State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Phlebotomist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Phlebotomists earn a median of $45,230 per year ($21.75/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 5.6% through 2034, with about 18,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 31-9097Healthcare SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $45,230
- Projected growth
- +5.6%
- Openings a year
- 18,400
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Lab Liaison Technician, Mobile Examiner, Patient Service Technician (PST), Phlebotomist, Phlebotomy Technician, Registered Phlebotomist.
How much do Phlebotomists make?
10th percentile$35,780
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$38,190
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$45,230
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$48,930
Upper quartile
90th percentile$58,780
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $45,230 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $21.75/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $45,520 |
| People employed | 143,540 |
Versus all US occupations
At $45,230, Phlebotomists earn 11% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $5,750 a year.
Versus healthcare support occupations
The median is typical for the Healthcare Support group, where the middle occupation pays $44,910.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $58,780 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,780, a gap of 1.6×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 17% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($56,040), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $53,317 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Phlebotomists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $56,040 | $50,614 | 13,520 |
| District of Columbia | $51,980 | $47,297 | 180 |
| New York | $50,530 | $46,821 | 6,400 |
| Massachusetts | $50,170 | $47,439 | 2,580 |
| Oregon | $49,160 | $47,561 | 1,800 |
| Washington | $48,880 | $45,677 | 2,820 |
| New Hampshire | $48,660 | $46,714 | 630 |
| New Jersey | $48,650 | $44,713 | 5,230 |
| Delaware | $48,110 | $48,203 | 430 |
| Hawaii | $47,750 | $43,428 | 110 |
Is Phlebotomist a growing career?
Phlebotomists5.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+5.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Phlebotomists to change 5.6% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 7,900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 18,400 openings are projected each year, 13.2% of the 139,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The growing population, with its rising share of older people, will continue to increase demand for medical services, including blood testing.
Blood analysis remains an essential part of medical care, as it is used to check for a wide range of issues. Therefore, demand for phlebotomists will remain high as doctors and other healthcare professionals require bloodwork for analysis and diagnosis.
How to become a Phlebotomist
Phlebotomists typically enter the occupation with a certificate from a postsecondary phlebotomy program, but some qualify with a high school diploma and on-the-job training. Employers may prefer to hire candidates who have earned professional certification.
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as phlebotomists.
- Post-Secondary Certificate45.5%
- High School Diploma31.8%
- Some College Courses13.6%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.6%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate4.6%
What does a Phlebotomist do?
Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. May explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions.
Phlebotomists draw blood for purposes such as tests, research, or donations. They help patients or donors who are anxious before or have an adverse reaction after the blood draw.
Day-to-day tasks
- Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
- Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
- Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
- Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
- Train other medical personnel in phlebotomy or laboratory techniques.
- Conduct standards tests, such as blood alcohol, blood culture, oral glucose tolerance, glucose screening, blood smears, or peak and trough drug levels tests.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where phlebotomists work
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 36% |
|---|---|
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 32% |
| All other ambulatory healthcare services | 17% |
| Offices of physicians | 8% |
| Outpatient care centers | 2% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.4/5
- Speaking3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Writing3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Learning Strategies2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.5/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.6/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Phlebotomist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.4
Investigativeprimary4.7
Artistic1.0
Social3.6
Enterprising1.4
Conventionalprimary5.4
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Phlebotomist: frequently asked questions
How much do Phlebotomists make?
Phlebotomists earn a median of $45,230 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 11% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.75/hr. The middle half earn between $38,190 and $48,930. The top 10% earn $58,780 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Phlebotomist?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) as the typical entry route for Phlebotomists. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 45.5% hold post-secondary certificate.
Is Phlebotomist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.6% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 18,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Phlebotomist do?
Phlebotomists draw blood for purposes such as tests, research, or donations. A core O*NET task: dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Medical software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Phlebotomists the most?
The highest state medians for Phlebotomists are California ($56,040), District of Columbia ($51,980), New York ($50,530) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $53,317.
What personality type suits a Phlebotomist?
O*NET scores Phlebotomists highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.