New York metropolitan area made the list of top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest employment level for pharmacy technicians. The New York-white Plains-Wayne metro area is home to 8,270 salaried pharmacy technicians. Although this New York metro area did not make the list of metro areas with the highest salaries, at $34,090 per year, pharmacy technicians here (and the state overall) still earn more than the national average of $28,400 per year.

Pharmacy Technician Career Opportunities in New York

New York is as versatile as they come. Pharmacy technicians here can find work in a wide range of areas outside of large chain pharmacies such as department stores, grocery stores, colleges, computer systems design firms, and scientific and technical consulting services. Other options include electronic shopping and mail-order houses, government departments (federal executive branch), hospitals, outpatient care centers, and small independent drug or “mom and pop” stores.

While jobs are available in a wide variety of environments, many pharmacy technicians still choose to work in hospitals, chain pharmacies, and at health and personal care stores. New York is home to an extensive collection of stellar health and medical facilities, and so many chain pharmacies and health and personal care stores you’ll lose count. Some of the biggest pharmacies and health and personal care chains in New York are:

• Duane Reade
• Rite Aid
• Sav-On
• CVS
• Target Pharmacy
• Walgreens
• Walmart

Some of New York’s largest hospitals/systems include:

• New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
• NYU Langone Medical Center
• Mount Sinai Medical Center
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Hospital for Special Surgery
• Montefiore Medical Center
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• St. Francis Hospital
• North Shore University Hospital
• Westchester Medical Center
• Stony Brook University Medical Center

If you’re interested in working at one of the state’s many mom and pop or what many say are “famous” pharmacies, try these:

• Cambridge Chemist, Lenox Hill
• Jaros Drugs, NYC
• Zitomer Chemists, NYC
• Pollack-Bailey Pharmacy, NYC
• Goldberger’s Pharmacy, NYC
• Colony Drugs & Surgicals, Queens
• Woodrow Pharmacy, Staten Island
• Ansonia Pharmacy, NYC
• Northside Pharmacy, Brooklyn
• C.O. Bigelow, NYC
• Pricewise Discount Pharmacy
• Thompson Chemists, NYC
• Cherry’s Pharmacy, NYC
• Simelson Pharmacy, NYC

Schools Offering Pharmacy Technician Training Programs Include: