Healthcare · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Pharmacist (2024)

The median Pharmacist salary is $196,250 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Minneapolis, MN offers the best purchasing power at $146,949 adjusted.

$147,492

National Median

$196,250

Highest City

$133,110

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$196,250	$150,230 – $225,660	195.8	$100,230	1,950
2	San Francisco, CA	$183,510	$143,520 – $220,640	179.6	$102,177	4,230
3	Portland, OR	$169,520	$127,670 – $198,820	130.1	$130,300	2,420
4	Seattle, WA	$165,270	$128,340 – $201,610	149.4	$110,622	4,850
5	San Diego, CA	$163,860	$126,980 – $208,070	160.2	$102,285	2,820
6	Los Angeles, CA	$158,450	$74,300 – $203,840	166	$95,452	12,390
7	Minneapolis, MN	$156,060	$124,780 – $170,630	106.2	$146,949	3,960
8	Denver, CO	$152,200	$96,680 – $181,880	112.8	$134,929	2,850
9	Washington, DC	$143,890	$107,870 – $173,000	152.8	$94,169	4,870
10	Austin, TX	$141,500	$67,340 – $172,890	103	$137,379	1,730
11	Charlotte, NC	$139,950	$97,710 – $166,270	96.7	$144,726	2,670
12	Raleigh, NC	$139,170	$90,700 – $165,630	99.8	$139,449	1,470
13	Houston, TX	$139,010	$61,870 – $169,260	96.5	$144,052	6,230
14	Philadelphia, PA	$137,960	$102,140 – $167,020	118.4	$116,520	7,070
15	Dallas, TX	$137,910	$72,680 – $169,020	104.1	$132,478	6,280
16	Chicago, IL	$137,610	$90,170 – $166,320	107.3	$128,248	9,630
17	Salt Lake City, UT	$137,210	$53,760 – $166,670	101.4	$135,316	1,790
18	Miami, FL	$137,170	$64,280 – $163,200	123.1	$111,430	5,300
19	Phoenix, AZ	$136,870	$82,920 – $166,310	100.7	$135,919	5,720
20	Boston, MA	$136,800	$109,720 – $164,820	152.1	$89,941	5,900
21	Detroit, MI	$136,540	$52,330 – $164,540	95.1	$143,575	4,820
22	Atlanta, GA	$136,260	$80,800 – $173,750	99.2	$137,359	6,760
23	New York, NY	$135,720	$100,630 – $167,900	187.2	$72,500	22,010
24	Nashville, TN	$135,500	$49,760 – $161,360	100.3	$135,095	2,650
25	Tampa, FL	$133,110	$49,180 – $163,290	99.6	$133,645	3,370

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Pharmacist paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Minneapolis, MN	$146,949	$156,060	106.2
2	Charlotte, NC	$144,726	$139,950	96.7
3	Houston, TX	$144,052	$139,010	96.5
4	Detroit, MI	$143,575	$136,540	95.1
5	Raleigh, NC	$139,449	$139,170	99.8
6	Austin, TX	$137,379	$141,500	103
7	Atlanta, GA	$137,359	$136,260	99.2
8	Phoenix, AZ	$135,919	$136,870	100.7
9	Salt Lake City, UT	$135,316	$137,210	101.4
10	Nashville, TN	$135,095	$135,500	100.3
11	Denver, CO	$134,929	$152,200	112.8
12	Tampa, FL	$133,645	$133,110	99.6
13	Dallas, TX	$132,478	$137,910	104.1
14	Portland, OR	$130,300	$169,520	130.1
15	Chicago, IL	$128,248	$137,610	107.3
16	Philadelphia, PA	$116,520	$137,960	118.4
17	Miami, FL	$111,430	$137,170	123.1
18	Seattle, WA	$110,622	$165,270	149.4
19	San Diego, CA	$102,285	$163,860	160.2
20	San Francisco, CA	$102,177	$183,510	179.6
21	San Jose, CA	$100,230	$196,250	195.8
22	Los Angeles, CA	$95,452	$158,450	166
23	Washington, DC	$94,169	$143,890	152.8
24	Boston, MA	$89,941	$136,800	152.1
25	New York, NY	$72,500	$135,720	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Pharmacist salary at $196,250. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Minneapolis, MN offers the most purchasing power at $146,949 adjusted.

The national median Pharmacist salary is $147,492 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $133,110 to $196,250 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.