Pharmacy Technicians Salary
The median pay for a pharmacy technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $46,400/year ($22.31/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $47,045 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 47.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $46K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About pharmacy technicians
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pharmacy technicians pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $46K locally vs. $46K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 48% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for pharmacy technicians in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $46K | $45K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $47K | $50K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $47K | $48K |
| El Paso | $40K | $45K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level pharmacy technicians (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Pharmacy Technicians pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Pharmacy Technicians salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $59K | +29% | 8,150 |
| California | $55K | +20% | 39,860 |
| Oregon | $55K | +20% | 4,320 |
| Alaska | $53K | +15% | 800 |
| Colorado | $50K | +9% | 6,010 |
| Montana | $49K | +8% | 1,340 |
| Minnesota | $48K | +6% | 7,340 |
| Wyoming | $48K | +5% | 600 |
| Utah | $48K | +5% | 5,030 |
| Nevada | $48K | +5% | 4,070 |
| Vermont | $48K | +5% | 760 |
| Arizona | $48K | +4% | 12,970 |
| North Dakota | $48K | +4% | 890 |
| District of Columbia | $47K | +4% | 1,130 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | +4% | 1,970 |
| Connecticut | $47K | +3% | 5,200 |
| Hawaii | $47K | +2% | 1,540 |
| Illinois | $47K | +2% | 21,340 |
| New Mexico | $47K | +2% | 2,550 |
| Nebraska | $47K | +2% | 2,660 |
| Massachusetts | $46K | +2% | 10,150 |
| Delaware | $46K | +1% | 1,480 |
| Idaho | $46K | +1% | 2,950 |
| South Dakota | $46K | +1% | 1,230 |
| Wisconsin | $46K | +0% | 9,540 |
| Texas | $46K | +0% | 41,740 |
| Maine | $45K | -1% | 2,070 |
| Maryland | $45K | -1% | 7,990 |
| Iowa | $45K | -2% | 4,630 |
| Virginia | $45K | -2% | 10,720 |
| Indiana | $45K | -3% | 10,790 |
| North Carolina | $45K | -3% | 17,260 |
| Louisiana | $44K | -3% | 6,700 |
| Rhode Island | $44K | -3% | 1,540 |
| Michigan | $44K | -3% | 14,240 |
| New York | $44K | -4% | 24,400 |
| Florida | $44K | -5% | 38,460 |
| Kansas | $43K | -5% | 4,270 |
| South Carolina | $42K | -8% | 8,070 |
| Tennessee | $42K | -8% | 11,870 |
| Georgia | $42K | -8% | 14,680 |
| Ohio | $41K | -11% | 17,820 |
| Oklahoma | $41K | -11% | 5,500 |
| Missouri | $40K | -12% | 12,610 |
| Pennsylvania | $40K | -12% | 18,880 |
| New Jersey | $40K | -13% | 14,020 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -14% | 8,870 |
| Mississippi | $39K | -15% | 4,040 |
| Alabama | $39K | -15% | 8,510 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -15% | 4,560 |
| West Virginia | $38K | -16% | 3,560 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track pharmacy technicians salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a pharmacy technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 48% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for pharmacy technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new pharmacy technicians typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,126/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 74% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is pharmacy technician a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $46K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for pharmacy technicians?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do pharmacy technicians make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $46,400 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,430, and experienced pharmacy technicians can clear $61,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,277/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 48% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a pharmacy technicians salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median pharmacy technicians salary is worth about $47,045 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do pharmacy technicians get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.