Pharmacy Technician vs Medical Assistant: pay, jobs and what each takes

Pharmacy technicians, by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025): a median of $22 an hour ($45,750 a year), against $21.97 ($45,690 a year) for medical assistants, $0.03 an hour more. The open jobs on this board today post medians of $25.29 an hour for pharmacy technicians and $24.33 for medical assistants.

On this board today: 2,952 open pharmacy technician jobs and 9,894 medical assistant jobs, read from each employer's own job board. BLS expects about 44,700 openings a year for pharmacy technicians and 109,700 for medical assistants, with employment changing +6.4% and +12.9% over 2025-2035.

Pharmacy technicians fill and label prescriptions, compound IV and sterile medications, manage inventory and handle insurance, under a pharmacist, in retail and hospital pharmacies. Medical assistants room patients, take vital signs and history, give injections, draw blood and keep the schedule moving for doctors and nurse practitioners, in clinics and practices.

A high school diploma and a training program or on-the-job training. (BLS: High school diploma or equivalent.) A medical assisting certificate or associate degree, or on-the-job training. (BLS: Postsecondary nondegree award.) Each occupation's page lists its credentials and who grants them: Pharmacy technicians, Medical assistants.