Pharmacists

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

366k

Average Age

41.8

Estimated Job Growth

4.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$123,755

Average Male Salary

$134,996

Average Female Salary

$116,590

About

Pharmacists are most often employed by the Pharmacies & drug retailers industry. The average yearly wage for Pharmacists was $123,755 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Pharmacists are Chicago City (Central)--Near North Side, Loop & Near South Side PUMA, IL, Nassau County (West Central)--North Hempstead Town (South) PUMA, NY, and Johnson County (Southwest)--Olathe, Gardner, Spring Hill & Edgerton Cities PUMA, KS. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Pharmacists are Nassau County (West Central)--North Hempstead Town (South) PUMA, NY, St. Louis County (Southeast) PUMA, MO, and East Howard County--Ellicott City (Southeast), North Laurel & Elkridge PUMA, MD.

Photo by Mike Mozart

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Pharmacists workforce. Pharmacists workforce in 2024 was 366,223 people, of which 61.1% were women and 38.9% were men.

Pharmacists are paid most in Maury County--Columbia & Spring Hill cities PUMA, TN but are relatively concentrated in Nassau County (West Central)--North Hempstead Town (South) PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

142,568

Male Workforce

± 9.27k

223,655

Female Workforce

± 11.6k

The Pharmacists workforce in 2024 was 366,223 people (61.1% women and 38.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 32.6% between 2014 (276,178) and 2024 (366,223).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Pharmacists.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Oregon ($144,709), California ($142,933), and Colorado ($139,964).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$123,755

AVERAGE WAGE

#21 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Pharmacists earned an average of $123,755, $53,878 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Pharmacists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Pharmacists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.278, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Pharmacists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Pharmacists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Pharmacists and on wages for those in the field. Pharmacies & drug retailers is the industry that employs the most Pharmacists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Pharmacists, by average wage, is Electronics & appliance retailers ($241,375).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

366k

2024 Workforce

± 14,840

2.88%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.61%

This graphic shows the share of Pharmacists employed by various industries. Pharmacies & drug retailers employs the largest share of Pharmacists at 59.9%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 34.9% and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 2.79%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Pharmacists in the US. The workforce of Pharmacists in 2024 was 366,223 people, with 61.1% woman, and 38.9% men. The average age of male Pharmacists in the workforce is 43.7 and of female Pharmacists is 40.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Pharmacists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Pharmacists in 2024 was 366,223 people, with 61.1% woman, and 38.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (64,806 people), 35 to 39 years (55,710 people), and 40 to 44 years (48,639 people). Among them they concentrated 46.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 6.41% of Pharmacists workers were Hispanic and 93.6% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (36.5%), Puerto Rican (21.6)%, and Cuban (12.7)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 62.5% of the Pharmacists workforce were White, of which 58.9% were women and 41.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (21.8%) and Black (7.83%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Pharmacists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Pharmacists is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Health.

Among the necessary skills for Pharmacists, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Pharmacists need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Pharmacists in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (173,638 people), Biology (80,864 people), and Physical Sciences (17,527 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Pharmacists workers were Graduate Degree (266,324 people), Bachelors Degree (90,163 people), and Some college (6,375 people).

The graphic shows the Pharmacists workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Pharmacists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pharmacists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Pharmacists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Pharmacists are expected to see a growth of 4.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Pharmacists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.