PublicPay

Pharmacy Technician federal salary series 0661

Full-time federal employees in the Pharmacy Technician series earned a median of $70,526 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 36% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $63,525 and $78,142.

Median pay
$70,526
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$63,525–$78,142
25th–75th percentile
Employees
7,619
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+3%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Pharmacy Technician
All federal (full-time)

What shapes pharmacy technician pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-7 (3,503 employees, median $67,368). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (5,973 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($87,420) and lowest in Mississippi ($58,005), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 17% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Pharmacy Technician pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Pharmacy Technician pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-5 122 $63,102 $57,534–$68,670
GS-6 1,710 $68,272 $60,902–$74,478
GS-7 3,503 $67,368 $61,542–$73,818
GS-8 1,743 $74,970 $69,573–$81,858
GS-9 388 $82,304 $74,868–$88,748
GS-10 68 $88,547 $84,426–$93,921

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Pharmacy Technician pay by agency

Pharmacy Technician pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 5,973 $70,480 $63,459–$78,067
Department of Health and Human Services 378 $72,410 $66,203–$80,685

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Pharmacy Technician pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Pharmacy Technician pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Florida 522 $70,716 $64,377–$76,030
Texas 485 $70,638 $64,217–$77,352
California 440 $87,420 $77,706–$95,951
Arizona 287 $76,547 $72,410–$84,018
Ohio 279 $67,622 $62,808–$71,664
North Carolina 236 $68,672 $64,179–$74,974
Illinois 235 $68,843 $61,923–$75,904
Georgia 195 $64,724 $58,896–$70,609
Pennsylvania 183 $64,838 $59,175–$71,026
New York 171 $68,268 $63,279–$74,668

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare pharmacy technician pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +3.0% from $68,442 in September 2025 to $70,526 in September 2026. Headcount went from 7,629 to 7,619 (−0.1%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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