Pharmacists: pay by state
National median: $140,910/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$99,290 25th percentile$129,380 Median$140,910 75th percentile$161,840 90th percentile$174,230
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 321,970. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A pharmacist earning the median $167,310 in Alaska needs about $158,650 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $138,260 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median pharmacist earns $140,910 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $167,310 in Alaska down to $128,180 in Rhode Island — a spread of 31% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $99,290 to $174,230. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, South Dakota offers the strongest real pay ($165,677 in national-average terms), even though it ranks only 13th on nominal wages. California, by contrast, pays a high nominal $164,610 but slips to 26th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 1,280 | $112,200 | $146,790 | $166,340 | 88.6 | $165,677 |
| 2 | Alaska | 560 | $133,830 | $167,310 | $196,020 | 102.4 | $163,389 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 6,310 | $98,150 | $159,740 | $174,660 | 98.6 | $162,008 |
| 4 | Oregon | 3,250 | $126,040 | $165,960 | $193,860 | 103.4 | $160,503 |
| 5 | North Dakota | 1,070 | $105,490 | $142,040 | $167,940 | 89.0 | $159,596 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 1,730 | $103,500 | $147,000 | $174,200 | 92.2 | $159,436 |
| 7 | Iowa | 3,230 | $117,450 | $138,860 | $164,520 | 87.8 | $158,155 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,730 | $112,020 | $148,740 | $178,090 | 94.1 | $158,066 |
| 9 | Arkansas | 2,900 | $105,560 | $136,060 | $164,940 | 86.9 | $156,571 |
| 10 | Indiana | 6,430 | $107,050 | $144,290 | $169,360 | 93.3 | $154,652 |
| 11 | Nebraska | 2,450 | $84,990 | $139,330 | $170,090 | 90.1 | $154,639 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3,610 | $100,320 | $135,140 | $162,070 | 87.8 | $153,918 |
| 13 | Delaware | 790 | $103,170 | $152,880 | $178,760 | 99.8 | $153,186 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 3,050 | $97,260 | $133,230 | $158,230 | 87.0 | $153,138 |
| 15 | Kansas | 3,500 | $78,770 | $137,800 | $169,310 | 90.1 | $152,941 |
| 16 | Idaho | 1,790 | $102,180 | $144,900 | $164,050 | 95.5 | $151,728 |
| 17 | Alabama | 5,400 | $90,010 | $134,630 | $161,940 | 88.8 | $151,610 |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,740 | $107,530 | $137,610 | $166,840 | 90.8 | $151,553 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 5,030 | $84,280 | $136,530 | $168,940 | 90.2 | $151,364 |
| 20 | Colorado | 4,560 | $120,410 | $156,030 | $188,430 | 103.1 | $151,339 |
| 21 | Wyoming | 510 | $115,820 | $139,550 | $168,450 | 92.7 | $150,539 |
| 22 | Montana | 1,190 | $98,660 | $142,080 | $165,260 | 94.6 | $150,190 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 5,610 | $100,920 | $132,410 | $156,740 | 88.2 | $150,125 |
| 24 | Washington | 7,350 | $126,230 | $160,610 | $205,210 | 107.0 | $150,103 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 2,260 | $80,900 | $133,430 | $166,020 | 89.5 | $149,084 |
| 26 | California | 34,030 | $90,560 | $164,610 | $213,820 | 110.7 | $148,699 |
| 27 | Hawaii | 1,190 | $127,410 | $163,220 | $177,290 | 110.0 | $148,382 |
| 28 | Ohio | 12,790 | $65,470 | $137,020 | $165,900 | 92.8 | $147,651 |
| 29 | North Carolina | 11,430 | $101,670 | $138,860 | $169,820 | 94.3 | $147,253 |
| 30 | Arizona | 6,900 | $103,490 | $146,930 | $171,660 | 100.7 | $145,909 |
| 31 | Utah | 2,830 | $70,260 | $144,240 | $172,440 | 98.9 | $145,844 |
| 32 | Tennessee | 8,250 | $88,700 | $133,390 | $164,430 | 91.9 | $145,147 |
| 33 | Maine | 1,380 | $101,360 | $140,930 | $166,810 | 97.1 | $145,139 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 5,320 | $82,430 | $135,700 | $170,270 | 93.7 | $144,824 |
| 35 | Michigan | 8,780 | $101,740 | $137,860 | $168,540 | 96.2 | $143,306 |
| 36 | Virginia | 7,980 | $106,800 | $144,060 | $173,550 | 101.1 | $142,493 |
| 37 | Texas | 24,700 | $95,950 | $138,260 | $170,170 | 97.1 | $142,389 |
| 38 | Georgia | 10,530 | $100,950 | $137,120 | $170,110 | 96.3 | $142,388 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 14,090 | $112,750 | $138,160 | $163,570 | 97.6 | $141,557 |
| 40 | Nevada | 2,500 | $104,000 | $140,030 | $168,600 | 100.0 | $140,030 |
| 41 | District of Columbia | 850 | $64,870 | $153,400 | $196,080 | 109.9 | $139,581 |
| 42 | Illinois | 12,070 | $98,970 | $139,080 | $169,430 | 100.0 | $139,080 |
| 43 | Vermont | 530 | $117,860 | $136,270 | $164,370 | 98.0 | $139,051 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 1,130 | $98,870 | $143,020 | $170,030 | 104.2 | $137,255 |
| 45 | Connecticut | 3,490 | $106,660 | $141,290 | $165,360 | 103.6 | $136,380 |
| 46 | Maryland | 5,400 | $115,860 | $138,990 | $169,890 | 105.0 | $132,371 |
| 47 | New York | 19,760 | $92,910 | $142,090 | $174,550 | 107.9 | $131,687 |
| 48 | Florida | 21,540 | $56,000 | $135,970 | $166,310 | 103.4 | $131,499 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 7,230 | $113,710 | $138,170 | $164,500 | 105.8 | $130,595 |
| 50 | New Jersey | 9,420 | $112,560 | $137,620 | $172,110 | 108.8 | $126,489 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | 1,510 | $86,650 | $128,180 | $161,090 | 102.3 | $125,298 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data