A pharmacy worker in a white coat takes a box of medicine from a pharmacy shelf

Pharmacy technician training by state

837 pharmacy technician programs in 48 states, DC and 3 territories, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

711 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Compare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists dispense medications, manage stock and serve customers. Many programs award a certificate after a year or less, most states regulate the work in some way, and some states and employers require certification.¹

Compare pharmacy technician training by state: cost, pay and results

Pharmacy technician training by state
State	Programs	Most cost	Earned a year, estimated	Working 6 months later	Finished
Alabama	9	$1,300 to $1,499	about $20,300	Not reported	88%
Alaska	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arizona	12	$3,149 to $14,256	about $35,600	100%	61%
Arkansas	10	$1,907 to $4,152	about $25,600	76%	73%
California	78	$1,500 to $4,324	about $39,600	65%	80%
Colorado	13	$1,595 to $4,199	about $27,000	46%	61%
Connecticut	10	$1,554 to $1,882	about $28,800	85%	96%
Delaware	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
District of Columbia	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Florida	22	$3,336 to $5,778	about $27,500	77%	71%
Georgia	21	$2,665 to $6,465	about $23,400	77%	48%
Guam	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Hawaii	5	$2,265 to $4,000	about $34,600	63%	66%
Idaho	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Illinois	38	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Indiana	58	$2,571 to $4,912	about $23,600	71%	48%
Iowa	10	$1,650 to $2,966	about $32,100	74%	53%
Kansas	7	$2,152 to $5,700	Not reported	Not reported	100%
Kentucky	10	$1,824 to $8,150	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Louisiana	38	$3,094 to $15,570	about $25,600	Not reported	Not reported
Maine	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maryland	18	$1,750 to $4,000	about $23,000	72%	63%
Massachusetts	5	$2,050 to $7,715	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Michigan	34	$2,959 to $6,688	Not reported	Not reported	63%
Minnesota	6	$3,448 to $8,264	about $24,600	65%	44%
Mississippi	13	$500 to $2,700	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Missouri	27	$2,495 to $4,100	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Montana	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nebraska	12	$1,949 to $4,000	Not reported	Not reported	67%
Nevada	6	$1,844 to $2,995	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Hampshire	10	$1,619 to $4,000	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Jersey	8	$1,200 to $3,135	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Mexico	10	$1,646 to $4,368	Not reported	60%	78%
New York	10	$1,740 to $2,086	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Carolina	51	$182 to $2,586	about $25,700	71%	68%
North Dakota	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Ohio	42	$2,750 to $5,680	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Oklahoma	8	$1,972 to $2,677	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Oregon	7	$1,695 to $6,678	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Pennsylvania	10	$1,561 to $3,300	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Puerto Rico	6	$14,320 to $24,600	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Carolina	6	$1,325 to $3,500	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Dakota	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Tennessee	28	$1,651 to $4,374	about $24,100	77%	66%
Texas	77	$2,495 to $9,100	about $25,600	75%	85%
US Virgin Islands	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Utah	11	$1,957 to $3,867	about $23,700	Not reported	94%
Vermont	5	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Virginia	33	$1,169 to $3,000	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Washington	18	$5,316 to $10,598	about $33,100	78%	58%
Wisconsin	12	$2,646 to $4,691	Not reported	Not reported	44%
Wyoming	7	$1,900 to $3,680	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer pharmacy technician training too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Is there free pharmacy technician training in the US?

WIOA funding can pay for pharmacy technician training in the US

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Or pay for pharmacy technician training yourself

Without funding, prices differ by state: most pharmacy technician programs cost $182 to $2,586 in North Carolina and $14,320 to $24,600 in Puerto Rico. Each state's page lists every program with its price.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the pharmacy technician program numbers by state come from

Which pharmacy technician programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁵ Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where too few programs report a figure, the table says "Not reported".

Other training by state

Approved programs per trade across every state. Each opens that trade's comparison by state.

Sources for the facts about pharmacy technician training

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