Pharmacists pay in the U.S.
$140,920avg. a year
$67.75 an hour · 321,970 employed
Pharmacists in the U.S. earn an average of $140,920 a year and a median of $140,910. Pay is highest in California ($162,340) and lowest in Rhode Island ($123,300).
$140,910Median pay
$67.75Average hourly
+12%Avg. pay since 2020
321,970Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for pharmacists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
134,030 jobs
California
$162,340
$78.05 an hour
2560 jobs
Alaska
$161,220
$77.51 an hour
33,250 jobs
Oregon
$159,230
$76.56 an hour
47,350 jobs
Washington
$159,100
$76.49 an hour
51,190 jobs
Hawaii
$153,220
$73.67 an hour
64,560 jobs
Colorado
$150,510
$72.36 an hour
7790 jobs
Delaware
$147,290
$70.81 an hour
86,310 jobs
Minnesota
$147,060
$70.70 an hour
95,730 jobs
Wisconsin
$146,010
$70.20 an hour
10850 jobs
District of Columbia
$144,970
$69.70 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Pharmacists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $136k$136k–$139k$139k–$142k$142k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $190,370 | $91.53 |
| Napa, CA | $186,750 | $89.78 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $184,540 | $88.72 |
| Florence, SC | $184,250 | $88.58 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $175,910 | $84.57 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $169,660 | $81.57 |
| Vallejo, CA | $169,600 | $81.54 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $168,490 | $81.00 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
- Speech-Language Pathologists$98,170
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Pharmacists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $132,750 | $134,630 | 5,400 |
| Alaska | $161,220 | $167,310 | 560 |
| Arizona | $142,330 | $146,930 | 6,900 |
| Arkansas | $135,780 | $136,060 | 2,900 |
| California | $162,340 | $164,610 | 34,030 |
| Colorado | $150,510 | $156,030 | 4,560 |
| Connecticut | $139,150 | $141,290 | 3,490 |
| Delaware | $147,290 | $152,880 | 790 |
| District of Columbia | $144,970 | $153,400 | 850 |
| Florida | $130,190 | $135,970 | 21,540 |
| Georgia | $136,660 | $137,120 | 10,530 |
| Hawaii | $153,220 | $163,220 | 1,190 |
| Idaho | $139,410 | $144,900 | 1,790 |
| Illinois | $138,070 | $139,080 | 12,070 |
| Indiana | $140,030 | $144,290 | 6,430 |
| Iowa | $138,340 | $138,860 | 3,230 |
| Kansas | $136,170 | $137,800 | 3,500 |
| Kentucky | $136,480 | $136,530 | 5,030 |
| Louisiana | $130,490 | $132,410 | 5,610 |
| Maine | $138,430 | $140,930 | 1,380 |
| Maryland | $140,730 | $138,990 | 5,400 |
| Massachusetts | $138,660 | $138,170 | 7,230 |
| Michigan | $135,380 | $137,860 | 8,780 |
| Minnesota | $147,060 | $159,740 | 6,310 |
| Mississippi | $130,320 | $133,230 | 3,050 |
| Missouri | $137,030 | $137,610 | 6,740 |
| Montana | $137,160 | $142,080 | 1,190 |
| Nebraska | $136,260 | $139,330 | 2,450 |
| Nevada | $139,530 | $140,030 | 2,500 |
| New Hampshire | $140,720 | $143,020 | 1,130 |
| New Jersey | $141,350 | $137,620 | 9,420 |
| New Mexico | $143,050 | $147,000 | 1,730 |
| New York | $140,260 | $142,090 | 19,760 |
| North Carolina | $137,990 | $138,860 | 11,430 |
| North Dakota | $137,110 | $142,040 | 1,070 |
| Ohio | $132,420 | $137,020 | 12,790 |
| Oklahoma | $133,630 | $135,140 | 3,610 |
| Oregon | $159,230 | $165,960 | 3,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $138,740 | $138,160 | 14,090 |
| Rhode Island | $123,300 | $128,180 | 1,510 |
| South Carolina | $136,730 | $135,700 | 5,320 |
| South Dakota | $142,330 | $146,790 | 1,280 |
| Tennessee | $131,270 | $133,390 | 8,250 |
| Texas | $137,510 | $138,260 | 24,700 |
| Utah | $138,140 | $144,240 | 2,830 |
| Vermont | $140,780 | $136,270 | 530 |
| Virginia | $141,990 | $144,060 | 7,980 |
| Washington | $159,100 | $160,610 | 7,350 |
| West Virginia | $131,300 | $133,430 | 2,260 |
| Wisconsin | $146,010 | $148,740 | 5,730 |
| Wyoming | $139,830 | $139,550 | 510 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$142,420
20,000 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$151,100
12,450 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$138,420
8,930 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$137,540
7,230 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$143,930
6,460 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$137,100
6,410 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$128,730
6,150 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$139,250
6,120 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do pharmacists make?
The average is $140,920 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $140,910 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $67.75, and the median is $67.75 an hour.
Which state pays pharmacists the most?
California, with an average of $162,340 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $190,370.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $99,290 a year, and the top 10% earn over $174,230.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.