Pharmacy Technicians in Rhode Island
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,595
after federal, FICA and Rhode Island tax
Tax takes
$7,785
17.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,086
Rhode Island costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Rhode Island — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$44,380
Kept after tax
$36,595
Worth in national money
$36,086
State rank
34
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Rhode Island is 34 of 51 states for pharmacy technicians, with a middle wage of $44,380. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Rhode Island this is lower-paid work. Of 452 occupations the state publishes figures for, pharmacy technicians ranks 377. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Rhode Island costs about what the country costs, so from $44,380, take-home of $36,595 is worth roughly $36,086 in national money. The average comes to $46,120, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Rhode Island ranks 34 of 51 for pharmacy technicians at $44,380. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Rhode Island reports, pharmacy technicians ranks 377 of 452, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Rhode Island is near the national base, so for pharmacy technicians, whose median is $44,380, the adjusted figure of $36,086 differs little from $36,595 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $46,120 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Pharmacy Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,270 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,380 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,990 |
| This salary | $44,380 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Rhode Island | $36,595 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,839 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,854 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $42,831 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,451 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Rhode Island earn less than $44,380. The published range is $38,270 up to $58,990, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Rhode Island the take-home figure of $36,595, from $44,380, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 377 of 452 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Rhode Island, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $36,086, the adjusted value of that $44,380 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 377 of 452 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for pharmacy technicians in Rhode Island the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,270 to $58,990. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Rhode Island is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $36,595 from $44,380. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 377 of 452 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Rhode Island, so $36,086 — the adjusted value of that $44,380 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 377 of 452 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $46,120, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $38,270 at the tenth percentile, $58,990 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Rhode Island run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $36,086 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Rhode Island then takes its own share, leaving $36,595.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Rhode Island is $46,120. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,270 to $58,990) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Rhode Island rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Rhode Island's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $36,086 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,595 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Rhode Island income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.