Best Pharmacy Technician Schools Near Watsonville, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Watsonville, California has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs. Watsonville has a population of about 51,968. Median household income is $74,785 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the top-earning pharmacy technician-related role is Pharmacist at a median $161,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Pharmacy Technician Schools to Watsonville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer pharmacy technician programs near Watsonville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Watsonville 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 Watsonville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Carrington College-San Jose

San Jose, CA 22.7 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
46.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,633
Avg net price $36,466/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 36.3 miles from Watsonville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Carrington College-San Leandro Campus

San Leandro, CA 57.3 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
40.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,633
Avg net price $39,675/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

San Joaquin Valley College-Modesto

Salida, CA 66.5 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
46.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $26,706/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 67.0 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,805
Avg net price $6,906/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus

Pleasant Hill, CA 73.9 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
44.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,633
Avg net price $39,357/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Carrington College-Stockton

Stockton, CA 78.4 miles from Watsonville
  • 2 year
41.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,633
Avg net price $37,481/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Pharmacy Technician Wages Near Watsonville

Watsonville is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area (BLS area code 42100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Pharmacy Technician $50,100 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $45,587
Health Technologist and Technician $60,510 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $55,059
Pharmacist $161,940 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA $147,352

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.

Watsonville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 51,968 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $74,785 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 12.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Watsonville-Area Cities With Pharmacy Technician Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited pharmacy technician schools are near Watsonville, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs near Watsonville. The closest is Carrington College-San Jose in San Jose, CA (22.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is City College of San Francisco (67.0 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying pharmacy technician roles near Watsonville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying pharmacy technician-related roles near Watsonville are: Pharmacist ($161,940), Health Technologist and Technician ($60,510), Pharmacy Technician ($50,100). 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 Gilroy instead of Watsonville?

Gilroy, CA is 11.8 miles from Watsonville 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 Watsonville an affordable place to study pharmacy technician?

Watsonville’s median household income of $74,785 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Watsonville 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 Watsonville

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

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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