Phlebotomy is one of the few clinical jobs where a part-time schedule is normal rather than a favor. Blood is drawn around the clock in hospitals, in early-morning waves at outpatient labs and physicians' offices, and on fixed collection days at plasma and blood centers, so employers staff the peaks with part-time, weekend and PRN (as-needed) phlebotomists next to their full-time team. This guide covers where those jobs are, what they pay by the hour and by state, and what you need to qualify, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 and its Occupational Outlook Handbook. Every figure is a BLS estimate for the phlebotomist occupation; nothing is taken from job postings or salary sites.
The short answer
- Where: hospitals (36% of phlebotomists), medical and diagnostic laboratories (33%), other ambulatory services such as blood and plasma collection (16%), physicians' offices (9%) and outpatient care centers (2%). Hospitals and labs are the settings that run nights, weekends and holidays, which is where most part-time and weekend shifts come from.
- Pay: the national median is $21.75 an hour ($45,230 a year at full-time hours) and the mean $21.88. Half of all phlebotomists earn between $38,190 and $48,930 a year on a full-time basis; a part-time paycheck is the same hourly rate times fewer hours.
- By state: California's median is $56,040 a year and New York's $50,530, against $40,450 in Texas and $40,230 in Florida.
- Qualifying: a postsecondary phlebotomy certificate that usually takes less than a year, a national certification that many employers prefer, and in some states a state credential.
- Outlook: employment is projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average for all occupations, with about 18,000 openings a year.
Open phlebotomist postings on hospital and health-system career sites are on the phlebotomist jobs hub; the part-time and PRN views show only the postings that say so.
Where part-time phlebotomy jobs are
The Occupational Outlook Handbook says most phlebotomists work full time, and that those in hospitals and laboratories may need to work nights, weekends and holidays. Those two facts together describe the part-time market: the extra coverage a seven-day operation needs is filled by people working fewer hours. The largest employers of phlebotomists, as shares of the occupation:
| Setting | Share of phlebotomists | Median annual wage (full-time basis) | What the part-time work looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitals (state, local and private) | 36% | $44,220 | Early-morning inpatient draw rounds, evening and night shifts, weekend rotations and PRN pools that cover call-outs. |
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories | 33% | $46,670 | Patient service centers with fixed hours, often a morning rush; Saturday openings; mobile collection routes. |
| All other ambulatory healthcare services | 16% | $39,930 | Includes blood and plasma collection; shifts follow donor traffic, with evenings and weekends common. |
| Offices of physicians | 9% | $44,500 | Clinic hours, often a few mornings a week when the practice draws for labs. |
| Outpatient care centers | 2% | $48,030 | Day shifts; the highest median of the five settings but the fewest jobs. |
The shares and the medians are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (employer shares and May 2025 medians). The descriptions of the shifts are what those settings typically post; a particular employer's schedule is in its own listing. Two patterns are worth knowing before you apply. Laboratories pay more than hospitals at the median and are more likely to post fixed part-time hours, because a patient service center opens and closes at set times. Hospitals post more PRN work, which is not the same as part-time: a PRN phlebotomist usually has no guaranteed hours and is expected to pick up a minimum number of shifts, including some weekends, in exchange for a higher hourly rate and no benefits.
What part-time phlebotomists earn
BLS reports wages per hour and converts them to a year at 2,080 hours, so the annual figures below describe full-time work. A part-time phlebotomist is paid the same hourly rate for fewer hours: 20 hours a week at the national median comes to about half the annual median. The May 2025 national distribution:
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (median) | 75% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual wage (full-time basis) | $35,780 | $38,190 | $45,230 | $48,930 | $58,780 |
The national median hourly wage is $21.75 and the mean is $21.88, and BLS counts 143,540 phlebotomists employed in May 2025. The spread is narrow by healthcare standards: the top tenth earns about 1.6 times what the bottom tenth earns, so the setting, the shift and the state move your rate more than years of experience do.
Phlebotomist pay in the largest states
Median annual wages for phlebotomists in six of the largest states, May 2025, each on a full-time basis. Each state links to its phlebotomist postings on our board.
| State | Median annual wage | Against the national median ($45,230) |
|---|---|---|
| California | $56,040 | $10,810 above |
| New York | $50,530 | $5,300 above |
| Illinois | $46,010 | $780 above |
| Pennsylvania | $43,910 | $1,320 below |
| Texas | $40,450 | $4,780 below |
| Florida | $40,230 | $5,000 below |
California's median is 39% higher than Florida's for the same work, and the gap holds for part-time hours because it is a difference in the hourly rate. Housing costs eat into it, and a California part-time job in a coastal city can still leave less after rent than a Texas one, so compare what is left after housing rather than the headline rate. Our California, Texas, Florida and New York pages cover the local job market more broadly.
How to find part-time openings
- Filter by employment type. Hospital and health-system career sites label a posting part-time, PRN or full-time. The part-time phlebotomist jobs view on our board shows only postings labeled part-time, and the PRN view only the as-needed ones. A posting that names no employment type is usually full-time, but it is worth asking, because many employers will split a full-time requisition into two part-time ones when a strong candidate asks.
