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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

29-1051 Pharmacists

Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.


National estimates for Pharmacists
Industry profile for Pharmacists
Geographic profile for Pharmacists

National estimates for Pharmacists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Pharmacists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
315,470 1.1 % $ 60.32 $ 125,460 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Pharmacists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 40.96 $ 54.18 $ 61.88 $ 71.01 $ 79.32
Annual Wage (2) $ 85,210 $ 112,690 $ 128,710 $ 147,690 $ 164,980


Industry profile for Pharmacists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Pharmacists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Pharmacists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Pharmacists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 135,070 13.99 $ 59.07 $ 122,860
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 78,940 1.41 $ 61.69 $ 128,310
Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) 25,490 0.88 $ 59.67 $ 124,120
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 7,470 1.99 $ 59.84 $ 124,470
Outpatient Care Centers 6,820 0.71 $ 70.74 $ 147,130

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Pharmacists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 135,070 13.99 $ 59.07 $ 122,860
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 7,470 1.99 $ 59.84 $ 124,470
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 3,990 1.49 $ 60.74 $ 126,330
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 78,940 1.41 $ 61.69 $ 128,310
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 4,790 1.16 $ 62.01 $ 128,990

Top paying industries for Pharmacists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 6,820 0.71 $ 70.74 $ 147,130
Grantmaking and Giving Services 30 0.02 $ 68.27 $ 142,010
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 110 0.04 $ 64.78 $ 134,740
Warehousing and Storage 30 (7) $ 64.06 $ 133,250
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,320 0.02 $ 64.06 $ 133,250


Geographic profile for Pharmacists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Pharmacists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Pharmacists, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Pharmacists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 32,520 1.98 0.87 $ 70.22 $ 146,070
Texas 23,150 1.91 0.84 $ 60.32 $ 125,470
Florida 20,200 2.39 1.05 $ 58.32 $ 121,310
New York 19,460 2.24 0.99 $ 58.24 $ 121,150
Pennsylvania 14,900 2.70 1.19 $ 58.28 $ 121,230




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Dakota 1,260 3.15 1.39 $ 49.73 $ 103,440
West Virginia 2,000 3.08 1.36 $ 62.23 $ 129,440
Louisiana 5,440 3.02 1.33 $ 59.31 $ 123,350
Rhode Island 1,340 3.02 1.33 $ 55.31 $ 115,050
Montana 1,370 3.01 1.33 $ 56.11 $ 116,710




Top paying states for Pharmacists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 470 1.58 0.70 $ 70.69 $ 147,040
California 32,520 1.98 0.87 $ 70.22 $ 146,070
Oregon 4,210 2.33 1.03 $ 65.72 $ 136,700
Maine 1,320 2.30 1.02 $ 64.47 $ 134,100
Vermont 530 1.89 0.83 $ 63.42 $ 131,910





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Pharmacists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 20,360 2.30 1.02 $ 59.27 $ 123,290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 12,820 2.20 0.97 $ 67.95 $ 141,330
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 8,690 1.99 0.88 $ 60.18 $ 125,180
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 8,190 3.04 1.34 $ 62.17 $ 129,300
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,950 1.94 0.85 $ 56.75 $ 118,030
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 6,460 3.06 1.35 $ 58.32 $ 121,300
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 6,120 2.44 1.08 $ 58.59 $ 121,860
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 6,080 2.34 1.03 $ 59.19 $ 123,120
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,990 2.02 0.89 $ 59.61 $ 123,980
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,720 1.56 0.69 $ 59.83 $ 124,450




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA 260 6.66 2.93 $ 52.12 $ 108,410
Fargo, ND-MN 840 6.22 2.74 $ 43.54 $ 90,570
Iowa City, IA 490 5.67 2.50 $ 55.65 $ 115,750
New Bedford, MA 290 4.95 2.18 $ 63.31 $ 131,690
Athens-Clarke County, GA 400 4.73 2.08 $ 53.87 $ 112,040
Lawrence, KS 200 4.47 1.97 $ 39.49 $ 82,150
Springfield, MO 900 4.40 1.94 $ 64.16 $ 133,450
Johnson City, TN 330 4.35 1.92 $ 55.48 $ 115,390
Sioux Falls, SD 640 4.14 1.83 $ 57.43 $ 119,460
Pocatello, ID 140 4.13 1.82 $ 54.22 $ 112,770




Top paying metropolitan areas for Pharmacists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Madera, CA 110 2.35 1.04 $ 79.49 $ 165,350
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 260 1.43 0.63 $ 78.15 $ 162,540
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 400 2.99 1.32 $ 77.46 $ 161,120
Fresno, CA 630 1.67 0.74 $ 75.40 $ 156,830
Appleton, WI 130 1.14 0.50 $ 75.00 $ 155,990
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,680 1.52 0.67 $ 74.56 $ 155,080
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,870 1.66 0.73 $ 74.32 $ 154,580
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 230 2.08 0.92 $ 73.94 $ 153,790
Merced, CA 200 2.82 1.24 $ 73.21 $ 152,280
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 180 2.03 0.89 $ 73.11 $ 152,060

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Pharmacists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,030 4.29 1.89 $ 56.16 $ 116,810
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 830 2.18 0.96 $ 64.07 $ 133,260
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 740 4.66 2.06 $ 64.15 $ 133,420
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 640 2.60 1.15 $ 55.31 $ 115,040
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 550 2.24 0.99 $ 62.77 $ 130,560

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 740 4.66 2.06 $ 64.15 $ 133,420
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 1,030 4.29 1.89 $ 56.16 $ 116,810
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 400 4.22 1.86 $ 60.96 $ 126,800
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 290 4.18 1.84 (8) (8)
Northeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 350 3.91 1.73 $ 67.89 $ 141,210

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pharmacists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 120 1.24 0.55 $ 79.35 $ 165,050
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 80 0.83 0.37 $ 78.64 $ 163,570
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 130 1.73 0.76 $ 76.48 $ 159,070
Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 60 1.06 0.47 $ 71.15 $ 147,990
Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area 170 2.53 1.11 $ 70.44 $ 146,510


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021