Best Pharmacy Technician Schools Near San Diego, CA (2026)

San Diego, California has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs. San Diego has a population of about 1,385,061. Median household income is $104,321 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 49.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning pharmacy technician-related role is Health Technologist and Technician at a median $60,280 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Pharmacy Technician Schools to San Diego

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer pharmacy technician programs near San Diego, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Diego city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from San Diego. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

North-West College-San Diego

San Diego, CA 5.6 miles from San Diego
  • 4 year
41.8 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,472
Avg net price $46,503/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California pharmacy technician page.


Pharmacy Technician Wages Near San Diego

San Diego is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Pharmacy Technician$54,500San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$48,704
Health Technologist and Technician$60,280San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$53,870

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


San Diego at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population1,385,061Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$104,321Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+49.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other San Diego-Area Cities With Pharmacy Technician Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited pharmacy technician schools are near San Diego, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs near San Diego. The closest is North-West College-San Diego in San Diego, CA (5.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Vista Adult School (25.5 miles).

What are the highest-paying pharmacy technician roles near San Diego?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying pharmacy technician-related roles near San Diego are: Health Technologist and Technician ($60,280), Pharmacy Technician ($54,500). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in La Mesa instead of San Diego?

La Mesa, CA is 7.3 miles from San Diego and has its own set of local pharmacy technician programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is San Diego an affordable place to study pharmacy technician?

San Diego’s median household income of $104,321 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Diego while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Pharmacy Technician Programs

Other Programs Available in San Diego

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Diego:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.