- Look at the shift, not only the hours. Weekend-only and evening positions are the part-time jobs hospitals struggle hardest to fill. They often carry a shift differential on top of the base rate; our guide to shift differential pay explains how those are calculated, and the same mechanics apply to phlebotomists.
- Search the laboratory side. A third of phlebotomists work for medical and diagnostic laboratories, whose patient service centers post fixed-hour part-time jobs. Those employers post on their own career sites as well as on job boards, so search the laboratory's name directly when a hospital hub comes up short.
- Start PRN, convert later. A PRN position is the fastest way into a hospital lab. Once you are on the schedule, moving to a benefited part-time line usually goes through an internal transfer, which most employers fill from the PRN pool first.
What you need to qualify
The Occupational Outlook Handbook lists the typical entry-level education as a postsecondary nondegree award: most phlebotomists enter with a certificate from a phlebotomy program that usually takes less than a year, and some employers hire high school graduates and train them on the job. No related work experience is required. Employers may prefer candidates who hold a professional certification from one of the national certifying bodies, Basic Life Support certification is sometimes required, and a driver's license is needed for jobs that transport samples between sites. Requirements are the same for part-time and full-time work; a PRN posting at a hospital often asks for a year of experience because the role covers every unit without a preceptor.
States that credential phlebotomists
Most states do not license phlebotomists, and the training, certification and background check are set by the employer. A few do. Washington, for example, registers phlebotomists as medical assistant-phlebotomists through the state Department of Health: an applicant shows completion of a phlebotomy training program at a school accredited by an organization the U.S. Department of Education recognizes, or has the program's supervising practitioner, who must hold a current Washington license, attest to it, and military training counts when it is substantially equivalent. The Department lists no examination for this credential, and the fee is set in state rule. Check your own state's health department or laboratory licensing office before you train, because a program that qualifies you in one state may not be accepted in another.
Outlook for phlebotomists
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook counts 143,900 phlebotomist jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding 9,800 jobs. Openings are the larger number: BLS projects about 18,000 a year over the decade, most of them to replace phlebotomists who move into other occupations or leave the labor force. Demand is tied to the growing older population and the continued need for blood tests. Part-time phlebotomy is also a common first clinical job, and the schedule leaves room for the prerequisites of a laboratory science, nursing or physician assistant program.
What the numbers don't tell you
- Benefits thresholds. Health coverage, paid time off and retirement matching usually start at a minimum number of hours a week set by the employer, and a line posted just under that threshold is not an accident. Ask what the benefited part-time minimum is before you accept the hours.
- PRN rates versus part-time rates. The higher PRN hourly rate replaces benefits and guaranteed hours. On a few shifts a month it wins; on 20 or more hours a week a benefited part-time line is usually worth more in total.
- Differentials. The BLS medians above are base plus differentials averaged across every shift. A weekend-only part-time job in a hospital can pay well above the state median for the hours worked, and a daytime clinic job below it.
- Draw counts. Hospitals and high-volume patient service centers often expect a minimum number of successful venipunctures before you work alone. A part-time schedule builds that count more slowly, so ask how orientation is structured for part-time hires.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national and state tables, Phlebotomists (31-9097), read 27 October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data tool, Phlebotomists (31-9097), May 2025 national and state estimates, read 27 October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Phlebotomists, 2025 pay, work environment and 2025-35 projections, read 27 October 2026.
- Washington State Department of Health, Medical assistant credentialing requirements, medical assistant-phlebotomist, read 27 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much do part-time phlebotomists make an hour?
The same hourly rate as full-time phlebotomists in the same setting. The BLS May 2025 median hourly wage for phlebotomists is $21.75 and the mean is $21.88; the middle half of the occupation earns between $38,190 and $48,930 a year on a full-time basis, and a part-time paycheck is that hourly rate times the hours worked.
Where are the most part-time phlebotomy jobs?
In hospitals and medical laboratories, which together employ about 69% of phlebotomists and are the settings the BLS says may require nights, weekends and holidays. Laboratories' patient service centers post fixed-hour part-time jobs; hospitals post more PRN (as-needed) and weekend positions.
What is the difference between a part-time and a PRN phlebotomy job?
A part-time job has scheduled hours each week and, above the employer's threshold, benefits. A PRN job has no guaranteed hours, expects a minimum number of shifts a month including some weekends, and pays a higher hourly rate instead of benefits.
Do you need a license to work as a phlebotomist part time?
In most states, no: employers set the training and certification they require, and many prefer a national professional certification. A few states credential phlebotomists; Washington, for example, registers them as medical assistant-phlebotomists through its Department of Health after completion of an accredited training program.
Which state pays phlebotomists the most among the largest states?
California, with a BLS May 2025 median annual wage of $56,040 (full-time basis), followed by New York at $50,530. Texas ($40,450) and Florida ($40,230) are below the national median of $45,230.
