BLS pharmacist pay a year and an hour by percentile, state and setting, with take-home after 2026 tax
Pharmacists earned a median of $140,910 a year in May 2025 — $67.75 an hour — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counted 321,970. It's the best-paid job in this set, and one of the most evenly paid: even the bottom tenth earned more than $99,290, and the top tenth over $174,230.
This is the BLS line for pharmacists (SOC 29-1051) on employers' payrolls. Pharmacy technicians are a separate, much lower-paid occupation. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47.73 | $99,290 | $8,274 | $78,681 |
| 25th percentile | $62.20 | $129,380 | $10,782 | $99,697 |
| Median | $67.75 | $140,910 | $11,743 | $107,578 |
| 75th percentile | $77.81 | $161,840 | $13,487 | $121,884 |
| 90th percentile | $83.77 | $174,230 | $14,519 | $130,352 |
Pharmacist pay is close to flat across the country. Alaska ($167,310), Oregon and California ($164,610) lead, and the lowest median, Rhode Island's $128,180, is still above the national 10th percentile.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $80.44 | $167,310 | 560 |
| Oregon | $79.79 | $165,960 | 3,250 |
| California | $79.14 | $164,610 | 34,030 |
| Hawaii | $78.47 | $163,220 | 1,190 |
| Washington | $77.22 | $160,610 | 7,350 |
| Minnesota | $76.80 | $159,740 | 6,310 |
| Colorado | $75.01 | $156,030 | 4,560 |
| District of Columbia | $73.75 | $153,400 | 850 |
| Delaware | $73.50 | $152,880 | 790 |
| Wisconsin | $71.51 | $148,740 | 5,730 |
| New Mexico | $70.67 | $147,000 | 1,730 |
| Arizona | $70.64 | $146,930 | 6,900 |
| South Dakota | $70.57 | $146,790 | 1,280 |
| Idaho | $69.66 | $144,900 | 1,790 |
| Indiana | $69.37 | $144,290 | 6,430 |
| Utah | $69.34 | $144,240 | 2,830 |
| Virginia | $69.26 | $144,060 | 7,980 |
| New Hampshire | $68.76 | $143,020 | 1,130 |
| Montana | $68.31 | $142,080 | 1,190 |
| New York | $68.31 | $142,090 | 19,760 |
| North Dakota | $68.29 | $142,040 | 1,070 |
| Connecticut | $67.93 | $141,290 | 3,490 |
| Maine | $67.75 | $140,930 | 1,380 |
| Nevada | $67.32 | $140,030 | 2,500 |
| Wyoming | $67.09 | $139,550 | 510 |
| Nebraska | $66.99 | $139,330 | 2,450 |
| Illinois | $66.86 | $139,080 | 12,070 |
| Maryland | $66.82 | $138,990 | 5,400 |
| Iowa | $66.76 | $138,860 | 3,230 |
| North Carolina | $66.76 | $138,860 | 11,430 |
| Texas | $66.47 | $138,260 | 24,700 |
| Massachusetts | $66.43 | $138,170 | 7,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $66.42 | $138,160 | 14,090 |
| Michigan | $66.28 | $137,860 | 8,780 |
| Kansas | $66.25 | $137,800 | 3,500 |
| Missouri | $66.16 | $137,610 | 6,740 |
| New Jersey | $66.16 | $137,620 | 9,420 |
| Georgia | $65.92 | $137,120 | 10,530 |
| Ohio | $65.87 | $137,020 | 12,790 |
| Kentucky | $65.64 | $136,530 | 5,030 |
| Vermont | $65.52 | $136,270 | 530 |
| Arkansas | $65.41 | $136,060 | 2,900 |
| Florida | $65.37 | $135,970 | 21,540 |
| South Carolina | $65.24 | $135,700 | 5,320 |
| Oklahoma | $64.97 | $135,140 | 3,610 |
| Alabama | $64.72 | $134,630 | 5,400 |
| West Virginia | $64.15 | $133,430 | 2,260 |
| Tennessee | $64.13 | $133,390 | 8,250 |
| Mississippi | $64.05 | $133,230 | 3,050 |
| Louisiana | $63.66 | $132,410 | 5,610 |
| Rhode Island | $61.63 | $128,180 | 1,510 |
Hospital pharmacists have the highest median, $157,290, about $24,350 more than pharmacists in drug stores ($132,940). Pharmacists in general-merchandise retailers' pharmacies earn $151,370.
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $157,290 |
| Ambulatory healthcare services | $153,920 |
| General merchandise retailers | $151,370 |
| Pharmacies and drug retailers | $132,940 |
Most pharmacists work full time; in hospitals and other facilities open 24 hours they may work nights, weekends and holidays (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Where you work matters more than for most jobs: BLS's industry medians below put hospital pharmacists well above pharmacies and drug stores.
Pharmacy is one of the fields of learning the Department of Labor lists for the learned professional exemption, so a pharmacist paid on a salary basis is usually exempt from overtime (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). Pharmacists paid by the hour are not covered by that exemption and are owed time and a half after 40 hours. The calculator's overtime box is off by default for that reason.
Pharmacists need a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) — usually 4 years after at least 2 years of prerequisite courses — and a state license, which typically means two exams and a set number of intern hours, plus continuing education. Most states require certification to give vaccinations, and board specialty certification (oncology, emergency care and others) is optional (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). BLS doesn't publish a premium for specialty certification; the setting table below is the clearest official pay difference.
More ways to work with your pharmacist pay:
$140,910 a year ($67.75 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $129,380 to $161,840.
Alaska ($80.44 an hour, $167,310 a year), then Oregon and California; Rhode Island pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Salaried pharmacists usually don't: pharmacy is a learned profession under the FLSA's professional exemption (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). Hourly pharmacists are owed time and a half after 40 hours.
In BLS's May 2025 figures, hospital pharmacists had the higher median; pharmacies and drug retailers the lowest of the top industries. The exact medians are in the setting table on this page.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.