How Much Does a Pharmacy Tech Make in Santa Maria, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Pharmacy Techs in Santa Maria, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area
A typical Pharmacy Tech in Santa Maria, California earns $27.20 per hour, or $56,580 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $4,715 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $43,250, and the top 10% of earners make over $73,090.
That pay is 3% above the California figure of $55,110 and 24% above the national figure of $45,750. Santa Maria ranks 8th of 25 metro areas in California for Pharmacy Tech pay. About 420 Pharmacy Techs work in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area. Santa Maria is part of the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Santa Barbara share these figures.
Pharmacy Tech pay in Santa Maria at a glance
- Typical pay is $27.20 an hour, or $56,580 a year.
- That is 3% above the California figure, ranking 8th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $43,250; the top 10% make over $73,090.
- Typical pay rose +37% from 2015 to 2025, against +43% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Pharmacy Tech make in Santa Maria?
Pay in Santa Maria runs from entry-level positions at around $20.79 an hour to more than $35.14 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 Maria
| Career stage | Santa Maria | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $43,250$20.79 an hour | $42,850$20.60 an hour | $36,020$17.32 an hour |
| First years | $47,590$22.88 an hour | $46,430$22.32 an hour | $37,850$18.20 an hour |
| Typical Pharmacy Tech | $56,580$27.20 an hour | $55,110$26.50 an hour | $45,750$22.00 an hour |
| Experienced | $64,110$30.82 an hour | $65,590$31.53 an hour | $49,990$24.04 an hour |
| Top 10% | $73,090$35.14 an hour | $81,190$39.03 an hour | $61,040$29.35 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area as BLS defines it
Pharmacy Tech pay growth in Santa Maria
Typical (median) annual wage for Pharmacy Techs in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara 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 Maria was $41,450 a year. By 2025 it had reached $56,580, a change of +37%, compared with +43% for California over the same years.
How Santa Maria compares with other California cities
Napa pays Pharmacy Techs the most in California at $77,360 a year, $20,780 more than Santa Maria. The lowest-paying area in the state is Bakersfield at $48,110.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Maria | Pharmacy Techs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napa | $77,360 | $37.19 | +37% | 200 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale metro incl. San Jose · Santa Clara | $75,490 | $36.29 | +33% | 1,780 |
| 3 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $61,800 | $29.71 | +9% | 370 |
| 4 | Oakland metro incl. Fremont · San Francisco | $60,550 | $29.11 | +7% | 4,040 |
| 5 | Vallejo | $58,670 | $28.21 | +4% | 440 |
| 6 | Roseville metro incl. Folsom · Sacramento | $58,470 | $28.11 | +3% | 2,820 |
| 7 | Salinas | $57,180 | $27.49 | +1% | 360 |
| 8 | Santa Maria metro incl. Santa Barbara | $56,580 | $27.20 | this city | 420 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $56,530 | $27.18 | 0% | 320 |
| 10 | Chico | $56,320 | $27.08 | 0% | 220 |
| 11 | Yuba City | $56,160 | $27.00 | -1% | 190 |
| 12 | Chula Vista | $54,500 | $26.20 | -4% | 3,600 |
| 13 | Redding | $52,860 | $25.41 | -7% | 220 |
| 14 | Fresno | $52,210 | $25.10 | -8% | 1,320 |
| 15 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $52,160 | $25.08 | -8% | 680 |
| 16 | El Centro | $51,130 | $24.58 | -10% | 160 |
| 17 | Los Angeles metro incl. Anaheim · Long Beach | $50,760 | $24.40 | -10% | 13,130 |
| 18 | Thousand Oaks | $50,720 | $24.38 | -10% | 720 |
| 19 | Modesto | $50,540 | $24.30 | -11% | 480 |
| 20 | Ontario metro incl. San Bernardino · Riverside | $50,270 | $24.17 | -11% | 4,630 |
| 21 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $50,100 | $24.09 | -11% | 260 |
| 22 | Corcoran metro incl. Hanford | $50,060 | $24.07 | -12% | 200 |
| 23 | Visalia | $48,870 | $23.50 | -14% | 420 |
| 24 | Merced | $48,680 | $23.40 | -14% | 170 |
| 25 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $48,110 | $23.13 | -15% | 870 |
Every metro area in California with Pharmacy Tech wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $55,110
Is Santa Maria a good place to work as a Pharmacy Tech?
Pharmacy Techs in Santa Maria earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $56,580 a year, 24% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area, about 2.1 are Pharmacy Tech positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 3.0. That makes Pharmacy Techs a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Pharmacy Tech make in Santa Maria, CA?
- A typical Pharmacy Tech in Santa Maria earns $56,580 a year, or $27.20 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $43,250 and the top 10% earn over $73,090.
- How much does a Pharmacy Tech make an hour in Santa Maria?
- Typical hourly pay for Pharmacy Techs in Santa Maria is $27.20. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $20.79, and the top 10% earn over $35.14 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Pharmacy Tech in Santa Maria?
- Entry-level Pharmacy Tech positions in Santa Maria typically offer around $20.79 an hour, or $43,250 a year.
- Is Pharmacy Tech pay in Santa Maria higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Maria pay is 3% above the California figure of $55,110 a year, ranking 8th of 25 metro areas in the state. Napa pays the most in California at $77,360.