SALARY DATA — SOC 29-1051
Pharmacists
29-0000 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Pharmacists is 1.75× — this is a compressed-comp occupation where the wage band is narrow. Top decile earns $174,230, bottom decile $99,290. In flat-comp professions, title and tenure define the ceiling more than negotiation does. Push title, not pay.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 321,970.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $99,290 | -30% | ~$48 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $129,380 | -8% | ~$62 |
| Median — 50th pct | $140,910 | — | $67.75/hr |
| Mean — average | $140,920 | +0% | $67.75/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $161,840 | +15% | ~$78 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $174,230 | +24% | ~$84 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Pharmacists in 389 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 20,000 | $141,320 | $96,010 | $175,840 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 12,450 | $157,440 | $62,800 | $209,060 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 8,930 | $140,880 | $84,950 | $171,710 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,230 | $138,170 | $104,720 | $170,390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 6,460 | $148,740 | $119,840 | $167,270 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 6,410 | $140,470 | $83,200 | $170,170 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 6,150 | $135,210 | $57,190 | $168,060 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 6,120 | $139,870 | $103,170 | $175,560 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 5,280 | $139,660 | $127,550 | $168,390 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 5,260 | $150,540 | $121,420 | $179,230 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 37 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Pharmacists are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 456100 | 121,990 | $132,940 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 622100 | 95,760 | $157,440 |
| General Merchandise Retailers | 455000 | 20,690 | $151,370 |
| Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) | 4450A1 | 19,700 | $144,000 |
| Offices of Physicians | 621100 | 8,560 | $151,380 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Pharmacists is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #9 of 50 on the paycheck and #36 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | $172,680 | 100.3 | $172,218 | +1 |
| Portland | $168,830 | 100.1 | $168,643 | +1 |
| San Francisco | $177,410 | 106.2 | $167,076 | -2 |
| San Diego | $165,130 | 99.6 | $165,757 | — |
| Riverside | $161,870 | 101.3 | $159,846 | +1 |
| Denver | $157,890 | 99.4 | $158,896 | +2 |
| Austin | $151,290 | 96.2 | $157,336 | +4 |
| San Antonio | $150,500 | 96.2 | $156,434 | +7 |
| Milwaukee | $153,340 | 99.4 | $154,342 | +1 |
| Minneapolis | $160,990 | 104.4 | $154,214 | -3 |
Top 10 of 50 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Nashville gains 16 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Pharmacists to move from 325,200 to 342,300 over 2025–2035 — +5.2% , with about 12,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: doctoral or professional degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Pharmacists?
- The median annual salary for Pharmacists is $140,910, and the mean is $140,920 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Pharmacists?
- Most Pharmacists earn between $99,290 and $174,230 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.75× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.75 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Pharmacists fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #9 by nominal pay but #36 of 50 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Pharmacists growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Pharmacists employment to grow 5.2% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 12,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Pharmacists jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 321,970 workers in Pharmacists nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Pharmacists: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Optometrists $136,570
- Physician Assistants $135,880
- Medical Dosimetrists $147,470
- Nurse Midwives $134,040
- Nurse Practitioners $132,300
- Veterinarians $130,100
- Podiatrists $160,300
- Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other $115,210
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Pharmacists (SOC 29-1051): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/pharmacists-29-1051.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Pharmacists, officeblues.net/salaries/pharmacists-29-1051
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