Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 312,550 |
1.0 % |
$ 60.43 |
$ 125,690 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Pharmacists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 36.94 |
$ 58.21 |
$ 61.81 |
$ 69.04 |
$ 79.13 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 76,840 |
$ 121,070 |
$ 128,570 |
$ 143,600 |
$ 164,590 |
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 |
126,060 |
12.50 |
$ 57.01 |
$ 118,570 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
81,500 |
1.46 |
$ 63.93 |
$ 132,970 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
24,220 |
0.82 |
$ 57.76 |
$ 120,150 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
19,540 |
0.63 |
$ 63.38 |
$ 131,830 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) |
7,680 |
2.05 |
$ 62.11 |
$ 129,180 |
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 |
126,060 |
12.50 |
$ 57.01 |
$ 118,570 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) |
7,680 |
2.05 |
$ 62.11 |
$ 129,180 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
81,500 |
1.46 |
$ 63.93 |
$ 132,970 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
3,850 |
1.43 |
$ 64.04 |
$ 133,190 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses |
5,950 |
1.29 |
$ 62.63 |
$ 130,260 |
Top paying industries for Pharmacists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
310 |
0.04 |
$ 76.68 |
$ 159,490 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
7,300 |
0.74 |
$ 72.46 |
$ 150,710 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
3,050 |
0.12 |
$ 67.89 |
$ 141,200 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,180 |
0.02 |
$ 67.68 |
$ 140,780 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 66.55 |
$ 138,420 |
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 |
33,130 |
2.00 |
0.90 |
$ 70.26 |
$ 146,140 |
| Texas |
22,550 |
1.84 |
0.83 |
$ 61.21 |
$ 127,320 |
| Florida |
19,620 |
2.28 |
1.03 |
$ 58.64 |
$ 121,970 |
| New York |
18,680 |
2.15 |
0.97 |
$ 61.66 |
$ 128,260 |
| Pennsylvania |
14,550 |
2.61 |
1.17 |
$ 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) |
| West Virginia |
2,120 |
3.23 |
1.46 |
$ 56.45 |
$ 117,420 |
| South Dakota |
1,170 |
2.78 |
1.25 |
$ 60.20 |
$ 125,220 |
| North Dakota |
1,100 |
2.78 |
1.25 |
$ 55.52 |
$ 115,480 |
| Alabama |
5,350 |
2.77 |
1.25 |
$ 61.04 |
$ 126,950 |
| Kentucky |
5,060 |
2.75 |
1.24 |
$ 59.00 |
$ 122,730 |
Top paying states for Pharmacists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
33,130 |
2.00 |
0.90 |
$ 70.26 |
$ 146,140 |
| Alaska |
480 |
1.62 |
0.73 |
$ 70.15 |
$ 145,910 |
| Oregon |
4,040 |
2.21 |
1.00 |
$ 65.64 |
$ 136,520 |
| Washington |
7,300 |
2.28 |
1.03 |
$ 64.56 |
$ 134,290 |
| Vermont |
420 |
1.49 |
0.67 |
$ 62.72 |
$ 130,460 |
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 |
19,730 |
2.27 |
1.02 |
$ 61.84 |
$ 128,630 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
12,790 |
2.24 |
1.01 |
$ 65.84 |
$ 136,950 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
9,760 |
2.31 |
1.04 |
$ 58.15 |
$ 120,950 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
7,140 |
2.69 |
1.21 |
$ 61.62 |
$ 128,160 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
6,310 |
1.76 |
0.79 |
$ 63.10 |
$ 131,250 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
5,820 |
2.01 |
0.91 |
$ 60.82 |
$ 126,510 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,620 |
2.17 |
0.98 |
$ 58.32 |
$ 121,300 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
5,560 |
2.27 |
1.02 |
$ 57.99 |
$ 120,620 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
5,040 |
1.95 |
0.88 |
$ 57.71 |
$ 120,040 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
4,980 |
2.35 |
1.06 |
$ 58.14 |
$ 120,930 |
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) |
| Rochester, MN |
730 |
6.32 |
2.85 |
$ 65.47 |
$ 136,170 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA |
200 |
5.08 |
2.29 |
$ 54.72 |
$ 113,820 |
| Iowa City, IA |
410 |
4.63 |
2.09 |
$ 56.83 |
$ 118,200 |
| Beckley, WV |
170 |
4.25 |
1.91 |
$ 55.53 |
$ 115,500 |
| Morgantown, WV |
260 |
4.23 |
1.91 |
$ 54.05 |
$ 112,410 |
| Sioux Falls, SD |
600 |
3.89 |
1.75 |
$ 61.38 |
$ 127,670 |
| Fargo, ND-MN |
520 |
3.82 |
1.72 |
$ 55.15 |
$ 114,710 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
1,180 |
3.76 |
1.70 |
$ 61.83 |
$ 128,600 |
| Johnson City, TN |
280 |
3.56 |
1.60 |
$ 52.93 |
$ 110,100 |
| Hot Springs, AR |
130 |
3.50 |
1.58 |
$ 58.99 |
$ 122,690 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Pharmacists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,740 |
1.63 |
0.73 |
$ 81.08 |
$ 168,640 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,040 |
1.80 |
0.81 |
$ 78.77 |
$ 163,840 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
340 |
1.79 |
0.81 |
$ 76.16 |
$ 158,420 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
420 |
3.27 |
1.48 |
$ 75.41 |
$ 156,850 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
170 |
1.87 |
0.84 |
$ 73.45 |
$ 152,770 |
| Salinas, CA |
240 |
1.40 |
0.63 |
$ 73.44 |
$ 152,760 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
270 |
1.40 |
0.63 |
$ 72.46 |
$ 150,730 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA |
230 |
2.11 |
0.95 |
$ 72.19 |
$ 150,150 |
| Madera, CA |
110 |
2.20 |
0.99 |
$ 71.87 |
$ 149,490 |
| Modesto, CA |
320 |
1.77 |
0.80 |
$ 71.39 |
$ 148,490 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Pharmacists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pharmacists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pharmacists:
About May 2021 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.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
