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2021 Pharmacy Technician Salary in South Carolina
South Carolina, the Palmetto State, employs over 7,000 pharmacy technicians out of which around 5,214 have PTCB Certification, earning an average salary of $32,660 per annum which is around 7% lower than the national average. If you are looking to work as a pharmacy technician in SC, you can expect the best annual pay scale at the hospitals across the state, whereas the top paying cities in South Carolina are Charleston-North Charleston, Columbia, Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle. According to BLS, South Carolina will employ pharmacy techs at par with the national average and open around 630 job vacancies every year. South Carolina is a promising place to be in for aspiring pharmacy techs.
Pharmacy Technician Average Salary in South Carolina
Working as a pharmacy technician in South Carolina, you can earn an average annual salary of $32,660 or an average hourly remuneration of $15.70. In last five years, average annual salary of pharmacy technicians has shown a consistent growth, however it is 7% lower than the national average.
| Type | Average Salary |
| Hourly Wage | $15.70 |
| Monthly Salary | $2,720 |
| Annual Salary | $32,660 |
Pharmacy Technician Salary by Experience in SC
Being an entry level pharmacy technician, you can expect to earn $22,800 per annum. The highest starting salary is paid at Charleston-North Charleston area in South Carolina. If you work as a pharmacy technician for 20 years or more, your salary will become almost double at $44,000 per annum. If you have an experience of less than five years, you can make up to $26,750 every year, whereas with 5-9 years of working as pharmacy technicians, you can add around $5,000 more, making your annual salary $31,700. 10-19 years of experience pharmacy technicians can earn $37,630 annually in the state of South Carolina.
| Level of Experience | Hourly | Annual |
| Less than 1 year (Starting) | $10.96 | $22,800 |
| 1-4 years | $12.86 | $26,750 |
| 5-9 years | $15.24 | $31,700 |
| 10-19 years | $18.09 | $37,630 |
| 20 years or more | $21.15 | $44,000 |
Total Number of PTCB Certified Pharmacy Techs in South Carolina: 5,214
There are around 5,214 PTCB certified pharmacy technicians working all across the state of South Carolina. If you are an aspiring pharmacy technician, you should know that completing your pharmacy technician education from any of the 17 South Carolina pharmacy technician schools and getting certified is a requirement in the state.
Salary Growth
Overall annual salary of pharmacy technicians in South Carolina grew at 14.12% from 2015 to 2019. SC pharmacy technicians’ salary has shown a marginally negative growth of 0.32% in 2013 which turned positive by 1.60% in the following year 2014. Then in 2015, there was an excellent salary growth of 5.03% but it couldn’t sustain and dropped to 1.10% in 2016 (nearly same as it was in 2014). In 2017, there was a negative growth rate of 0.10%. The salary growth turned to positive by 3.85% in 2018 and 3.58% in 2019.
| Year | Annual Salary | Growth |
| 2015 | $30,060 | 5.03% |
| 2016 | $30,390 | 1.10% |
| 2017 | $30,360 | -0.10% |
| 2018 | $31,530 | 3.85% |
| 2019 | $32,660 | 3.58% |
| Total | $4,040 | 14.12% |
Employment Growth
Apart from 2013 and 2014, when employment growth rate was in the negative, due to South Carolina cutting down the positions of pharmacy technicians in the state, because of automation in pharmacies, the employment growth during the other years has been pretty much encouraging. In the last three years From 2015 to 2018, South Carolina continuously hired aspiring pharmacy technicians with larger numbers, 4.15% in 2015, 7.30% in 2016 and a whopping 9.12% in 2017 and 6.23% in 2018. In 2019 the growth rate was turned in to negetive by 5.20%. SC is expected to maintain 14% employment growth rate for next eight years.
| Year | Employment | Growth |
| 2015 | 6,030 | 4.15% |
| 2016 | 6,470 | 7.30% |
| 2017 | 7,060 | 9.12% |
| 2018 | 7,500 | 6.23% |
| 2019 | 7,110 | -5.20% |
| Total | 1,320 | 22.80% |
Industry Wise Salary and Employment
Retail pharmacies in South Carolina employ the largest number of 3,660 pharmacy technicians but pay $30,830 annually which is $6,250 lesser than that paid by the South Carolina hospitals which employ 1,120 pharmacy technicians. Department stores in SC have only 150 pharmacy technicians working at an annual pay scale of $34,370.
| Industry | Employment | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary |
| Retail Pharmacies | 3,660 | $14.82 | $30,830 |
| Hospitals | 1,120 | $17.82 | $37,080 |
| Grocery Stores | 640 | $14.39 | $29,950 |
| Other General Merchandise Stores | 240 | $15.72 | $32,700 |
| Department Stores | 150 | $16.52 | $34,370 |
South Carolina City Wise Salary and Employment
In order to scoop the best salary out of South Carolina, you need to know some vital stats about the SC cities. Concord-Gastonia employs the largest number of 3,020 pharmacy technicians and pays $32,440 annual salary, whereas Charleston-North Charleston pays the highest salary in the state, marking at $35,780 per annum. The lowest annual salary of $29,830 is paid by Florence, whereas Sumter and Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort both employ the smallest number of 170 and 190 pharmacy techs respectively.
| Area Name | Employment | Hourly | Annual | Starting Salary | Experienced Salary |
| Concord-Gastonia | 3,020 | $15.60 | $32,440 | $22,400 | $44,060 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin | 1,540 | $15.74 | $32,730 | $22,690 | $41,440 |
| Charleston-North Charleston | 1,240 | $17.20 | $35,780 | $25,880 | $46,870 |
| Columbia | 1,080 | $16.57 | $34,480 | $25,040 | $47,260 |
| Spartanburg | 540 | $15.73 | $32,710 | $25,040 | $41,480 |
| Florence | 470 | $14.34 | $29,830 | $20,880 | $39,770 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | 460 | $15.69 | $32,640 | $23,630 | $40,990 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort | 190 | $14.97 | $31,140 | $21,980 | $45,720 |
| Sumter | 170 | $15.25 | $31,730 | $25,490 | $42,990 |
Pharmacy Tech Job Outlook in SC
South Carolina has wonderful job prospects for the aspiring pharmacy technicians. For next 8 years, the estimated employment growth of pharmacy technicians in SC will be at 14.53%, which is marginally 7.04% above the national average. It is expected that SC will hire up to 630 pharmacy technicians every year until 2028. CVS Health, Grand Strand Medical Center, Equiscript, Fetter Health Care Network and many other health care companies are committed to providing a secure job environment for the pharmacy technicians, all across the state.
| 2018 Employment | 2028 Employment | Percent Change | Projected Annual Job Openings | |
| South Carolina | 6,470 | 7,410 | +14.53% | 630 |
| United States | 420,400 | 451,900 | +7.49% | 38,300 |
Pharmacy Technician South Carolina VS Pharmacy Technician National
Pharmacy technicians in South Carolina earn an income of $15.70 per hour or $2,720 per month or $32,660 per year which is approximately 7.93% lower than the national average.
| Type | South Carolina Salary | US Salary | Difference | % Difference |
| Hourly Wage | $15.70 | $16.95 | -$1.25 | -7.93% |
| Monthly Salary | $2,720 | $2,940 | -$220.00 | -8.09% |
| Annual Salary | $32,660 | $35,250 | -$2,590.00 | -7.93% |
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