Occupation · SOC 29-1051

Pharmacists: pay and where the jobs are

What pharmacists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$140,910 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$140,920
Median hourly wage
$67.75
Mean hourly wage
$67.75
Employment
321,970

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1051.

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Use these numbers

How much do pharmacists make?

The median annual wage for pharmacists was $140,910 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $99,290 and the highest-paid 10% more than $174,230. As an hourly rate, the median is $67.75. About 321,970 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($167,310), Oregon ($165,960) and California ($164,610). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for pharmacists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.

Pharmacists: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$99,290$47.73$8,274$6,557
25th percentile$129,380$62.20$10,782$8,308
Median$140,910$67.75$11,743$8,965
75th percentile$161,840$77.81$13,487$10,157
90th percentile$174,230$83.77$14,519$10,863

Pharmacists: pay by state

54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.

1

South Dakota

$125,976 take-home in national prices

2

Alaska

$122,462 take-home in national prices

3

North Dakota

$120,100 take-home in national prices

Where a median pharmacist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
Alaska560$167,310$133,830$196,020$125,351$122,462
Oregon3,250$165,960$126,040$193,860$109,318$105,764
California34,030$164,610$90,560$213,820$110,573$99,867
Hawaii1,190$163,220$127,410$177,290$111,749$101,635
Washington7,350$160,610$126,230$205,210$118,815$111,029
Minnesota6,310$159,740$98,150$174,660$110,039$111,578
Colorado4,560$156,030$120,410$188,430$111,069$107,780
District of Columbia850$153,400$64,870$196,080$106,044$96,491
Delaware790$152,880$103,170$178,760$106,399$106,604
Wisconsin5,730$148,740$112,020$178,090$105,687$112,320
New Mexico1,730$147,000$103,500$174,200$105,868$114,810
Arizona6,900$146,930$103,490$171,660$108,413$107,684
South Dakota1,280$146,790$112,200$166,340$111,597$125,976
Idaho1,790$144,900$102,180$164,050$103,734$108,629
Indiana6,430$144,290$107,050$169,360$105,661$113,214
Utah2,830$144,240$70,260$172,440$103,435$104,624
Virginia7,980$144,060$106,800$173,550$102,262$101,145
New Hampshire1,130$143,020$98,870$170,030$109,020$104,661
New York19,760$142,090$92,910$174,550$100,598$93,215
Montana1,190$142,080$98,660$165,260$101,711$107,466
North Dakota1,070$142,040$105,490$167,940$106,840$120,100
Connecticut3,490$141,290$106,660$165,360$99,904$96,423
Maine1,380$140,930$101,360$166,810$98,253$101,239
Nevada2,500$140,030$104,000$168,600$106,977$106,999
Wyoming510$139,550$115,820$168,450$106,648$115,058
Nebraska2,450$139,330$84,990$170,090$101,038$112,136
Illinois12,070$139,080$98,970$169,430$99,588$99,629
Maryland5,400$138,990$115,860$169,890$99,804$95,089
Iowa3,230$138,860$117,450$164,520$101,552$115,713
North Carolina11,430$138,860$101,670$169,820$101,145$107,229
Texas24,700$138,260$95,950$170,170$105,767$108,974
Massachusetts7,230$138,170$113,710$164,500$98,381$93,026
Pennsylvania14,090$138,160$112,750$163,570$101,360$103,882
Michigan8,780$137,860$101,740$168,540$99,885$103,812
Kansas3,500$137,800$78,770$169,310$98,563$109,431
New Jersey9,420$137,620$112,560$172,110$97,984$90,055
Missouri6,740$137,610$107,530$166,840$99,792$109,883
Georgia10,530$137,120$100,950$170,110$98,894$102,701
Ohio12,790$137,020$65,470$165,900$101,588$109,500
Kentucky5,030$136,530$84,280$168,940$99,923$110,830
Vermont530$136,270$117,860$164,370$97,912$99,953
Arkansas2,900$136,060$105,560$164,940$99,429$114,369
Florida21,540$135,970$56,000$166,310$104,201$100,761
South Carolina5,320$135,700$82,430$170,270$97,913$104,442
Oklahoma3,610$135,140$100,320$162,070$98,098$111,675
Virgin Islands50$134,970$92,700$136,280——
Alabama5,400$134,630$90,010$161,940$97,846$110,159
West Virginia2,260$133,430$80,900$166,020$97,243$108,655
Tennessee8,250$133,390$88,700$164,430$102,438$111,503
Mississippi3,050$133,230$97,260$158,230$97,732$112,396
Louisiana5,610$132,410$100,920$156,740$98,182$111,309
Guam70$129,090$95,980$162,170——
Rhode Island1,510$128,180$86,650$161,090$93,290$91,211
Puerto Rico2,220$111,270$61,730$127,290——

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).

Sources

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.