There were about 311,000 pharmacists working in the U.S. as of May 2019 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Pharmacists work in varied settings, including health and personal care stores, hospitals, food and general merchandise stores with pharmacy services, and other businesses involved in the distribution of pharmacy products. Like many other healthcare professionals with advanced technical training and skills, pharmacists typically earn higher salaries and wages than most workers in other occupations. According to BLS estimates, as of May 2019, the national mean wage for pharmacists was $125,510 per year, well above the $53,490 annual mean wage for all occupations in the U.S. While a well paying occupation, there is considerable variation from state-to-state in how much pharmacists earn. Per BLS data, as of May 2019 these were the ten states where pharmacists earn the highest pay:
| California | $144,050 |
| Alaska | $142,610 |
| Vermont | $135,650 |
| Oregon | $135,150 |
| Maine | $134,670 |
| Wisconsin | $134,090 |
| Minnesota | $130,290 |
| Delaware | $130,230 |
| New Hampshire | $129,370 |
| Hawaii | $129,360 |
The bottom ten states for pharmacist pay were:
| Arkansas | $120,020 |
| Indiana | $119,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $119,800 |
| South Dakota | $118,360 |
| Nebraska | $117,630 |
| Iowa | $117,420 |
| Ohio | $117,020 |
| Oklahoma | $116,170 |
| Montana | $115,270 |
| North Dakota | $100,560 |
So where does your state rank for pharmacist pay?
Check out Pharmacist Average Wages by State for more information.
