The Phlebotomist Salary in 2018

The yearly phlebotomist salary is the highest in the US, with the average being $33,750, and in Australia with AU$45,000 (or US$ 33,265). Phlebotomists working in New Zealand are the next in line with an average salary of NZ$43,000 (US$ 29,479) while those working in Canada and the UK earn C$37,000 (US$ 26,921) and ₤17,000 (US$ 21,902) respectively.

The lowest salaries for this profession are registered in South Africa with ZAR144,000 (US$ 10,623) and India with Rs220,000 (US$ 3,426).

Source

How Much Does a Phlebotomist Make per Year?

wdt_ID	Country	Hourly Wage	Annual Wage
1	US	$16.22	$33,750
2	Canada	C$17.79 (US$ 12.95)	C$37,000 (US$ 26,921)
3	UK	₤8.17 (US$ 10.53)	₤17,000 (US$ 21,902)
4	Australia	AU$21.63 (US$ 16)	AU$45,000 (US$ 33,265)
5	New Zealand	NZ$20.67 (US$ 14.17)	NZ$43,000 (US$ 29,479)
6	India	Rs105.77 (US$ 1.64)	Rs220,000 (US$ 3,426)
7	South Africa	ZAR69.23 (US$ 5.11)	ZAR144,000 (US$ 10,623)

Generally, phlebotomists are responsible for drawing blood to be used for transfusions, tests, blood donations, or research. Most of them are also responsible for explaining how the procedure will work to their patients, and they also aid when some patients inevitably suffer adverse reactions to having their blood drawn. But what is the average phlebotomist salary?

While it’s barely higher than the minimum wage, the low educational requirements and the much faster than average employment growth make it a job to be desired by many.

Factors that Influence the Phlebotomist Salary

There are multiple factors that usually influence the phlebotomist salary range, from the geographic area where the job is located to the level of experience, skill, and exact job description for each employee, and, of course, to the industry to which the job is considered to belong.

Geographic Area

Phlebotomist Salary in the US

Whether it’s the certified phlebotomist salary, the mobile phlebotomist salary, the phlebotomist salary in Texas, or the phlebotomist salary in CA, it’s always going to be different depending on multiple factors.

In this subheading, you will find tables containing lists of the states and metropolitan areas that offer the highest levels of employment, as well as the highest salaries for the occupation. If a state happens not to be on the list, it’s not because it offers exceedingly low pay or that there aren’t enough job openings. Instead, it only meant that it isn’t among the states that rank the highest.

Highest Levels of Employment for Phlebotomists in the US

The states which offer the highest levels of employment for phlebotomists are as follows:

wdt_ID	State	Employment	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	California	12.780	0,82	0,96	$18.73	$38,960
2	Texas	8.850	0,77	0,89	$14.74	$30,660
3	Florida	7.410	0,93	1,09	$14.19	$29,510
4	New York	5.780	0,64	0,75	$18.32	$38,100
5	Illinois	5.330	0,91	1,06	$16.51	$34,340

For those who want to find out more about the distribution, but in a more vaguely distributed manner, the metropolitan areas offering the highest levels of employment for phlebotomists are as follows:

wdt_ID	Metropolitan area	Employment	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	New York – Jersey City-White Plains	4.750	0,73	0,86	$18.27	$38,000
2	Los Angeles – Long Beach – Glendale	4.420	1,08	1,26	$18.43	$38,330
3	Chicago – Naperville – Arlington Heights	3.260	0,91	1,07	$16.93	$35,220
4	Houston – The Woodlands – Sugar Land	2.010	0,69	0,80	$15.54	$32,320
5	Phoenix – Mesa-Scottsdale	1.990	1,06	1,24	$14.49	$30,150
6	Atlanta – Sandy Springs – Roswell	1.960	0,79	0,92	$15.61	$32,470
7	Dallas – Plano – Irving	1.910	0,82	0,96	$15.50	$32,240
8	Nassau County – Suffolk County	1.740	1,37	1,60	$19.58	$40,730
9	Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater	1.560	1,28	1,49	$14.58	$30,320
10	Washington – Arlington – Alexandria	1.360	0,56	0,66	$17.62	$36,650

