Pharmacist Salary in US and How to Increase your Pay

The Pharmacist salary in US is $128,710 yearly.

Pharmacy is without a doubt, quite a high-paying job in the United States. With tons of years of experience and very diverse areas of expertise in the field, a huge paycheck is certain for pharmacists.

On average, a pharmacist in the United States earns about $128,710 annual salary and about $15 hourly. Indeed, this is a significant amount of money that anyone can earn

Quite interestingly, pharmacists are responsible for the dispensing of prescription medications to patients.

They also offer expertise in the safe use of dispensed prescriptions.

Also, they conduct health and wellness screenings, oversee medications dispensed to patients, provide immunizations, and also give advice on healthy lifestyles.

Pharmacist Salary in US States

Here are the salaries pharmacists make in the various states of the U.S.:  

	States	Salary hourly	Salary Yearly
1.	Alabama	$61.2	$127,460
2.	Alaska	$68.5	$142,610
3.	Arizona	$60.25	$125,320
4.	Arkansas	$59.1	$123,000
5.	California	$69.4	$144,500
6.	Colorado	$58.0	$120,700
7.	Connecticut	$59.4	$123,610
8.	Delaware	$62.7	$130,500
9.	District of Columbia	$58.6	$122,000
10.	Florida	$58.4	$121,510
11.	Georgia	$58.6	$122,000
12.	Hawaii	$62.8	$130,570
13.	Idaho	$63.1	$131,300
14.	Illinois	$60.3	$125,520
15.	Indiana	$57.8	$120,240
16.	Iowa	$56.4	$117,500
17.	Kansas	$52.61	$109, 430
18.	Kentucky	$58.6	$122,000
19.	Louisiana	$59.3	$123,400
20..	Maine	$65.1	$135,500
21.	Maryland	$56.6	$117,760
22.	Massachusetts	$57.9	$120,500
23.	Michigan	$58.3	$121,400
24.	Minnesota	$62.7	$130,560
25.	Mississippi	$58.7	$122,220
26.	Missouri	$61.83	$128,620
27.	Montana	$55.5	$115,510
28.	Nebraska	$56.5	$117,630
29.	Nevada	$60.0	$124,870
30.	New Hampshire	$62.2	$129,470
31.	New Jersey	$58.4	$121,650
32.	New Mexico	$60.6	$126,200
33.	New York	$58.4	$121,480
34.	North Carolina	$59.4	$123,600
35.	North Dakota	$48.3	$100,650
36.	Ohio	$56.2	$117,050
37.	Oklahoma	$55.8	$116,170
38.	Oregon	$64.9	$135,150
39.	Pennsylvania	$57.5	$119,750
40.	Rhode Island	$59.3	$123,360
41.	South Carolina	$58.8	$122,500
42.	South Dakota	$56.9	$118,400
43.	Tennessee	$58.9	$122,600
44.	Texas	$61.4	$127,820
45.	Utah	$58.1	$121,050
46.	Vermont	$65.2	$135,650
47.	Virginia	$61.0	$126,920
48.	Washington	$61.7	$128,400
49.	West Virginia	$59.1	$123,050
50.	Wisconsin	$64.4	$134,100
51.	Wyoming	$63.9	$133,000

20 Cities with Highest Pharmacist Salary in US

As a pharmacist, earnings are determined by a few key factors, which include the city where you live in the United States.

Some cities in the U.S. pay pharmacists more money when compared to other cities.

This is not because the U.S. government established a law which says that some cities should provide more lucrative jobs to pharmacists than others.

The main reason is due to the companies which have been established in the cities. For example, if there are more companies in Alaska looking for pharmacists, while pharmacists are not in high demand in Boston, technically, this means that Alaska would pay more than Boston.

From top to bottom, here’s a list of the 20 highest paying U.S. cities for pharmacists:

	City	Salary Yearly	Salary Hourly
1	North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area, California	$164,620	$79.1
2	Vallejo-Fairfield, California	$163,770	$78.7
3	Fresno, California	$162,520	$78.1
4	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$161,880	$77.8
5	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$161,200	$77.5
6	Madera-Chowchilla, California	$161,180	$77.4
7	Alaska nonmetropolitan area, Alaska	$158,290	$76.1
8	Modesto, California	$156,840	$75.4
9	Bakersfield-Delano, California	$155,710	$74.8
10	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California	$155,350	$74.6
11	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$155,130	$74.5
12	Merced, California	$154,840	$74.4
13	North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area, California	$154,640	$74.3
14	Stockton, California	$153,700	$73.8
15	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California	$152,700	$73.4
16	Redding, California	$152,060	$73.1
17	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, California	$151,790	$72.9
18	Longview, Washington	$149,960	72.0
19	Carson City, Nevada	$149,680	71.9
20	Laredo, Texas	$149,630	71.9

Skill-based Pharmacist Salary in US

A big factor that determines the salary of a pharmacist is the area of unique skills or expertise in the field.

