Tuesday, November 8, 2022

20 Best Metro Areas for Pharmacist Pay

As we reviewed in Pharmacist Pay in the Top 20 Metro Markets, the largest number of pharmacist jobs are found in the biggest U.S. metropolitan markets. However, a closer look at data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that smaller metro areas are where pharmacists often times find better pay. A review of May 2021 BLS data shows that only three of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas were among the 20 best metro areas for pharmacist pay:

20 Best Metro Areas for Pharmacist Pay

Metropolitan Area # Employed Annual Mean Wages
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,740 $168,640
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) 4,040 $163,840
3 Santa Rosa, CA 340 $158,420
4 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 420 $156,850
5 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 170 $152,770
6 Salinas, CA 240 $152,760
7 Northern Valley, CA non-metro 180 $150,760
8 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 270 $150,730
9 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 230 $150,150
10 Madera, CA 110 $149,490
11 Modesto, CA 320 $148,490
12 Yuba City, CA 100 $148,460
13 Fairbanks, AK 50 $148,420
14 Alaska non-metro 140 $148,100
15 Redding, CA 170 $146,850
16 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (#) 3,190 $146,310
17 Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade 2,150 $145,930
18 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (#) 2,600 $145,790
19 Eastern Sierra Region, CA, non-metro 90 $145,340
20 Visalia-Porterville, CA 270 $144,710
National 312,550 $125,690

(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 2, 2022