How much should I pay a pharmacists in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Pharmacists is $140,920 to $161,845 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows health care wages growing about 3.6% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a pharmacists?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $129,376 is below market, $140,920 to $161,845 is competitive, and above $161,845 is above market for Pharmacists.

How is pharmacists pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 2.5% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.6% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI). Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.1% down to 5.3%).

Pharmacists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 29-1051 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$140,920

$67.75/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Pharmacists salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$99K

P25$129K

P50$141K

P75$162K

P90$174K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

🔥

Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.3% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 3.6% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.2-3.7% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $140,920 to $161,845 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Pharmacists pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.5% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.6% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · HOT

Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.1% down to 5.3%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 1.8 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings fell from 5.9% to 5.3% (down 147K), the sharpest monthly cooling this year, though still the second-tightest market.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.6% per year, the fastest of any major sector. Health benefit costs rose 6.0% nationally.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Pharmacists is $140,920 per year ($67.75/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $129,376 and $161,845 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $174,242 per year. There are approximately 321,970 pharmacists employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

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.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+4.6%

Faster than average

Annual openings

14K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

335K

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

11% from new growth89% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

Doctoral or professional degree

Experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Health and Personal Care Retailers NAICS 456100	122K	$132,940
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals NAICS 622100	96K	$157,440
General Merchandise Retailers NAICS 455000	21K	$151,370
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) NAICS 4450A1	20K	$144,000
Offices of Physicians NAICS 621100	9K	$151,380

Wage range across top 5 industries: $132,940 to $157,440 (18% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$47.73	$99,278
P25	$62.20	$129,376
P50MEDIAN	$67.75	$140,920
P75	$77.81	$161,845
P90	$83.77	$174,242

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · health sector

Hot

Openings Rate

5.3%

Quits Rate

1.9%

Health Care & Social Assistance openings fell 147K to 1.35M in June, rate down from 5.9% to 5.3% -- the sector's biggest monthly cooling this year, though it remains the second-tightest market. Quits edged up to 1.9%; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average pharmacists salary?

The national median salary for Pharmacists is $140,920 per year ($67.75/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $129,376 and $161,845 annually.

How much do top-earning pharmacists make?

The 90th percentile salary for Pharmacists is $174,242 per year ($83.77/hr). The 75th percentile is $161,845 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for pharmacists?

Entry-level Pharmacists (10th percentile) earn approximately $99,278 per year ($47.73/hr). The 25th percentile is $129,376 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Registered Nurses29-1141$98K/yr Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses29-2061$64K/yr Pharmacy Technicians29-2052$46K/yr Physicians, All Other29-1229$266K/yr Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians29-2010$63K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Pharmacists Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California34,030 workers Texas24,700 workers Florida21,540 workers New York19,760 workers Pennsylvania14,090 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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