Pharmacists Career, Salary and Skills
Pharmacists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $140,910 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 321,970. Wage data is published for 445 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
29-1051.00
Job zone
5
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$140,910
Hourly median
$67.75
Employment
321,970
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Service Orientation | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.88 | 4.38 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Writing | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.00 |
Typical tasks
- Collaborate with other health care professionals to plan, monitor, review, or evaluate the quality or effectiveness of drugs or drug regimens, providing advice on drug applications or characteristics.
- Work in hospitals or clinics or for Health Management Organizations (HMOs), dispensing prescriptions, serving as a medical team consultant, or specializing in specific drug therapy areas, such as oncology or nuclear pharmacotherapy.
- Provide information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
- Provide specialized services to help patients manage conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure.
- Analyze prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.
- Maintain records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
- Prepare sterile solutions or infusions for use in surgical procedures, emergency rooms, or patients' homes.
- Review prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
Technology
- Computer records systems
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Epic Systems
- Freedom MedTEACH
- Healthprolink MedAtlas
- Insurance claim processing software
- Label-making software
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Word
Pharmacists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Pharmacists Salary in CAMedian $164,610 · Employment 34,030
- Pharmacists Salary in TXMedian $138,260 · Employment 24,700
- Pharmacists Salary in FLMedian $135,970 · Employment 21,540
- Pharmacists Salary in New York, NYMedian $141,320 · Employment 20,000
- Pharmacists Salary in NYMedian $142,090 · Employment 19,760
- Pharmacists Salary in PAMedian $138,160 · Employment 14,090
- Pharmacists Salary in OHMedian $137,020 · Employment 12,790
- Pharmacists Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $157,440 · Employment 12,450
- Pharmacists Salary in ILMedian $139,080 · Employment 12,070
- Pharmacists Salary in NCMedian $138,860 · Employment 11,430
- Pharmacists Salary in GAMedian $137,120 · Employment 10,530
- Pharmacists Salary in NJMedian $137,620 · Employment 9,420
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- Acute Care NursesNational median $97,550
- Obstetricians and GynecologistsNational median $292,910
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational NursesNational median $64,400
- AnesthesiologistsNational median $391,490
- Medical AssistantsNational median $45,690
- Nurse AnesthetistsNational median $236,590
- ParamedicsNational median $60,600
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.