Pharmacist salary

Pharmacist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level pharmacist earnings begin at:

$78.32 per hour

$162,900 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level pharmacist earnings begin at:

$71.47 per hour

$148,660 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level pharmacist earnings begin at:

$61.58 per hour

$128,090 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level pharmacist earnings begin at:

$53.91 per hour

$112,140 per year

10th percentile

Starting level pharmacist earnings begin at:

$42.50 per hour

$88,400 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Pharmacist salary by state

How much does a Pharmacist earn?

According to Drug Topics' 2015 Salary Survey, the financial picture for pharmacists remains relatively positive. Over half of the respondents in the survey say that their pharmacist salary is based on an hourly wage - 44.1% of hourly employees report making between $50 and $60 each hour.

Compensation for salaried employees may also be on the rise. In 2013, 12% reported earning $141,000 or more each year. That number has grown to 14.4% this year. A greater percentage (42.6%) of salaried employees, however, report earning between $116,000 and $140,000 each year, with an additional 18.6% of salaried pharmacists making somewhere between $101,000 and $115,000.

Do Men or Women Earn More?

Being a pharmacist offers a six-figure salary - and the pay is nearly equal for men and women. "The position of pharmacist is probably the most egalitarian of all U.S. professions today," Harvard economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz wrote in a paper on the subject they published in September.

Women make up slightly more than 50% of all full-time pharmacists, according to Census data collected in 2011. Once you factor in pharmacists that work part-time, they make up around 55% of the profession. Full-time female pharmacists earned a median salary of $111,000 in 2011, about 92 cents to the dollar of their male counterparts.

Pharmacist Compensation by Geographical Region

Pharmacist salaries vary significantly depending on geographical location. According to the BLS (2015), the highest paying states are Alaska ($138,910), California ($135,750), New Hampshire ($128,490), Maine ($125,340), and Vermont ($123.650).

How do pharmacist salaries compare to similar careers?

Pharmacists earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than nurse anesthetists but more than health services managers.

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)