Pharmacist Salary: A 2026 Guide

Key takeaways

Pharmacists in the United States earn well above average. Below are some important facts to know: 

• As of 2026, the median annual pay for a pharmacist is $137,480 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [1].

• According to Zippia, Sacramento, California, Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon are among the highest-paying cities for pharmacists in the US [2].

• You can expand your career opportunities as a pharmacist by developing transferable skills that apply across diverse health care environments.

Learn how much you can expect to make as a pharmacist in the US. Afterward, consider enrolling in the University of California San Diego’s Drug Development Product Management Specialization to familiarize yourself with the process of drug discovery, drug development, and drug commercialization used by pharmaceutical companies today.

What is the average pharmacist salary?

The median total pay for a pharmacist is $158,000 in 2026, according to Glassdoor, though this salary can vary [3]. Regardless of their exact pay, though, pharmacists still make more on average than similar occupations do, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [4].

Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals who possess a deep understanding of pharmaceutical drugs and how they interact with human biology. Whether they’re providing patients with medication at a local pharmacy or working alongside physicians in an outpatient clinic, pharmacists are well-rewarded for their unique skill set, knowledge, and expertise.

The exact pay that you can expect to make as a pharmacist will likely depend on your experience, the industry in which you work, and your geographic location. Below, we explore these factors to help you better understand what you can expect to earn in this impactful health care profession. 

Pharmacist job outlook 

Overall job growth over the next decade is expected to be faster for pharmacists than the job growth for other occupations. The number of job openings for pharmacists is expected to grow by 5 percent between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 14,200 job openings a year during that period [5].

Read more: 12 of the Best-Paying Jobs in Health Care

Pharmacist salary by experience 

Your work experience can have a big impact on how much you earn as a pharmacist. According to Glassdoor, here is the median total pay you can expect to earn as a pharmacist each year, based on your prior years of experience [3]:

• 0–1 years: $139,000

• 1–3 years: $146,000

• 4–6 years: $153,000

• 7–9 years: $156,000

• 10–14 years: $160,000

• 15+ years: $172,000

Pharmacist salary by industry 

Your industry can also impact how much you earn as a pharmacist. While some industries pay pharmacists more, others are more conservative with how much they’re usually willing to pay.

If obtaining a higher salary is a particularly important goal for you, then consider looking for a position within one of these four industries, which BLS notes pay pharmacists the highest salaries [6]: 

Pharmacist salary by location 

Where you live and work can impact how much you can expect to earn as a pharmacist.

While dense cities tend to have higher costs of living and higher salaries, less populated regions often have lower costs of living and lower salaries due to lower demand. Furthermore, local market conditions, such as the number of qualified, local professionals performing the same job, can also affect how much you can expect to earn in your position. To help you better understand how much you can make in different regions, here’s the estimated total pay pharmacists earn in the top 10 highest paying cities in the United States, according to Zippia [2]:

Related jobs and salaries 

Pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals with deep knowledge of medication and how it interacts with the human body. Pharmacists work in a wide range of health care environments and have transferable skills that can be applied in numerous positions.

If you’re considering a position that encompasses some of the same skills and responsibilities that pharmacists use every day, then here are some similar positions that you might consider pursuing, along with their median total pay annually, according to Glassdoor:

• Pharmacy technician: $44,000 [7]

• Pharmacologist: $197,000 [8]

• Toxicologist: $200,000 [9]

• Pharmaceutical sales representative: $166,000 [10]

All salary information is the median total pay from Glassdoor as of August 2026. These figures include both base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other forms of compensation.

Explore our free resources for pharmacists

Join Career Chat, Coursera’s LinkedIn newsletter, for weekly updates on in-demand skills and certifications in health care. Then, check out these other helpful resources:

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Discover trends: AI in Health Care: Uses, Benefits, and Concerns

• Get expert tips: Reimagining Work and Learning with AI: Expert Insights from Dr. Jules White

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