Career
Phlebotomists
Draw blood for tests, donations and research.
$45,230
Median pay
+6.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
18,000
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
- Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
- Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Service Orientation, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $45,230 a year and 18,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Phlebotomy Technician/PhlebotomistCIP 51.1009
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians$74,310 · +3.7%
- Histotechnologists
- Medical Assistants$45,690 · +12.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.