Healthcare · 70 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Pharmacist (2025)

The median Pharmacist salary is $199,040 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Wichita, KS offers the best purchasing power at $169,524 adjusted.

The 70 cities below are ranked by median wage for Pharmacist, drawn from BLS OEWS. Top-of-list cities typically combine high local labor demand with above-baseline cost-of-living, so the gross-wage ranking partly reflects COL adjustment. Reading the ranking carefully: gross median wage is the headline number, but the cost-adjusted figure (which divides by the city's cost-of-living index) tells a different story for high-COL cities. The ranking sorts on gross wage; the per-city pages surface the adjusted figure.

For workers evaluating Pharmacist relocation, the top of the ranking is the obvious starting point — but the bottom of the list (low gross wage, low COL) is often where cost-adjusted real income is highest. The role-specific pages link to per-city detail.

$146,529

National Median

$199,040

Highest City

$128,100

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th-90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$199,040	$151,900, $234,080	195.8	$101,655	1,960
2	San Francisco, CA	$177,410	$135,580, $229,220	179.6	$98,781	3,670
3	Sacramento, CA	$172,680	$104,420, $213,820	124.7	$138,476	2,310
4	Fresno, CA	$169,160	$128,300, $211,110	105.5	$160,341	890
5	Portland, OR	$168,830	$127,100, $196,500	130.1	$129,769	2,070
6	San Diego, CA	$165,130	$131,400, $214,480	160.2	$103,077	2,840
7	Anchorage, AK	$162,980	$106,190, $184,830	127	$128,331	360
8	Seattle, WA	$162,870	$126,410, $209,460	149.4	$109,016	4,440
9	Bakersfield, CA	$161,930	$125,170, $200,850	100.6	$160,964	600
10	Riverside-San Bernardino, CA	$161,870	$103,810, $207,020	122.4	$132,247	3,400
11	Minneapolis, MN	$160,990	$79,060, $172,670	106.2	$151,591	4,160
12	Madison, WI	$158,120	$112,140, $169,980	103.8	$152,331	1,120
13	Denver, CO	$157,890	$122,450, $188,490	112.8	$139,973	2,630
14	Los Angeles, CA	$157,440	$62,800, $209,060	166	$94,843	12,450
15	Bridgeport, CT	$157,440	$111,630, $172,570	137.5	$114,502	660
16	Spokane, WA	$155,560	$115,850, $177,410	97.4	$159,713	710
17	Reno, NV	$154,380	$126,360, $171,220	106.5	$144,958	440
18	Colorado Springs, CO	$154,050	$105,800, $177,990	104.5	$147,416	0
19	Milwaukee, WI	$153,340	$120,600, $180,910	97.4	$157,433	1,760
20	Austin, TX	$151,290	$90,810, $172,490	103	$146,883	1,800
21	Indianapolis, IN	$151,050	$111,950, $170,110	90.1	$167,647	2,220
22	Boise, ID	$150,710	$77,180, $164,660	102.1	$147,610	830
23	Charlotte, NC	$150,580	$91,770, $173,930	96.7	$155,719	2,530
24	Washington, DC	$150,540	$121,420, $179,230	152.8	$98,521	5,260
25	San Antonio, TX	$150,500	$96,670, $167,100	91.5	$164,481	2,260
26	Philadelphia, PA	$148,740	$119,840, $167,270	118.4	$125,625	6,460
