🇺🇸 United States · Pharmacist
From $136,030 / yr by industry
Mean salary — $136,030 / yr.
$136,030 / yr
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
130,000 $
Retail / Community Pharmacist
CVS / Walgreens / independent
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
145,000 $
Hospital / Clinical Pharmacist
Patient care teams
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
165,000 $
Industry / Pharma
Drug development / regulatory
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
150,000 $
Specialty Pharmacist
Oncology / infectious disease
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. Pre-pharm Bachelor / BS (2~4 yr) — Bio + chem prereqs
- 2. PharmD (4 yr) (4 yr) — Clinical rotations year 4
- 3. NAPLEX + MPJE (— yr) — License before practice
- 4. Residency (optional) (1~2 yr) — PGY1 / PGY2 for clinical track
- 5. Practice (— yr) — Retail / hospital / industry
📝 Licensing exam
NAPLEX + state law (MPJE)
North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam + state-specific law exam.
🏛️ Top schools
| School | Location | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF School of Pharmacy | San Francisco, CA | Top public pharmacy |
| U North Carolina (Eshelman) | Chapel Hill, NC | Strong PharmD |
| U Michigan College of Pharmacy | Ann Arbor, MI | Research depth |
| U Minnesota College of Pharmacy | Minneapolis, MN | Industry-aligned |
| Purdue College of Pharmacy | West Lafayette, IN | Pharmaceutical sciences |
🟠 Tier 3 — context only
🩺 Apprenticeship / Residency
Residency (PGY1, PGY2 — optional)
Required for hospital / clinical specialty roles.
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Retail / Community Pharmacist | 130,000 $ | CVS / Walgreens / independent |
| Hospital / Clinical Pharmacist | 145,000 $ | Patient care teams |
| Industry / Pharma | 165,000 $ | Drug development / regulatory |
| Specialty Pharmacist | 150,000 $ | Oncology / infectious disease |
| Pharmacy Manager / DOP | 175,000 $ | Operations leadership |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
Chain Retail
Stable salary + sign-on bonuses
Hospital
Lower base, residency premium
Industry / Pharma
Base + RSU + bonus
📈 Income across years
PharmD grad
0 $
0 yr
Staff Pharmacist
130,000 $
0~3 yr
Senior / Specialty
150,000 $
3~8 yr
Pharmacy Manager
175,000 $
8+ yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.