Pharmacists who specialize in retail pharmacy arguably earn the highest salaries in the field.

This is one of the major booming specialty or skills in pharmacy that can cause one to be very highly sought-after. In one year, one can earn $150,000.

Also, patient counseling is another major specialty in pharmacy. One can earn around $145,000 in one year.

Experience-based Pharmacist Salary in US

An entry-level pharmacist with less than 1 year of experience should expect to earn an average total compensation (including bonuses, tips, and overtime pay) of about $53.99.

A pharmacist with just 1-4 years of experience earns a total average compensation of $55.55.

A pharmacist who has about 5-9 years of experience earns an average compensation of $58.74.

A pharmacist with lots of experience of 10-19 years of experience receives a total average compensation of $60.30.

Employees can earn an average compensation of $60 in their late careers, that is, 20 years of experience or above.

10 Companies with Highest Pharmacist Salary in US

Pharmacists that earn the most are employed by some of the highest paying companies in America.

These companies are able to pay pharmacists in the U.S. this handsomely due to their very essential role in healthcare which is instrumental to the success of the company.

In other words, pharmacists are very important to these companies and are paid lucratively because of that.

Below is a list of the 10 highest paying companies for pharmacists in the United States:

	Company	Salary Yearly	Salary Hourly
1	Stanford Health Care	$177,694	$85.43
2	UCLA Health	$160,992	$77.40
3	Meijer	$153,670	$73.88
4	Medwatchers Inc.	$144,060	$69.26
5	Costco Wholesale	$139,755	$67.19
6	Riverside Health System	$139,547	$67.09
7	Parkland Health and Hospital System	$139,048	$66.85
8	Adventist Health	$136,156	$65.46
9	Swedish Medical Center	$134,284	$64.56
10	Soleo Health	$129,771	$62.39

More Benefits for Pharmacists in US

As a result of the high demand for pharmacists in the U.S., most employers are devising ways to make themselves distinct from one another.

And they intend to achieve this by offering a very attractive benefits package to their employees (pharmacists).

Below are some of the major benefits enjoyed by thousands of American pharmacists:

• Remote work and flexible work hours

Remote job positions are now commonplace in the field of pharmacy. Some employees can now easily work from home, instead of being forced to always work from an office. These remote positions aid them to enjoy flexible hours.

• Healthcare

Health insurance is a very essential feature of a pharmacist’s benefits package in America. Some companies are very willing to cover 100% of the healthcare costs of their employees.

This includes full dental, vision, prescription drug, and overall health insurance. Interestingly, this has been proven to be an effective way to motivate pharmacists in America to perform better.

• Bonuses

Every pharmacist that is employed in the U.S. is entitled to a performance-based bonus in the role.

Bonus is usually offered to high-performing pharmacists to encourage them to put in more effort on the job.

• Paid housing and relocation assistance

Pharmacists enjoy the privilege of paid housing in some big companies. As long as they’re employed by the company, they’re free to live in a beautiful house for free.

This is to take away the cost of rent or building a house. Some others are entitled to relocation assistance.

The company helps them financially when they want to relocate.

• Paid time off

After some good, diligent service, a paid time off is a very welcome benefit one can enjoy as a pharmacist in America. It’s a strategy used by many companies to win pharmacists over from other employers.

What Related Job Titles to Pharmacist Earn in US

Aside from pharmacy, there are other related roles in the United States that earn a significant amount of money.

Surprisingly, their paychecks can be sometimes as big as a software engineer’s, which is why many people still pray to occupy these roles.

Here are some of the most common job titles in U.S. that are related to pharmacy:

• Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians aid pharmacists in preparing and distributing medications, and also in the maintenance of drug inventory, patient and pharmacy records.

For a pharmacy technician, the average salary is $33,572 in the United States.

• Pharmaceutical Sales Reps

Pharmaceutical sales representatives sell the pharmaceutical products of their company. Their average earning is $75,327 per year in the U.S.

• Pharmaceutical research technician

Pharmaceutical research technicians help veterinarians, doctors or scientists with research and development of either new or existing medications.