27	Tucson, AZ	$147,420	$72,760, $175,370	95.4	$154,528	1,010
28	Salt Lake City, UT	$147,010	$66,360, $173,130	101.4	$144,980	1,520
29	Albuquerque, NM	$147,000	$104,180, $178,900	94	$156,383	1,000
30	Richmond, VA	$144,940	$106,310, $165,690	102.1	$141,959	1,350
31	Phoenix, AZ	$144,490	$105,920, $171,160	100.7	$143,486	5,050
32	Louisville, KY	$143,920	$97,700, $173,620	90.2	$159,557	1,830
33	Wichita, KS	$142,400	$107,230, $165,940	84	$169,524	580
34	Omaha, NE	$141,830	$56,130, $170,090	91.8	$154,499	1,350
35	New York, NY	$141,320	$96,010, $175,840	187.2	$75,491	20,000
36	Des Moines, IA	$141,110	$123,510, $164,900	93.3	$151,243	850
37	Chicago, IL	$140,880	$84,950, $171,710	107.3	$131,295	8,930
38	Tulsa, OK	$140,820	$108,990, $164,430	86.8	$162,235	820
39	Houston, TX	$140,470	$83,200, $170,170	96.5	$145,565	6,410
40	Cincinnati, OH	$140,200	$102,600, $169,790	91.2	$153,728	2,380
41	Atlanta, GA	$139,870	$103,170, $175,560	99.2	$140,998	6,120
42	Boston, MA	$139,660	$127,550, $168,390	152.1	$91,821	5,280
43	Kansas City, MO	$139,460	$85,500, $172,430	95.4	$146,184	2,640
44	Jacksonville, FL	$138,990	$62,500, $162,520	95.1	$146,151	1,420
45	Birmingham, AL	$138,800	$107,330, $161,190	90.4	$153,540	1,550
46	St. Louis, MO	$138,530	$111,110, $166,840	90	$153,922	2,910
47	Greensboro, NC	$138,180	$80,650, $159,010	91.3	$151,347	710
48	Dallas, TX	$138,170	$104,720, $170,390	104.1	$132,728	7,230
49	Oklahoma City, OK	$138,120	$98,490, $161,580	86.5	$159,676	1,550
50	Baltimore, MD	$138,110	$114,080, $168,010	114.2	$120,937	2,730
51	Tampa, FL	$137,990	$52,730, $168,890	99.6	$138,544	3,460
52	Buffalo, NY	$137,900	$71,200, $176,560	92.5	$149,081	1,400
53	Detroit, MI	$137,770	$63,630, $170,230	95.1	$144,869	4,280
54	Nashville, TN	$137,590	$69,510, $167,070	100.3	$137,178	2,630
55	Albany, NY	$136,720	$97,340, $164,330	100.7	$135,770	1,050
56	Little Rock, AR	$136,700	$94,120, $166,570	88.2	$154,989	1,020
57	Lexington, KY	$136,530	$100,260, $161,260	91.3	$149,540	1,060
58	Rochester, NY	$136,310	$123,610, $156,770	92.9	$146,728	1,070
59	Las Vegas, NV	$136,250	$104,000, $167,560	109	$125,000	1,860
60	Greenville, SC	$135,580	$73,610, $164,810	90.1	$150,477	900
61	Miami, FL	$135,210	$57,190, $168,060	123.1	$109,838	6,150
62	Orlando, FL	$135,010	$73,930, $164,870	103.1	$130,951	2,900
63	Hartford, CT	$134,340	$104,210, $162,970	112.6	$119,307	1,180
64	Memphis, TN	$134,220	$103,470, $165,860	84	$159,786	1,460
65	Pittsburgh, PA	$134,180	$107,650, $160,250	92.3	$145,374	3,300
66	Columbus, OH	$133,960	$50,450, $166,620	93.1	$143,888	2,610
67	Raleigh, NC	$133,120	$101,720, $165,060	99.8	$133,387	1,730
68	Knoxville, TN	$132,460	$85,160, $159,200	90.3	$146,689	990
69	Providence, RI	$130,840	$86,620, $159,280	119.4	$109,581	1,880
70	New Orleans, LA	$128,100	$86,060, $155,240	95.9	$133,577	1,470

