Pharmacy Aides
Also called: Pharmacy Assistant, Pharmacy Cashier, Pharmacy Clerk, Pharmacy HelperRecord drugs delivered to the pharmacy, store incoming merchandise, and inform the supervisor of stock needs. May operate cash register and accept prescriptions for filling.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 84% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,260 | $34,690 to $37,370 | 460 |
| Arizona | $43,360 | $40,810 to $43,400 | 810 |
| Arkansas | $36,860 | $34,940 to $38,640 | 120 |
| California | $42,200 | $37,390 to $57,820 | 8,440 |
| Colorado | $37,580 | $35,810 to $41,670 | 370 |
| Connecticut | $36,350 | $35,250 to $39,630 | 490 |
| Delaware | $38,500 | $35,840 to $39,850 | 130 |
| District of Columbia | $59,960 | $57,860 to $60,660 | 120 |
| Florida | $35,160 | $34,190 to $41,010 | 1,590 |
| Georgia | $34,630 | $28,350 to $41,600 | 1,410 |
| Hawaii | $46,250 | $43,640 to $50,610 | 110 |
| Idaho | $37,690 | $35,440 to $43,620 | 110 |
| Illinois | $37,010 | $35,610 to $37,960 | 1,180 |
| Indiana | $35,890 | $34,600 to $38,620 | 610 |
| Iowa | $33,270 | $29,030 to $36,790 | 1,070 |
| Kansas | $32,070 | $27,510 to $37,200 | 470 |
| Kentucky | $34,610 | $31,520 to $35,790 | 600 |
| Louisiana | $33,450 | $26,700 to $36,530 | 730 |
| Maine | $38,060 | $37,320 to $39,990 | 150 |
| Maryland | $35,170 | $32,750 to $43,080 | 420 |
| Massachusetts | $37,390 | $36,790 to $38,280 | 340 |
| Michigan | $36,130 | $34,270 to $36,130 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $37,430 | $33,460 to $42,050 | 550 |
| Mississippi | $28,380 | $27,320 to $34,520 | 660 |
| Missouri | $37,820 | $36,000 to $42,220 | 650 |
| Montana | $37,140 | $35,220 to $39,620 | 210 |
| Nebraska | $31,610 | $28,730 to $36,150 | 400 |
| Nevada | $39,080 | $34,270 to $44,060 | 410 |
| New Hampshire | $37,350 | $34,040 to $37,860 | 50 |
| New Jersey | $36,590 | $35,080 to $43,660 | 1,020 |
| New Mexico | $36,390 | $29,760 to $50,430 | 180 |
| New York | $38,040 | $35,870 to $40,390 | 2,360 |
| North Carolina | $35,530 | $33,970 to $37,840 | 1,180 |
| Ohio | $37,500 | $34,130 to $45,080 | 690 |
| Oklahoma | $30,360 | $27,290 to $37,790 | 700 |
| Oregon | $40,250 | $38,090 to $58,050 | 450 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,470 | $34,520 to $42,640 | 1,210 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,100 | $23,650 to $34,330 | 1,090 |
| Rhode Island | $38,020 | $37,910 to $38,040 | not published |
| South Carolina | $36,140 | $34,770 to $38,000 | 360 |
| South Dakota | $36,130 | $34,630 to $39,720 | 150 |
| Tennessee | $30,170 | $28,600 to $35,360 | 1,150 |
| Texas | $38,630 | $36,570 to $42,760 | 2,900 |
| Utah | $51,600 | $38,240 to $52,690 | 250 |
| Vermont | $37,310 | $36,280 to $38,530 | 90 |
| Virginia | $36,390 | $31,560 to $43,900 | 510 |
| Washington | $45,110 | $37,890 to $48,830 | 1,990 |
| Wisconsin | $36,660 | $35,560 to $38,740 | 550 |
| Wyoming | $37,030 | $33,730 to $37,650 | 60 |
Nationally: $37,680. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Answer telephone inquiries, referring callers to pharmacist when necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare prescription labels by typing or operating a computer and printer. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive, store, and inventory pharmaceutical supplies or medications, check for out-of-date medications, and notify pharmacist when inventory levels are low. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare, maintain, and record records of inventories, receipts, purchases, or deliveries, using a variety of computer screen formats. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and clean equipment, work areas, or shelves. | Not published |
| AI + software | Process medical insurance claims, posting bill amounts and calculating copayments. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Operate cash register to process cash or credit sales. | Not published |
| Not much | Accept prescriptions for filling, gathering and processing necessary information. | Not published |
| Not much | Unpack, sort, count, and label incoming merchandise, including items requiring special handling or refrigeration. | Not published |
| Not much | Restock storage areas, replenishing items on shelves. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform clerical tasks, such as filing, compiling and maintaining prescription records, or composing letters. | Not published |
| Not much | Greet customers and help them locate merchandise. | Not published |
| AI + software | Calculate anticipated drug usage for a prescribed period. | Not published |
| Not much | Compound, package, and label pharmaceutical products, under direction of pharmacist. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide customers with information about the uses, effects, or interactions of drugs. | Not published |
| Not much | Deliver medication to treatment areas, living units, residences, or clinics, using various means of transportation. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate capsule or tablet counting machine that automatically distributes a certain number of capsules or tablets into smaller containers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 18 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Execute financial transactions |
Show all 18 activities
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation16%
- An email or message11%
- An explanation or answer11%
- An app or website5%
- Data or a spreadsheet5%
53% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for pharmacy aides specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 7,942 moves out
- 1 Pharmacy Technicians High +6.4% 7%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Pharmacists High +5.2% 4%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 5,349 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 9%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 8%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 4 Pharmacy Technicians High +6.4% 5%
- 5 Teacher Assistants (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 18% postsecondary certificate
- 6% some college
- 76% not published
O*NET marks 76% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 37% high school
- 27% some college
- 10% associate's
- 18% bachelor's
- 2% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 319 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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