Highest Phlebotomist Salaries in the US

Meanwhile, the states offering the largest phlebotomist salaries are the following:

wdt_ID	State	Employment	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	District of Columbia	180	0,27	0,31	$19.41	$40,380
2	California	12.780	0,82	0,96	$18.73	$38,960
3	Massachusetts	3.100	0,91	1,06	$18.39	$38,240
4	New York	5.780	0,64	0,75	$18.32	$38,100
5	Connecticut	1.580	0,95	1,11	$18.20	$37,850

Finally, the highest paying salaries for anyone with the phlebotomist job description can be found in the following metropolitan areas:

wdt_ID	Metropolitan area	Employment	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	Redding, CA	120	2,09	2,44	$22.61	$47,040
2	Vallejo – Fairfield, CA	130	1,02	1,19	$21.72	$45,170
3	Oakland – Hayward – Berkeley, CA	620	0,59	0,69	$21.27	$44,240
4	Oxnard – Thousand Oaks – Ventura, CA	220	0,75	0,88	$20.85	$43,360
5	Stockton – Lodi, CA	210	0,94	1,09	$20.82	$43,300
6	Santa Maria – Santa Barbara, CA	170	0,94	1,10	$20.82	$43,300
7	Salinas, CA	50	0,33	0,39	$20.42	$42,470
8	Sacramento – Roseville – Arden – Arcade, CA	450	0,52	0,60	$20.28	$42,190
9	Worcester, MA – CT	220	0,82	0,96	$20.11	$41,840
10	Chambersburg – Waynesboro, PA	90	1,54	1,80	$19.80	$41,190

Now, just because cities like San Diego, CA, Asheville, NC, Lexington, KY, or Charleston, SC aren’t on the list, it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer opportunities. In fact, depending on their level of experience and the industry in which they work, the average phlebotomist from Ohio, Louisiana, Michigan, or Indiana could bring home a bigger salary than one from Colorado, Oregon, or even Seattle.

Phlebotomist Salary in Canada

According to PayScale, the average phlebotomist salary in Canada is set at C$37,000, or just a little under US$27,000. The starting salary for a phlebotomist working in Canada is around C$25,963 (US$18,926), which is almost half of the average salary of a Canadian. Nevertheless, in time, a phlebotomist working in Canada will get to earn a little over the current national average, or C$53,645 (US$39,101) after about 10 years in this field.

In addition, 53% of the phlebotomists working in Canada don’t have any type of health benefit with their job.

Phlebotomist Salary in the UK

The starting salary for a phlebotomist in the United Kingdom is £12,481 (US$16,104). After about 5-10 years, a professional working in this field can earn up to ₤17,000, or US$21,902 per year. Experienced phlebotomists working in Canada take home about £21,306, or US$27,482 yearly.

Of all phlebotomists working in the UK, only 2% have dental insurance, 5% have vision, and 16% have medical insurance. Almost 80% of the phlebotomists in the United Kingdom have no type of health benefit from their employer.

Phlebotomist Salary in Australia

Those working as phlebotomists in Australia take home about AU$45,000, or US$33,265, on average. A beginner in this field earns about AU$40,906, or US$30,241. Mid-career and late-career professionals earn a little over the national average for this profession (AU$45,000 or US$33,265). Experienced phlebotomists working in Australia with 20 years or more behind take home about AU$53,370, or US$39,456.

As far as health benefits go, 93% don’t have any type of health benefit with their job; 2% have vision insurance, and about 6% have dental insurance.

Phlebotomist Salary in New Zealand

A trainee preparing to become a phlebotomist starts at about NZ$37,000 (US$25,329) and can earn up to NZ$46,000 (NZ$31,491) depending on experience. A professional who has been in this field enough to become qualified and registered as a phlebotomist earns somewhere between NZ$43,000 (US$29,437) and NZ$55,000 (NZ$37,673).

As far as employment opportunities go, a trainee phlebotomist has better chances of finding a job in larger cities of New Zealand. Nevertheless, professionals have average chances of employment overall.

