How many CPhTs are in your state?

CPhTs in the United States

There are 283,000 active PTCB-certified pharmacy technicians throughout the United States.

Each of these technicians plays an integral role in both community and hospital pharmacy, though some technicians opt to work in the industrial sphere.

Outside of PTCB-certified technicians, there is an estimated 451,067 technicians in the United States – most of whom are female (75%). The average age of a practicing technician is 36 years.

Pharmacy Technicians by State

Below we have put together the number of pharmacy technicians that are licensed for each state, as referenced by PTCB.org (up to December 31, 2021).

Note that each state has their own requirements on how to become a practicing technician.

In terms of pharmacy technician requirements:

• Hawaii, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Delaware have no requirements.
• In the following states technicians must be nationally certified and registered or licensed: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana, and Vermont. This also applies to the territory of Puerto Rico.
• In the following states technicians must be registered or licensed: Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, California, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. This also applies to the territory of Guam.

Note that due to recent requirements, New York requires registration and certification for health-system technicians only.

Future Prospects for Pharmacy Technicians

Projections show that pharmacy technicians will be in demand over the next decade – with employment set to grow at an average rate of 12 percent per year.

This growth presents enormous opportunities for technicians. Whether you wish to join retail, hospital, or industrial pharmacy – or who perhaps hopes to work more than one of these sectors, there is expansive scope for career progression.

The average 2022 pharmacy technician salary is $35,100 – with this average set to grow over the years as demand for CPhTs continues to grow. Learn more about pharmacy technician salaries.

How to Become a CPhT

To become a certified pharmacy technician, candidates must take the PTCB exam. As we learned, each state has their own requirements.

For states that do not require certification, having PTCB certification is still recognized as essential for long-term growth in the industry; that you have an academic qualification to back-up any experience you have to date, or may not yet have. It also enhances salary prospects, too.

If you are thinking about taking the PTCB exam, you may be interested in our full-length PTCB online course that covers everything you need to know to succeed at the PTCB exam.

Once you have passed the exam and earned your CPhT status, you can bring your career to the next level – with all the salary and benefit opportunities that come with it.

Working in healthcare also has enormous personal and professional benefits, too. Helping patients on a daily basis never gets boring. You will be contributing to healthcare, and that‘s what makes working as a pharmacy technician highly rewarding.