How Much Does a Pharmacy Tech Make in Santa Cruz, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Pharmacy Techs in Santa Cruz, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area
A typical Pharmacy Tech in Santa Cruz, California earns $24.09 per hour, or $50,100 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $4,175 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $43,700, and the top 10% of earners make over $85,420.
That pay is 9% below the California figure of $55,110 and 10% above the national figure of $45,750. Santa Cruz ranks 21st of 25 metro areas in California for Pharmacy Tech pay. About 260 Pharmacy Techs work in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area. Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Watsonville share these figures.
Pharmacy Tech pay in Santa Cruz at a glance
- Typical pay is $24.09 an hour, or $50,100 a year.
- That is 9% below the California figure, ranking 21st of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $43,700; the top 10% make over $85,420.
- Typical pay rose +18% from 2015 to 2025, against +43% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Pharmacy Tech make in Santa Cruz?
Pay in Santa Cruz runs from entry-level positions at around $21.01 an hour to more than $41.07 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Pharmacy Tech pay by career stage in Santa Cruz
| Career stage | Santa Cruz | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $43,700$21.01 an hour | $42,850$20.60 an hour | $36,020$17.32 an hour |
| First years | $46,950$22.57 an hour | $46,430$22.32 an hour | $37,850$18.20 an hour |
| Typical Pharmacy Tech | $50,100$24.09 an hour | $55,110$26.50 an hour | $45,750$22.00 an hour |
| Experienced | $60,430$29.05 an hour | $65,590$31.53 an hour | $49,990$24.04 an hour |
| Top 10% | $85,420$41.07 an hour | $81,190$39.03 an hour | $61,040$29.35 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area as BLS defines it
Pharmacy Tech pay growth in Santa Cruz
Typical (median) annual wage for Pharmacy Techs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Pharmacy Tech pay in Santa Cruz was $42,460 a year. By 2025 it had reached $50,100, a change of +18%, compared with +43% for California over the same years.
How Santa Cruz compares with other California cities
Napa pays Pharmacy Techs the most in California at $77,360 a year, $27,260 more than Santa Cruz. The lowest-paying area in the state is Bakersfield at $48,110.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Cruz | Pharmacy Techs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napa | $77,360 | $37.19 | +54% | 200 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale metro incl. San Jose · Santa Clara | $75,490 | $36.29 | +51% | 1,780 |
| 3 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $61,800 | $29.71 | +23% | 370 |
| 4 | Oakland metro incl. Fremont · San Francisco | $60,550 | $29.11 | +21% | 4,040 |
| 5 | Vallejo | $58,670 | $28.21 | +17% | 440 |
| 6 | Roseville metro incl. Folsom · Sacramento | $58,470 | $28.11 | +17% | 2,820 |
| 7 | Salinas | $57,180 | $27.49 | +14% | 360 |
| 8 | Santa Maria metro incl. Santa Barbara | $56,580 | $27.20 | +13% | 420 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $56,530 | $27.18 | +13% | 320 |
| 10 | Chico | $56,320 | $27.08 | +12% | 220 |
| 11 | Yuba City | $56,160 | $27.00 | +12% | 190 |
| 12 | Chula Vista | $54,500 | $26.20 | +9% | 3,600 |
| 13 | Redding | $52,860 | $25.41 | +6% | 220 |
| 14 | Fresno | $52,210 | $25.10 | +4% | 1,320 |
| 15 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $52,160 | $25.08 | +4% | 680 |
| 16 | El Centro | $51,130 | $24.58 | +2% | 160 |
| 17 | Los Angeles metro incl. Anaheim · Long Beach | $50,760 | $24.40 | +1% | 13,130 |
| 18 | Thousand Oaks | $50,720 | $24.38 | +1% | 720 |
| 19 | Modesto | $50,540 | $24.30 | +1% | 480 |
| 20 | Ontario metro incl. San Bernardino · Riverside | $50,270 | $24.17 | 0% | 4,630 |
| 21 | Santa Cruz metro incl. Watsonville | $50,100 | $24.09 | this city | 260 |
| 22 | Corcoran metro incl. Hanford | $50,060 | $24.07 | 0% | 200 |
| 23 | Visalia | $48,870 | $23.50 | -2% | 420 |
| 24 | Merced | $48,680 | $23.40 | -3% | 170 |
| 25 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $48,110 | $23.13 | -4% | 870 |
Every metro area in California with Pharmacy Tech wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $55,110
Is Santa Cruz a good place to work as a Pharmacy Tech?
Pharmacy Techs in Santa Cruz earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $50,100 a year, 10% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area, about 2.6 are Pharmacy Tech positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 3.0. Pharmacy Tech jobs make up about the same share of the job market as they do across the country.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Pharmacy Tech make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- A typical Pharmacy Tech in Santa Cruz earns $50,100 a year, or $24.09 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $43,700 and the top 10% earn over $85,420.
- How much does a Pharmacy Tech make an hour in Santa Cruz?
- Typical hourly pay for Pharmacy Techs in Santa Cruz is $24.09. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $21.01, and the top 10% earn over $41.07 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Pharmacy Tech in Santa Cruz?
- Entry-level Pharmacy Tech positions in Santa Cruz typically offer around $21.01 an hour, or $43,700 a year.
- Is Pharmacy Tech pay in Santa Cruz higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Cruz pay is 9% below the California figure of $55,110 a year, ranking 21st of 25 metro areas in the state. Napa pays the most in California at $77,360.