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

Overview

Virginia is home to more than 8,500 salaried pharmacy technicians. This means, around 2.6 percent of the nation’s 334,400 salaried technicians live in The Old Dominion State. Aspiring pharmacy technicians choose Virginia for:

• The opportunity to work at high-performing facilities such as University of Virginia Medical Center, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, and Inova Fairfax Hospital (all nationally ranked in multiple specialty areas)
• Access to more than 85 other outstanding hospitals
• Access to hundreds of quality health care and pharmacy technician training programs
• Employment: The Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA metropolitan area has the tenth highest      concentration of jobs and location quotients for pharmacy technicians (among metro areas)

Employment and Salary Trends for Virginia Pharmacy Technicians

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov), Virginia is home to 8,540 salaried pharmacy technicians. They average $29,250 per year. In 2006, Virginia-based pharmacy technicians averaged $25,330. This means salaries here have increased by $650+ 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 Virginia pharmacy technicians can expect a significant amount of employment growth in the coming years. In 2006, the state was home to 6,460 pharmacy technicians. This means, the industry here added 2,080 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 a promising 32 percent.

Pharmacy Technician Career Opportunities in Virginia

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, chain pharmacies and health & personal care stores are not the only employment options for today’s aspiring pharmacy technicians. Education, technology (computer systems design firms), management and scientific and technical consulting services, government departments, hospitals and outpatient care centers, clinics, retirement and rehabilitation facilities, grocery stores, department stores, electronic shopping and mail-order houses, and independent pharmacies are other viable options.

The state of Virginia is home to a wide variety of establishments in the areas listed above. Yet, many entry-level pharmacy technicians still choose to begin their careers at a large chain pharmacy or at a medical facility. Some of the largest chain pharmacies in Virginia include:

• CVS
• Costco
• Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
• Rite Aid
• Kmart Pharmacy
• Kroger Pharmacy
• Sam’s Club Pharmacy
• Target Pharmacy
• Walgreens
• Walmart

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

• Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital
• Carillon Roanoke Memorial Hospital
• Chesapeake General Hospital
• Inova Health System (13 facilities)
• Mary Washington Hospital
• Memorial Regional Medical Center
• Reston Hospital Center
• Sentara Hospitals (10 Acute Care Hospitals)
• University of Virginia Medical Center
• Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
• Winchester Medical Center

Schools Offering Pharmacy Technician Training Programs Include: