Pharmacist Salary in Washington and How to increase your Pay

The pharmacist salary in Washington is around $111,300 yearly.

The pharmacist in Washington is a person who is qualified to provide advice, aid, and medicines that deal with the diagnosis, management and treatment of human illness in the state.

Pharmacists are trained in the use of medicinal drugs to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases, which can be done by either prescription or non-prescription drugs.

The pay for a pharmacy technician is much lower than that of a pharmacist because pharmacists have to meet higher educational standards for entry into this profession.

Pharmacist salaries in Washington vary, depending on the employer and the job duties.

Pharmacists Salary in Washington Cities

Here is salary information for pharmacists across cities in Washington:

	City	Hourly Salary	Annual Salary
1.	Seattle	$64.89	$143,041
2.	Spokane	$55.63	$122,633
3.	Tacoma	$58.91	$129,851
4.	Vancouver	$57.12	$125,899
5.	Bellevue	$63.28	$139,481
6.	Kent	$56.52	$124,579
7.	Everett	$59.10	$130,272
8.	Spokane Valley	$51.38	$113,263
9.	Renton	$58.77	$129,554
10.	Federal Way	$54.76	$120,696
11.	Yakima	$54.24	$119,564
12.	Bellingham	$54.03	$119,101
13.	Kirkland	$60.06	$132,397
14.	Auburn	$55.29	$121,875
15.	Kennewick	$53.89	$118,780
16.	Pasco	$52.51	$115,751
17.	Redmond	$62.53	$137,832
18.	Marysville	$54.89	$120,989
19.	Sammamish	$57.49	$126,725
20.	South Hill	$52.34	$115,380
21.	Lakewood	$54.32	$119,746
22.	Richland	$58.12	$128,107
23.	Shoreline	$55.55	$122,453
24.	Olympia	$58.36	$128,652
25.	Lacey	$54.30	$119,701
26.	Burien	$55.75	$122,879
27.	Bothell	$62.16	$137,026
28.	Bremerton	$56.07	$123,586
29.	Puyallup	$54.08	$119,211
30.	Edmonds	$54.36	$119,827

10 Cities with Highest Pharmacist Salary in Washington

Here are the top 10 paying cities for pharmacists in Washington:

	City	Hourly Salary	Annual Salary
1.	Seattle	$64.89	$143,041
2.	Bellevue	$63.28	$139,481
3.	Redmond	$62.53	$137,832
4.	Bothell	$62.16	$137,026
5.	Kirkland	$60.06	$132,397
6.	Everett	$59.10	$130,272
7.	Tacoma	$58.91	$129,851
8.	Renton	$58.77	$129,554
9.	Olympia	$58.36	$128,652
10.	Richland	$58.12	$128,107

Skill-based Pharmacist Salary in Washington

A pharmacist with relevant skills and certifications in Washington will earn higher than their counterparts without them.

Here are valuable skills to have as a pharmacist in Washington to excel in your career:

1. Team Leadership Skills
2. Conflict Management Skills
3. Budget Management Skills
4. Instructional Designing Skills
5. Public Speaking and Teaching Skills.

Experience-based Pharmacist Salary in Washington

How much a pharmacist gets paid in Washington is determined by their work experience.

The pharmacist who has less than one year of experience may earn around $120,893, while the one with 10 years of experience or more may make around $149,554.

10 Companies with Highest Pharmacist Salary in Washington

Here are some of the best paying companies for pharmacists in Washington:

	Company	Hourly Salary	Annual Salary
1.	Vtech Solution Inc	$78.71	$173,496
2.	Dignity Health	$75.93	$167,369
3.	UCLA Health	$75.67	$166,792
4.	Meijer	$73.92	$162,937
5.	Raley’s / Bel Air / Nob Hill	$71.12	$156,774
6.	Oregon Health & Science University	$69.17	$152,471
7.	Parkland	$69.01	$152,123
8.	Parkland Health & Hospital System	$68.32	$150,603
9.	Costco Wholesale	$67.38	$148,530
10.	Riverside Health System	$67.09	$147,888

10 Highest Paying Pharmacist Jobs in Washington

Some of the highest paying jobs for pharmacists in Washington include:

• Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner; $143,302
• Chief Pharmacist; $135,434
• Pharmacist Acute; $135,246
• Inpatient Pharmacist; $132,789
• Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist; $131,080
• CVS Health Pharmacist; $144,727
• Walgreens Pharmacist; $122,730
• Walmart Pharmacist; $141,844
• Pediatric Pharmacists; $192;503
•  Long Term Care Pharmacist; $122,766.

More Benefits for Pharmacists in Washington

Employers in Washington may also offer pharmacists the following benefits:

• 401k Plan

A 401k Plan is a retirement plan sponsored by an employer. This type of plan allows participating pharmacists to contribute a portion of their salary and the employer also contributes some amount to this scheme.

The money accumulates over time and is invested in different funds. When the pharmacist retires, he/she can withdraw money from this account.

• Health-Insurance

A pharmacist in Washington may also be offered medical insurance by their employers. The coverage varies depending on the policy of the company that offers it.

• Life-Insurance

The life-insurance policy offers the family of a deceased employee with some financial support.

The amount paid from the insurance policy is usually equal to 2 to 5 times the annual salary of the deceased employee.

However, this amount is subject to certain limitations like deductible and premium.

• Retirement Plan

A pharmacist may also be offered a retirement plan by employers in Washington that includes employer matching, profit sharing, and pension plans.

• Stock Option Plan

Most employers usually consider the stock option plan as an excellent way to reward employees who have worked hard and earned the trust of their management.

The offering of stock options to employees allows them to purchase stock at a reduced price.

What Related Job Titles to Pharmacists Earn in Washington

Here are earnings for related jobs to pharmacists in Washington:

• Biomedical engineer; $99,640
• Veterinarian; $121,107
• Clinical Geneticist; $191,351
• Toxicologist;  $100,749
• Radiologist; $204,135

Pharmacists Salary and Job Outlook in Washington

In Washington, there were 6,540 pharmacists employed as of May 2018. Retirement and career changes create a need for pharmacists to fill both new and replacement positions.

The BLS forecasts an 8.87% increase in employment from 2018 to 2028. There will be 580 more pharmacists on the job by 2028.

The Seattle-Spokane-Bellevue metro area employs the most pharmacists in the state of Washington.

How to increase your Pay as a Pharmacist in Washington

Here are ways by which a pharmacist can increase his/her pay in Washington:

• Certification

A pharmacist who has attained APhA-accredited and/or APhRx-recognized certification will have a competitive edge over other pharmacists in the job market in Washington.

Some of these certifications include the Board Certified Pharmacotherapy (BCPT), Certified Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CCPS), National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT).

• Continuing Education

Pharmacists who pursue continuing education and training can increase their chances of getting a promotion at their workplaces.

Some of these courses include Continuing Continuing Education (CCE), Advanced Practice Conference, Pharmacy Management, Pharmaceutical Care Management, Roundtable Topics in Pharmacy, and Patient Safety Strategies.

• Moving to High Paying Cities

Pharmacists looking for higher pay in Washington can move to cities that pay higer salaries, such as a Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, Kirkland, Everett, and Tacoma.

• Get Promotion

Another way to earn higher salary as a pharmacist in Washington is to work hard and prove yourself to be a valuable asset to your employer.

With good performance and dedication, you can get promoted. Some of the promotions that a pharmacist can get are Associate Pharmacists, Pharmacy Manager/Supervisor, and Head Pharmacist/Supervisor. These come with higher salary.

• Work with Large Companies

Large companies also pay their employees better than smaller ones. Therefore, if you are looking to earn a high salary, you can strive to gain employment with company like Walgreens, CVS Health, Walmart and Rite Aid.

More Career Opportunities for Pharmacists in Washington

If you are looking for more career opportunities as a pharmacist in Washington, here are some ideas to use:

• Join the Military Service

As a pharmacist, you can join the United States Military and serve your country. With this job, you can get paid as high as $175,000 per year.

The benefits offered working for the military include  health insurance for you and your family and  life insurance for your family if you die in the line of duty.

• Become a Consultant

Pharmacists are involved in many areas, like research and development, clinical services, and dispensing and acquisition of medications.

But pharmacist consultant is the main role of a pharmacist. The main role of a consultant is to provide independent counsel to the client with the expertise that may include product selection and implementation, process re-engineering and implementation, and satisfaction surveys and feedback mechanisms.

• Become an Author

As a pharmacist, you can write and publish articles on various topics in the field of pharmacy.

This will help you get sales, promotions, and chances of publishing as an author. The benefits you can get as a author include exposure to different audiences, writing experience, and sales.

• Start your own Business

This is not the best option for all pharmacy professionals. But if you really want to start your own business, it is a great idea.

You can start a retail pharmacy, wholesale pharmacy, or online pharmacy over the internet.

Conclusion

This article is helpful to pharmacists looking to live and work in Washington, to boost their knowledge of the salary they can earn in the state, including the companies and cities that pay the highest salaries.

 Information sources: ziprecruiter.com, bls.gov, glassdoor.com, payscale.com, pharmacytechnicianguide.com, beckershospitalreview.com, pharmapproach.com, salary.com, and indeed.com.