If you’re considering a career as a pharmacist, earning potential is probably one of the most important factors you’re considering. Learning about the salary, primary responsibilities, and educational requirements for a pharmacist can help you decide if this is the right career for you.
Pharmacists play an important role in both the community and your healthcare team. Pharmacists are the go-to experts for all things medication, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, thanks to years of education. Pharmacists not only dispense drugs, but they are also responsible for ensuring that prescribed medications are safe for patients. Pharmacists are paid more than the average because of their extensive training and knowledge.
Working as a pharmacist has numerous advantages. You will not only have a stable career, but you will also be able to help patients and become involved in the community. But, before you start working as one, you might be curious about the average salary of pharmacists in each state and the steps to becoming one. These topics will be covered in this article, so keep reading to find out more.
In this article we’ll go over how much pharmacists make, what their daily responsibilities are, and how you can become one in this post, as well as which states pay pharmacists more than the national average.
How much does a pharmacist make?
The national average salary for pharmacists is $52.35 per hour and ranges from $20.55 to $98.40 per hour depending on geographic location, experience and the industry. The top industries are general merchandise stores, food and beverage stores, hospitals and drug stores.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the average pharmacist works 2,080 hours per year. Nationally, pharmacists earn more than their healthcare colleagues and the general public.
What is the average salary of a pharmacist?
The average pharmacist salary is not straightforward. A pharmacist’s salary can be affected by a variety of factors, including practice setting, years of experience, and location. Let’s take a closer look at the various factors at work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for pharmacists in May 2021 was $128,570. This figure represents the median pharmacist wage—half of all pharmacists earn more, while the other half earn less. The top 10% of earners earned more than $164,590.
As reported from Glassdoor, a job and recruiting site, the average base pay for pharmacists is $119,742 as of May 2022. This average was calculated using thousands of anonymous pharmacist salary submissions to the site.
Salary ranges for pharmacists can also vary depending on years of experience. A pharmacist’s salary, like that of other professions, typically rises as the pharmacist gains experience. PayScale reports that the average pharmacist’s hourly wage begins to plateau after 10 years of experience.
- Pharmacists with less than 1 year of experience: $53.99 hourly wage
- Professionals with 1 to 4 years of experience are paid $55.53 per hour
- Those with 5 to 9 years of experience will charge on average $58.76 / hour
- Qualified pharmacists with 10 to 19 years of experience: $60.30
- More than 20 years of experience: $60.39, which is about 12% more than “novices” with less than one year of experience
Which states have the highest pharmacist salaries?
While industry is an important factor in determining how much you will earn as a pharmacist, location is also an important factor.
At this point, you may be wondering, which are the 10 States where pharmacists earn the most money. Here is a list of the top ten US states where pharmacists make the most money in 2022:
- Alaska: $139,880
- California: $139,690
- Vermont: $135,420
- Maine: $133,050
- Wisconsin: $132,400
- Oregon: $130,480
- Minnesota: $129,080
- Missouri: $128,420
- Washington: $127,360
- New Hampshire: $127,350
If we compare the data from 2022 with the one from 2021, we can see that little has changed. According to the BLS, the top five highest paying states for pharmacists in 2021 were California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont. With an annual mean wage of $128,630, New York-Newark-Jersey City (NY, NJ, PA) was the highest paying metropolitan area.
Average Pharmacist Salary in Relation to Other Well Paid Jobs
While a pharmacist’s salary is undoubtedly attractive, there are other professions in the medical and health sector that make it possible to earn even more on average.
The median salary of physicians (doctors) and dentists in the United States is $218,850 and $180,830, respectively 75% and 45% more than a pharmacist. On the other hand, registered nurses and pharmacy technicians make, on average, $80,010 and $36,450 per year.
On a national scale, pharmacists perform admirably. But what about on a global scale? It turns out that pharmacists in the United States earn more than pharmacists in other countries. The highest average salary is earned by pharmacists in the United States, followed by pharmacists in Iceland and Australia (*).
- United States: $133,014
- Iceland: $106,000
- Australia: $88,843
- Switzerland: $83,600 to $127,000
- Canada: $80,700
- Sweden: $70,465
- The UK: $57,000 to $53,300
- Germany: $44,800
- Ireland: $45,442 to $68,163
- United Arab Emirates: $24,800
(*) the average salary for the US pharmacist indicated in this chart is slightly different from the previous one, as this information come from a different source.
VIDEO: How much do pharmacists get paid in the US?
Paul Tran explains the salaries of various types of pharmacists in this video. He also discusses how a pharmacist’s salary or pay can be influenced.
How do you become a pharmacist?
Do you want to work as a pharmacist? If that’s the case, you should be aware of the steps required to make it happen. The basic steps are as follows:
Get your bachelor’s degree
A bachelor’s degree is required for prospective pharmacists because a pharmacist holds a Doctorate of Pharmacy. While there is no formal undergraduate degree required for pharmacy school, students must complete specified courses in order to achieve the criteria for their advanced studies.
There is now no prerequisite undergraduate degree for pharmacy school. At the same time, a student should take particular courses in order to qualify for advanced study. You may be required to take one or more of the following courses:
- human anatomy and physiology
- cellular and molecular biology
- microbiology
- general and organic chemistry
- calculus
- statics
- English
Attend and pass Pharmacy School
Students must attend and pass pharmacy school after receiving their bachelor’s degree. These programs are usually four years long, but some schools offer three-year programs as well.
These programs cover the science of medicine, how to manage patients, and the technical aspects of prescription management.
Going to pharmacy school will help you understand how to manage patients, as well as the science of medicine and how to manage prescriptions. Students will study subjects such as:
- medicinal chemistry
- toxicology
- pathophysiology
- biopharmaceuticals
Become a licensed pharmacist
Another requirement for becoming a pharmacist is to obtain a license.
The licensing requirements are mandated at the state level, and they can differ from one state to the next, so what applies in one state may not apply in another.
However, there are some general requirements that states impose on candidates:
- Pass three parts of the pharmacist licensing examination series
- Complete doctoral programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Post-Doctoral Training
While post-doctoral training isn’t always required to become a pharmacist, if you want to work in a specialized field within the pharmaceutical industry, you’ll almost certainly need to complete a one- or two-year residency.
If you want to conduct research or work in a specific field within the pharmaceutical industry, you may need to go through post-doctoral training.
Typically, you will be required to complete a one or two-year residency. This is also true if you want to conduct research.