A quality pharmaceutical research technician earns about $40,280 on average yearly in the U.S.

• Laboratory Technician

Laboratory technicians perform various procedures in a laboratory setting. A laboratory technician earns an average of $49,793 every year in the U.S.

Pharmacist Salary and Job Outlook in US

The employment of some pharmacists is projected to go down by 2 percent from 2020 to 2030.

However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for pharmacists generally is expected to increase by about 6 percent from 2016 to 2026.

Despite the declining employment, there’s a projection of about 11,300 openings for pharmacists each year, over the decade on average.

These openings are expected to result from the need to replace the never ending workers who exit the labor force in retirement, for example, or transfer to other occupations.

Hence, demand is projected to increase very well for pharmacists in some healthcare settings like clinics and hospitals which will need more pharmacists to provide patient care and also to oversee the medications given to patients.

Considering the upsurge of prescription drugs use, pharmacists also play roles that go beyond a pharmacy.

Since the job is one in demand, the salary range as well as other numerous benefits will also improve a lot as more companies need the services of pharmacists.

How to increase your Pay as a Pharmacist in US

As a pharmacist, DNA testing is becoming a very hot field within healthcare, and undergoing training on DNA sequencing can give pharmacists a huge boost as this field is certain to grow in the future.

Another way to supplement your income as a pharmacist and spread your knowledge in the field is to teach workshops.

Once you design a workshop, you can simply replicate it in the different areas you’ll travel to, as long as there’s a crowd to learn.

You can also boost your earnings as a pharmacist through acquisition of certifications like oncology and ambulatory care, to have an edge over others.

As a pharmacist, you can boost your pay by offering to consult in medication therapy management (MTM).

This service is provided by a pharmacist to help people gain more knowledge and understanding of their health conditions, and the needed medications to treat them.

Pharmacists can also earn more by moving to states that pay better than the state that they’re currently living in. 

More Career Opportunities for Pharmacists in the United States

There are several career opportunities available to pharmacists in the U.S. They include:

• Hospital Pharmacist

Hospital pharmacists are members of the health care team which is composed of nurses and physicians and have the opportunity of involving directly with patient care.

The clinical skills and knowledge that contemporary pharmacists possess make the hospital pharmacist an authoritative source of drug information for doctors, nurses, and patients.

• Community/Retail Pharmacist

Community/retail pharmacists play a huge role in the “wellness” movement, especially through the counseling of patients about preventive medicine.

They serve patients and the community at large by providing medications and other associated services, giving information and advice on health, and by referring patients to other care sources like doctors when necessary.

These pharmacists must be knowledgeable about drug composition, the physicochemical properties of drugs, their uses and even the drug manufacturer, as well as how these drugs are tested for strength and peace.

• Industrial Pharmacist

Industrial pharmacists engage in things like marketing, product development, research, sales and administration, and quality control.

Many pharmacists obtain postgraduate degrees in this field. Those who have an interest in sales and administration can serve as medical representatives by combining this with their technical background in pharmacy.

They explain the advantages and merits of the products that their firms manufacture.

• Veterinary Pharmacist

The veterinary pharmacist focuses on the treatment given to animals. A veterinary pharmacist should be well grounded in the knowledge of the basic care given to animals. He should be capable of providing the necessary medication to animals and livestock.

What do Pharmacists do?

Pharmacists typically do the following:

• Fill prescriptions and verify the instructions from doctors on the proper amounts of medication to give to patients.

• Check whether or not prescriptions will interact negatively with the other drugs that a patient is currently taking or with any medical conditions the patient may have.

• Instruct patients on when and how to take a prescribed medication and also keep them informed about potential side effects of the medicine.

• Give advice to patients on general health topics like exercise, diet, managing stress, and on other issues.

• Oversee the work of pharmacists in training (interns) and pharmacy technicians.

• Educate other healthcare practitioners about the proper medication therapies for patients.

Learn more of what pharmacists do: pharmacist job description.

Conclusion

Pharmacy is a very good occupation which has the potential to get anyone a very good salary in the United States if they are willing to get the necessary skills required.

It’s well sought-after occupation and the future is a very bright one.

This article has provided valuable information about the pharmacist salary in the United States, including the cities and companies that pay the highest salaries, and ideas to help you increase your salary.

Information Sources:  bls.gov, indeed.com, glassdoor.com, beckershospitalreview.com, payscale.com, pharmacytechnicianguide.com, pharmapproach.com.