National pay comparison: all four roles
National median annual wages from BLS OEWS May 2025. These are the midpoint wages — half of workers in each role earn more, half earn less. Surgical technologists command the highest median of the four; all wages are before cost-of-living adjustment.
National median wages — visual comparison
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Bars proportional to national median. All values via usd() from the role pay libs — no hand-typed figures.
| Role | SOC | National median (BLS 2025) | Certification body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgical Technologist | 29-2055 | $64,650 | NBSTSA (CST) |
| Pharmacy Technician | 29-2052 | $45,750 | PTCB (CPhT) / NHA (ExCPT) |
| Phlebotomist | 31-9097 | $45,230 | NHA (CPT) / ASCP (PBT) |
| Medical Assistant | 31-9092 | $45,690 | NHA (CCMA) / AAMA (CMA) |
Pharmacy Technician
SOC 29-2052Pharmacy technicians dispense prescription medications under pharmacist supervision in retail, hospital, long-term care, compounding, and specialty pharmacy settings. The highest-paying states by adjusted pay concentrate in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the South and Plains.
Cost-of-living-adjusted pay range (all 51 jurisdictions)
| # | State | Median wage | CoL index | Adjusted pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 states — strongest real pay | ||||
| 1 | North Dakota | $47,560 | 91.4 | $52,035 |
| 2 | Montana | $49,400 | 95.5 | $51,728 |
| 3 | Washington | $58,900 | 114.1 | $51,621 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $48,260 | 93.7 | $51,505 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $48,300 | 94.6 | $51,057 |
| Bottom 3 states — lowest adjusted pay | ||||
| 49 | District of Columbia | $47,410 | 138.8 | $34,157 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $46,470 | 141.2 | $32,911 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $46,760 | 185.0 | $25,276 |
Takeaway: The states with the highest sticker wages are not always the strongest earners after cost of living. Explore the full 51-jurisdiction ranking at pharmacy tech pay by state.
Medical Assistant
SOC 31-9092Medical assistants perform both clinical and administrative tasks in physician offices, outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, and hospital departments. Washington posts the highest nominal MA wage in the dataset, but after adjusting for cost of living, Minnesota leads on real take-home pay — a reminder that the biggest sticker wage and the best real pay are rarely the same state.
Cost-of-living-adjusted pay range (all 51 jurisdictions)
| # | State | Median wage | CoL index | Adjusted pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 states — strongest real pay | ||||
| 1 | Minnesota | $50,480 | 94.6 | $53,362 |
| 2 | Washington | $59,290 | 114.1 | $51,963 |
| 3 | Nebraska | $47,370 | 92.6 | $51,156 |
| 4 | Iowa | $45,480 | 89.7 | $50,702 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $45,980 | 91.4 | $50,306 |
| Bottom 3 states — lowest adjusted pay | ||||
| 49 | Massachusetts | $49,460 | 141.2 | $35,028 |
| 50 | California | $49,660 | 142.3 | $34,898 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $48,410 | 185.0 | $26,168 |
Takeaway: The MA market rewards states with strong outpatient clinic demand and lower cost burdens. Full data at medical assistant pay by state.
Phlebotomist
SOC 31-9097Phlebotomists collect blood specimens in hospitals, reference labs, outpatient draw sites, and mobile phlebotomy settings. California leads on nominal wage by a wide margin; after cost-of-living adjustment, lower-cost states like North Dakota top the real-pay ranking — proof that the sticker wage and the best take-home are rarely the same state.
Cost-of-living-adjusted pay range (all 51 jurisdictions)
| # | State | Median wage | CoL index | Adjusted pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 states — strongest real pay | ||||
| 1 | North Dakota | $47,430 | 91.4 | $51,893 |
| 2 | Georgia | $45,840 | 92.5 | $49,557 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $46,000 | 94.6 | $48,626 |
| 4 | Illinois | $46,010 | 94.7 | $48,585 |
| 5 | Missouri | $43,120 | 89.0 | $48,449 |
| Bottom 3 states — lowest adjusted pay | ||||
| 49 | Alaska | $45,900 | 124.9 | $36,749 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $50,170 | 141.2 | $35,531 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $47,750 | 185.0 | $25,811 |
Takeaway: High-volume reference lab markets and states with phlebotomy licensure laws (CA, NV, LA, WA) tend to pay differently than unregulated markets. Full data at phlebotomist pay by state.
