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Role hub · Phlebotomists

Phlebotomist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of phlebotomists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$45,230
Hourly
$21.75
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Phlebotomists draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. The median pay is $45,230 a year ($21.75 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$45,230
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
143,540
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Explore the role

Every page for Phlebotomists

SalaryPhlebotomist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumePhlebotomist resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsPhlebotomist interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

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Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What phlebotomists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
  2. Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
  3. Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
  4. Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
  5. Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
  6. Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
  7. Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
  8. Enter patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Service OrientationcoreSocial PerceptivenesscoreSpeakingcoreActive ListeningCritical ThinkingCoordinationInstructingReading ComprehensionMonitoring

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics, Public Safety and Security.

Tools and technology

Software phlebotomists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
  • Donor management system softwareMedical software
  • Electronic medical record EMR softwareMedical software
  • Iatric Systems MobiLabMedical software
  • Laboratory information system LISMedical software
  • MEDITECH Blood BankMedical software
  • MEDITECH Laboratory and MicrobiologyMedical software
  • Medical procedure coding softwareMedical software
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • JavaScriptWeb platform development softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology

Also called: Lab Liaison Technician, Mobile Examiner, Patient Service Technician (PST), Phlebotomist Lab Assistant (Phlebotomist Laboratory Assistant), Phlebotomy Technician (Phlebotomy Tech), Registered Phlebotomist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).