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	Wichita, KS	$169,524	$142,400	84
2	Indianapolis, IN	$167,647	$151,050	90.1
3	San Antonio, TX	$164,481	$150,500	91.5
4	Tulsa, OK	$162,235	$140,820	86.8
5	Bakersfield, CA	$160,964	$161,930	100.6
6	Fresno, CA	$160,341	$169,160	105.5
7	Memphis, TN	$159,786	$134,220	84
8	Spokane, WA	$159,713	$155,560	97.4
9	Oklahoma City, OK	$159,676	$138,120	86.5
10	Louisville, KY	$159,557	$143,920	90.2
11	Milwaukee, WI	$157,433	$153,340	97.4
12	Albuquerque, NM	$156,383	$147,000	94
13	Charlotte, NC	$155,719	$150,580	96.7
14	Little Rock, AR	$154,989	$136,700	88.2
15	Tucson, AZ	$154,528	$147,420	95.4
16	Omaha, NE	$154,499	$141,830	91.8
17	St. Louis, MO	$153,922	$138,530	90
18	Cincinnati, OH	$153,728	$140,200	91.2
19	Birmingham, AL	$153,540	$138,800	90.4
20	Madison, WI	$152,331	$158,120	103.8
21	Minneapolis, MN	$151,591	$160,990	106.2
22	Greensboro, NC	$151,347	$138,180	91.3
23	Des Moines, IA	$151,243	$141,110	93.3
24	Greenville, SC	$150,477	$135,580	90.1
25	Lexington, KY	$149,540	$136,530	91.3
26	Buffalo, NY	$149,081	$137,900	92.5
27	Boise, ID	$147,610	$150,710	102.1
28	Colorado Springs, CO	$147,416	$154,050	104.5
29	Austin, TX	$146,883	$151,290	103
30	Rochester, NY	$146,728	$136,310	92.9
31	Knoxville, TN	$146,689	$132,460	90.3
32	Kansas City, MO	$146,184	$139,460	95.4
33	Jacksonville, FL	$146,151	$138,990	95.1
34	Houston, TX	$145,565	$140,470	96.5
35	Pittsburgh, PA	$145,374	$134,180	92.3
36	Salt Lake City, UT	$144,980	$147,010	101.4
37	Reno, NV	$144,958	$154,380	106.5
38	Detroit, MI	$144,869	$137,770	95.1
39	Columbus, OH	$143,888	$133,960	93.1
40	Phoenix, AZ	$143,486	$144,490	100.7
41	Richmond, VA	$141,959	$144,940	102.1
42	Atlanta, GA	$140,998	$139,870	99.2
43	Denver, CO	$139,973	$157,890	112.8
44	Tampa, FL	$138,544	$137,990	99.6
45	Sacramento, CA	$138,476	$172,680	124.7
46	Nashville, TN	$137,178	$137,590	100.3
47	Albany, NY	$135,770	$136,720	100.7
48	New Orleans, LA	$133,577	$128,100	95.9
49	Raleigh, NC	$133,387	$133,120	99.8
50	Dallas, TX	$132,728	$138,170	104.1
51	Riverside-San Bernardino, CA	$132,247	$161,870	122.4
52	Chicago, IL	$131,295	$140,880	107.3
53	Orlando, FL	$130,951	$135,010	103.1
54	Portland, OR	$129,769	$168,830	130.1
55	Anchorage, AK	$128,331	$162,980	127
56	Philadelphia, PA	$125,625	$148,740	118.4
57	Las Vegas, NV	$125,000	$136,250	109
58	Baltimore, MD	$120,937	$138,110	114.2
59	Hartford, CT	$119,307	$134,340	112.6
60	Bridgeport, CT	$114,502	$157,440	137.5
61	Miami, FL	$109,838	$135,210	123.1
62	Providence, RI	$109,581	$130,840	119.4
63	Seattle, WA	$109,016	$162,870	149.4
64	San Diego, CA	$103,077	$165,130	160.2
65	San Jose, CA	$101,655	$199,040	195.8
66	San Francisco, CA	$98,781	$177,410	179.6
67	Washington, DC	$98,521	$150,540	152.8
68	Los Angeles, CA	$94,843	$157,440	166
69	Boston, MA	$91,821	$139,660	152.1
70	New York, NY	$75,491	$141,320	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Pharmacist salary at $199,040. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Wichita, KS offers the most purchasing power at $169,524 adjusted.

The national median Pharmacist salary is $146,529 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $128,100 to $199,040 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.