Posted by on May 3, 2013 in Career Salaries | 0 questions

According to information released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in a March 2013 report, the average phlebotomist is estimated to make a national mean annual wage of $30,910. Generally, wages vary in different work environments.

The report states that most phlebotomists work in medical and diagnostic labs, while others work at ambulance services, hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities. According to the report, the highest paying industry is the insurance industry at $41,350 per year and the lowest is non-specialty hospitals at $29,840 annually.

For further stats and information on getting started with your own certification, details can be researched at: www.phlebotomytraining-classes.com/

Does Employment Vary by State?

California hires the most phlebotomists, according to the BLS report. On average, 10,070 phlebotomists work in the state with the mean annual wage of $38,430. Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio round out the top five states with the highest employment of phlebotomists. Nationally, the government estimates that there are 100,380 working phlebotomists.

Alaska is the highest paying state with a mean annual wage of $38,750, but the employment number is considerably lower at an approximated 200 for the entire state. California is the second highest paying state. Delaware ranks third at $37,030 mean annual wage for approximately 220 workers. About 730 phlebotomists in Rhode Island make an average of $36,430 per year, and 4,390 workers in New York average about $36,240 annually.

Are These Wages Accurate?

When studying the BLS statistics, prospective phlebotomists should realize that the wages in the reports are estimates. There is a margin of error in most surveys, and within each region, there are higher-paying and lower-paying employers. It is often advisable to check employment services and human resource departments for more exact estimates.

Several metropolitan areas in the nation have high concentrations of employment opportunities for phlebotomists. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan area in California tops the list and has approximately 3,180 phlebotomy jobs. The New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York – New Jersey Metropolitan Division lists about 2,640; the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas is third at 1,560; and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota – Wisconsin area rates fourth at 1,530. When seeking employment, job applicants should note that phlebotomy jobs are scattered throughout the nation, and wages vary greatly according to the location.

The following list shows the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas with the highest mean annual wages:

Metropolitan Divisions

Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA $47,430
Stockton, CA $46,920
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA $45,350
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA $45,030
Merced, CA $43,850
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA $42,830
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $41,790
Yuba City, CA $40,290
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $40,120
Barnstable Town, MA $39,570

Non-Metropolitan Areas

Northern Mountains Region of California non-metropolitan area $41,990
North Coast Region of California non-metropolitan area $34,720
Other New Hampshire non-metropolitan area (not Northern, Southwestern or Western) $34,360
Central Washington non-metropolitan area $33,090
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai non-metropolitan area $32,710

Although the government does not have job growth rate estimates for the field of phlebotomy, it has an estimate for a group of jobs that includes phlebotomy. The BLS estimates that between 2010 and 2020 this group of jobs will experience a growth rate of 11 to 15 percent.

This guest post was written by Max Palomar, an education blogger and published online training researcher – he recommends taking your time but being decisive when figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life – once you’ve decided, get started and go full force.