Pharmacists
Pharmacists earn an average annual salary of $166,516, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Pharmacists workforce.
Employment Over Time
34,490 Workforce in 2023
The Pharmacists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Pharmacists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$166,516 Average Wage
In 2023, Pharmacists earned an average of $166,516.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Pharmacists.
Salary distribution for Pharmacists.
Employment Growth Projections
2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
150,729 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 10.5%
166,564 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 22.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Pharmacists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Pharmacists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Pharmacists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Pharmacists.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Pharmacists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Pharmacists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 32,270 employees, $166,844 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Pharmacists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 9,360 employees, $157,178 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 3,800 employees, $160,722 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,020 employees, $153,639 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,820 employees, $167,204 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,380 employees, $191,040 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 2,320 employees, $172,556 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,950 employees, $192,575 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,640 employees, $187,806 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 930 employees, $162,335 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 660 employees, $157,764 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Pharmacists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Pharmacists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Pharmacists in 2023 was 34,490 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Pharmacists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Pharmacists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Pharmacists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Pharmacists in 2023 were Health Sciences, Pharmacy Technology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Pharmacists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Pharmacists workers.
Education level distribution for Pharmacists.
Skills
Pharmacists need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Monitoring.
Required skills for Pharmacists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Pharmacists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Pharmacists include Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry.
Knowledge areas required for Pharmacists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Pharmacists include Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Pharmacists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Pharmacists.
Daily Activities
Pharmacists spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Pharmacists.
About
Pharmacists
The average yearly wage for Pharmacists was $166,516 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1051 - Pharmacists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Pharmacists reports an average salary of $166,516, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 34,490 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.