Phlebotomist Salary in India

A beginner phlebotomist working in India will earn about Rs90,000 (US$1,401) per year. After about 5 years of experience in this field, a professional will get to take home the average salary for phlebotomists working in India (Rs220,000 or US$ 3,426). Mid-career and experienced phlebotomists, on the other hand, can expect to take home about Rs398,000, or US$6,196.

Phlebotomist Salary in South Africa

During the first few years on the job, a trainee or young professional will take home about R93,721 (US$6,922). Residents of South Africa who choose the phlebotomist career earn about R144,000, or US$10,637 on average. This salary can be achieved after about 5 years on the job. Experienced professionals, however, earn up to R218,614 (US$16,125) and bonuses can account for another R12,500 (US$921).

Even though the pay isn’t all that great for phlebotomists working in South Africa, 86% of the professionals employed here have medical insurance among their benefits. 4% have dental and vision, and only 14% have no type of health benefits with their job.

Experience

Of course, the level of experience of each employee greatly influences the phlebotomist salary. For example, a licensed, certified phlebotomist will get a much higher starting salary even if he’s working in a hospital than a traveling phlebotomist or simply one with less experience that is working in quest diagnostics.

But these trends aren’t prevalent just around the United States. A phlebotomist salary in Canada could be higher than that of a part-time technician working for LabCorp in the United States, but it’s unlikely that it would go higher than that of an experienced phlebotomist assistant working as a travel tech for the UK’s NHS.

According to payscale.com, the average starting phlebotomist salary is somewhere around $26,000 a year, below the minimum wage. The following is the estimated growth pattern of the average phlebotomist salary:

$26,000 – $30,000 during the first five to ten years on the job
$30,000 – $32,000 during the first ten to twenty years on the job
$32,000 – over $35,000 after more than twenty years on the job

Industry

As for the relevance of the industry to which the phlebotomist job description belongs, it might have a bigger impact on the phlebotomist salary than any of the previous factors combined. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are the industries with the top paying salaries and with the highest employment rates.

The industries offering the highest rates of employment for phlebotomists:

wdt_ID	Industry	Employment	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	41.730	0,79	$15.33	$31,890
2	Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	36.980	14,51	$16.16	$33,610
3	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	20.120	7,07	$15.58	$32,400
4	Offices of Physicians	10.580	0,42	$15.56	$32,360
5	Employment Services	2.730	0,08	$16.50	$34,320

Meanwhile, the industries offering the highest pay for the occupation are somewhat different:

wdt_ID	Industry	Employment	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
1	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	40	0.01	$23.44	$48,760
2	Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers	Not released	Not released	$21.18	$44,060
3	Local Government (OES Designation)	280	0.01	$18.25	$37,950
4	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	90	0.01	$17.45	$36,310
5	Individual and Family Services	Not released	Not released	$17.37	$36,130

Working Hours

Perhaps the best part about the phlebotomist job description is constituted by the working hours. While the salary is exceedingly low and the stress of the job can get pretty high, the working hours are perhaps the best in the medical industry.

There are no overtimes, and there is no working nights or holidays unless one chooses to. However, there might be shifts, depending on each particular employer. While the usual work week is somewhere between 35 and 40 hours long, it is also possible to work the job part time.

Bonuses and Benefit Packages

Mostly absent throughout the profession, some phlebotomists do get the occasional bonus. These are usually reserved for holidays or when signing on, and rarely go higher than $1,000 a year. The average is around $500. Most employers also offer some measure of phlebotomist training on the job.

As for the benefits packages that come with the job, they look far better than any potential bonuses. The phlebotomist job description generally comes with health insurance, a 401(K) plan, social security, and with a decent number of paid holiday, vacation, and sick leaves. If a phlebotomy technician becomes certified, they could even get some form of tuition assistance from the employer.

Job Outlook

Estimated to grow 25% percent by 2024, the job outlook for phlebotomists looks much better than that for the majority of the United States. From hospitals to blood donor centers, and including diagnostics laboratories and other such locations, they all need phlebotomists to function.

phlebotomist salary evolution column chart

Conclusion

While the job is extremely poorly paid and the environment involves seeing needles and blood every day, many still go for the phlebotomist salary and job description because they are very easy to obtain and hold. With an overwhelmingly positive job outlook and very low educational requirements, the job is frequently the stepping point towards a more lucrative healthcare career.