Pharmacists Salary: $137,480 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 328,870 pharmacists work nationally, and $137,480 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 4% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
Pharmacists: what the data shows
Common questions about pharmacists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a pharmacists?
Pharmacists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 328,870 workers.
What does a pharmacists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a pharmacists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $137,480 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $166,516 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $89,539 |
| 25th percentile | $141,278 |
| Median (50th) | $169,638 |
| 75th percentile | $202,354 |
| 90th percentile | $213,725 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Mathematics, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is pharmacists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 10.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 22.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 328,870.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do pharmacistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 328,870 | 16.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 301,160 | 15.0% |
| Hospitals | 198,950 | 9.9% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 185,400 | 9.2% |
| Retail Trade | 171,400 | 8.5% |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers | 125,550 | 6.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Pharmacists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Pharmacy Aides | 41,100 | $37,000 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 156,300 | $100,590 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 34,520 | $103,650 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Pharmacists workforce.
Employment Over Time
328,870 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Pharmacists grew from 99,080 in 2009 to 136,400 in 2025 (37.7%).
Historical employment for Pharmacists from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$137,480 Median pay (BLS national)
Pharmacists earn $137,480 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 34,490 employees, $162,110 avg wage
- TX: 22,720 employees, $134,880 avg wage
- NY: 21,330 employees, $136,020 avg wage
- FL: 20,270 employees, $129,460 avg wage
- PA: 15,120 employees, $133,720 avg wage
- OH: 13,700 employees, $127,400 avg wage
- IL: 12,450 employees, $136,050 avg wage
- GA: 11,480 employees, $130,430 avg wage
- NC: 11,440 employees, $134,030 avg wage
- NJ: 10,930 employees, $134,360 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Pharmacists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 22,010 employees, $137,130 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 12,390 employees, $152,180 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 9,630 employees, $136,990 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 7,070 employees, $136,520 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 6,760 employees, $133,730 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 6,280 employees, $136,110 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,230 employees, $136,180 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 5,900 employees, $136,720 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 5,720 employees, $135,880 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 5,300 employees, $130,630 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Pharmacists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Pharmacists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Pharmacists is about 328,870 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Pharmacists earn $137,480 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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 328,870 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.