Surgical Technologist
SOC 29-2055Surgical technologists (scrub techs) prepare and maintain sterile fields, pass instruments, and assist the surgical team in operating rooms and procedure suites. With the highest national median of the four roles, the surgical tech market reflects the acute-care premium for direct OR support.
Cost-of-living-adjusted pay range (all 51 jurisdictions)
| # | State | Median wage | CoL index | Adjusted pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 states — strongest real pay | ||||
| 1 | Minnesota | $80,210 | 94.6 | $84,789 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | $74,120 | 97.7 | $75,865 |
| 3 | Nevada | $75,480 | 100.2 | $75,329 |
| 4 | Colorado | $75,740 | 102.7 | $73,749 |
| 5 | Oregon | $81,390 | 111.8 | $72,800 |
| Bottom 3 states — lowest adjusted pay | ||||
| 49 | New Mexico | $51,780 | 93.7 | $55,261 |
| 50 | Vermont | $60,660 | 113.6 | $53,398 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $82,640 | 185.0 | $44,670 |
Takeaway: Surgical tech wages climb steeply in certificate-law states and in high-volume surgical markets. Full data at surgical tech pay by state.
Licensure and certification framework
Understanding the difference between a state license and a national certification is essential for allied health professionals planning their next move. Both affect employability; only one is legally required to practice.
State license / registration
A government-issued credential from a state Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health, or equivalent agency. It is a legal prerequisite to practice in states that regulate the role. Issued and renewed at the state level; not automatically portable across state lines.
National certification
A credential issued by a professional organization (PTCB, NHA, NBSTSA, ASCP, AAMA, etc.) that demonstrates competency via examination. It is not a government license, but many state licensing laws require a valid national certification as a condition for licensure — and most employers require or strongly prefer it regardless.
Per-role licensure summary
Pharmacy Technician
Most states regulate pharmacy technicians through the State Board of Pharmacy, which may require registration, licensure, or national certification (CPhT/ExCPT) as a condition of employment. Requirements vary significantly — some states require licensure before working; others allow on-the-job training with a timeline to certify. California, for example, requires a Board license before the first shift. New York requires registration.
The authoritative per-state map is maintained by PTCB at ptcb.org/resources/state-regulations-and-map/. Full guide: pharmacy technician license requirements by state.
Medical Assistant
Medical assisting is largely unregulated at the state level. Washington state is the primary exception — it requires a credential (certification or training-based registration) for medical assistants performing certain clinical tasks. Nationally, employers frequently require certification (CCMA from NHA or CMA from AAMA), but it is an employer requirement, not a legal mandate in most states.
Full guide: medical assistant license requirements by state.
Phlebotomist
Four states regulate phlebotomists by law: California, Nevada, Louisiana, and Washington. In those states, a state-issued license or certification is required before drawing blood for clinical purposes. In the remaining 47 states and DC, phlebotomy is unregulated at the state level — but employers widely require a nationally recognized certification (CPT from NHA, PBT from ASCP, or equivalent) as a hiring condition.
Full guide: phlebotomist license requirements by state.
Surgical Technologist
Approximately 18 states have enacted requirements for surgical technologists — roughly 13 require national certification (the CST credential from NBSTSA is the most recognized) and 5 require state registration. The landscape has expanded steadily; check the current state-law map maintained by the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) at ast.org.
Full guide: surgical technologist license requirements by state.
Methodology & sources
- Salary data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — SOC 29-2052 (pharmacy technicians), SOC 31-9092 (medical assistants), SOC 31-9097 (phlebotomists), SOC 29-2055 (surgical technologists). We use the median annual wage, not the mean. No state figures have been interpolated; all 51 jurisdictions had published BLS figures for all four roles.
- Cost-of-living adjustment: World Population Review Cost of Living Index by State, 2025-2026 (U.S. average = 100). Adjusted pay = median wage ÷ (index / 100). A state with index 120 costs 20% more than the national average, so its wages buy proportionally less.
