Phlebotomist Salary by State

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated November 12, 2026

Phlebotomist Salary: The National Numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 143,540 phlebotomists in May 2025. Half earned more than $45,230 a year and half earned less. As an hourly rate, the median was $21.75.

The spread matters more than the middle, because it tells you what a first job and a strong job look like:

Source: BLS OEWS, Phlebotomists (SOC 31-9097), May 2025, national.

The middle half of the field sits in a narrow band, $38,190 to $48,930. That tells you most of the difference in pay comes from where you work and which employer hires you, more than from years on the job.

What Phlebotomy Starting Pay Looks Like

BLS doesn’t track pay by years of experience, so the bottom of the range is the best guide to a first paycheck. Nationally, the 10th percentile was $35,780 and the 25th was $38,190. New phlebotomists, part-time workers and people in lower-paying states make up most of that lower band.

Where you live moves your starting point a lot. The 10th percentile in California was $45,490, higher than the national median in most of the South. In Mississippi it was $27,730.

Your first employer matters as well. Hospitals and labs run around the clock, and BLS notes that phlebotomists there may work nights, weekends and holidays. If an employer pays extra for those shifts, that premium won’t show in the base rate, so ask about it when you compare offers.

Highest-Paying States for Phlebotomists

These are the ten states (and the District of Columbia) with the highest median pay in May 2025. The full state table appears on this page as well.

California stands apart. Its median is the highest in the country, its top earners clear $74,340, and it employs more phlebotomists than any other state. It is also the state where training looks different: programs there prepare you for the Certified Phlebotomy Technician I (CPT I) issued by the California Department of Public Health, Laboratory Field Services. Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences in Richmond, for example, runs a nine-week certificate with 160 hours of clinical rotation at Kaiser facilities. The phlebotomy license requirements by state guide covers which states set their own rules.

Lowest-Paying States

Lower pay often comes with lower living costs, and the training is less expensive in much of the South too. Wyoming is a good example of how wide the range inside one state can be: its median is $38,180, but its 90th percentile reaches $60,590.

Where the Most Phlebotomy Jobs Are

High pay and many jobs don’t always line up. The five states with the most phlebotomists in May 2025:

• California: 13,520 phlebotomists, $56,040 median.
• Texas: 12,820 phlebotomists, $40,450 median.
• Florida: 10,220 phlebotomists, $40,230 median.
• Illinois: 7,910 phlebotomists, $46,010 median.
• New York: 6,400 phlebotomists, $50,530 median.

Texas and Florida pay below the national median but offer a large job market, which helps when you’re looking for a first position or an externship site that may hire you. In Texas, the Blinn College phlebotomy technician course in Brenham pairs 96 classroom hours with an 80-hour onsite clinical and at least 100 live sticks, the kind of documented experience employers ask about.

Phlebotomy Pay by Workplace

BLS publishes median pay for the industries that employ the most phlebotomists. Hospitals hire the largest share, 36% of jobs, followed by medical and diagnostic laboratories at 33%.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Phlebotomists.

Labs pay more than hospitals at the median, and they employ almost as many phlebotomists. Outpatient care centers pay the most at the median but hold a small share of jobs, so most new phlebotomists start in a hospital or a lab. Between those two, the lab median was higher in May 2025.

Does Certification Raise Phlebotomist Pay?

BLS doesn’t break pay out by certification status. What it does say is that some employers prefer to hire phlebotomists who have earned professional certification. In practice that makes certification a hiring factor more than a pay step: it widens the set of jobs you can apply for, including hospital and lab positions that list it as required.

The main national credentials are the NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), the ASCP Phlebotomy Technician (PBT), the AMT Registered Phlebotomy Technician (RPT) and the NCCT National Certified Phlebotomy Technician (NCPT). Of the 696 programs on this site, 202 name NHA exam preparation, 132 name ASCP and 48 name AMT.

To sit for the NHA CPT, you need a training program finished within the last five years (or one to two years of supervised work) and at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary or finger sticks on live people. The credential renews every two years with 10 continuing education credits. The phlebotomy certification guide compares all four exams.

Some programs fold the exam into the fee. Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh is NAACLS-accredited and makes its students eligible for the ASCP exam after 50 hours of clinical practice at sites including WakeMed, Duke and Labcorp.

How Phlebotomist Pay Grows Over Time

Within the job, the path to the top of the range is fairly short. The 75th percentile nationally was $48,930 and the 90th was $58,780. The state tables above show where that upper band is easiest to reach: California’s 75th percentile was $62,790, above the national 90th.

The bigger raises come from adding skills or moving into a related role:

• Phlebotomy plus EKG. Fifteen programs on this site combine the two. The phlebotomy and EKG programs ranking lists them, including Madison Adult Career Center in Mansfield, Ohio, a 244-hour course with a required hospital externship.
• Medical assistant. BLS lists a $45,690 median for medical assistants, close to phlebotomy, but the role adds clinical and front-office work that opens more clinic jobs.
• Clinical laboratory technologist or technician. BLS lists a $62,930 median, but the usual entry route is a bachelor’s degree. A credit-bearing phlebotomy certificate from a community college is the first step some people take toward it.

If you think you’ll build on phlebotomy later, a credit certificate is worth a look. The median credit certificate on this site runs 16 weeks and 9 credits, against 10 weeks for a non-credit course.

Phlebotomy Job Outlook

BLS projects phlebotomist employment to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, which it rates much faster than average. It expects about 18,000 openings a year on average, mostly to replace people who change jobs or retire.

That steady turnover is good news for new graduates. It means employers hire year-round, not only when they add positions.

What Training Costs Against What It Pays

Phlebotomy training is short. The median program on this site takes 13 weeks, and 486 of the 696 include clinical hours.

Of the 272 programs with a published price, the median was $1,400. Non-credit workforce courses had a median of $1,500 and credit certificates $1,282, though credit tuition is often billed separately at a per-credit rate. North Carolina’s community colleges are among the lowest-cost options, with a flat registration fee for their continuing education phlebotomy courses plus separate fees for background checks, insurance and books.

A program that includes an externship and the exam fee can cost more upfront and still save you time getting hired. Before you enroll, check three things: the total published cost, the clinical hours and documented draws, and which national exam the program prepares you for. The phlebotomy training cost guide breaks totals down by program type.

Finding Training Where Pay Is Highest

If pay is your main reason for choosing phlebotomy, start with your state. The ten highest-paying states above all have programs listed on their state pages, and the best phlebotomy programs ranking scores every program nationally on clinical hours, certification preparation, cost and schedule.

Some strong options in higher-paying markets:

• Pima Medical Institute-Phoenix: 70 class hours, 70 lab hours and a 160-hour externship over about three months, with NHA and ASCP exam preparation. Arizona’s median was $46,260.
• Pima Medical Institute-Renton: 70 class hours and 70 lab hours, then a 160-hour clinical externship, with NHA exam preparation. Washington’s median was $48,880.
• Massachusetts Bay Community College: a hybrid certificate with a 160-hour in-person capstone at a partner clinical site. Massachusetts paid a $50,170 median.

Working full time already? The evening and weekend phlebotomy classes ranking lists programs that fit around a day job. And for the full path from first class to first job, read how to become a phlebotomist.