- Licensure: State boards of pharmacy, state departments of health, the AST state-law map, and the PTCB State Regulations Map. We summarize the framework and link to the authoritative per-role guides; we do not fabricate per-state specifics.
- Scope: All dollar figures are computed at render time from the role pay libraries. No amounts are hard-typed in this file. Rounded to the nearest dollar.
How to cite this report
This report is free to cite with attribution to The Pharm and the underlying BLS data. Use the canonical URL: https://thepharmwcg.com/allied-health-pay-report
Download the data (CSV) — all 4 roles × 51 jurisdictions, cost-of-living-adjusted pay included. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
The Pharm. (2026). 2026 Allied health pay & licensure report. https://thepharmwcg.com/allied-health-pay-report
The Pharm. “2026 Allied Health Pay & Licensure Report.” The Pharm, 24 June 2026, thepharmwcg.com/allied-health-pay-report.
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<div style="max-width:360px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',sans-serif;border:1px solid #e7e2d9;border-radius:14px;padding:18px;background:#ffffff;color:#3a2a57"><div style="font-size:11px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.06em;color:#8a7fa3;font-weight:700">Verified Pay Data</div><div style="font-size:16px;font-weight:700;margin:3px 0 8px">Pharmacy Technician Salary</div><div style="font-size:30px;font-weight:800;line-height:1;color:#3a2a57">$45,750</div><div style="font-size:12px;color:#5c5670;margin:3px 0 10px">U.S. median annual wage · BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2052)</div><div style="font-size:12px;color:#5c5670;line-height:1.5">Cost-of-living-adjusted pay across all 51 U.S. states and DC, plus state licensure requirements.</div><div style="margin-top:12px;font-size:12px"><a href="https://thepharmwcg.com/allied-health-pay-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color:#6b2fb3;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:700">The Pharm — Pharmacy Technician pay by state</a></div></div>Free to embed, including commercially. Please keep the credit link to this report visible and working so readers can reach the full data and sources. Figures are as of June 2026 (BLS OEWS May 2025); the linked report always carries the current numbers.
Frequently asked questions
- Which allied health role pays the most in 2025-2026?
- Surgical technologists have the highest national median at $64,650 (BLS OEWS May 2025). Pharmacy technicians follow at $45,750, then phlebotomists at $45,230 and medical assistants at $45,690. After cost-of-living adjustment, the best-paying state varies by role.
- What is the difference between a state license and a national certification for allied health workers?
- A state license is issued by a government agency and is a legal requirement to practice in states that regulate the role. A national certification is issued by a professional organization (PTCB, NHA, NBSTSA, etc.) and demonstrates competency via examination. Many states require a national certification in order to obtain a state license. In unregulated states, employer preference drives certification requirements.
- Which states pay pharmacy technicians the most after cost of living?
- After adjusting for cost of living, the top states for pharmacy technicians are North Dakota ($52,035), Montana ($51,728), Washington ($51,621), Wyoming ($51,505) and Minnesota ($51,057). See the full ranking at pharmacy tech pay by state.
- Do phlebotomists need a license in every state?
- No. As of 2026, only four states regulate phlebotomists: California, Nevada, Louisiana, and Washington. In all other states, phlebotomy is unregulated, though employers commonly require national certification. Full detail at phlebotomist license requirements by state.
- How many states require surgical technologists to be licensed or certified?
- Approximately 18 states have enacted requirements — roughly 13 require national certification (most commonly the CST from NBSTSA) and 5 require registration. The AST maintains the current state-law map at ast.org. Full guide: surgical technologist license requirements by state.
Explore the full pay and career data
Pay by state — full tables
Licensure guides
Allied Healthcare Educator — CPhT, CLSSGB, B.S. Healthcare Administration
Keyerrá Buckley is the founder of The Pharm and an Allied Healthcare Educator with experience spanning pharmacy operations, healthcare education, workforce development, payer-side operations, accreditation, and healthcare program leadership. She is a PTCB-certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) with a B.S. in Healthcare Administration and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Her career spans frontline pharmacy practice through institutional leadership and curriculum development for nationally recognized allied health programs. Full bio →
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS May 2025), State Boards of Pharmacy, State Departments of Health, PTCB State Regulations Map, Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) state-law map.