Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

29-1051 Pharmacists

Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
272,320 0.7 % $53.92 $112,160 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $40.62 $48.73 $54.51 $62.17 $69.27
Annual Wage (2) $84,490 $101,360 $113,390 $129,310 $144,090


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 119,770 12.10 $54.83 $114,040
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 59,640 1.15 $53.27 $110,810
Grocery Stores 22,210 0.90 $52.35 $108,890
Department Stores 16,370 1.06 $52.52 $109,240
Other General Merchandise Stores 14,820 0.97 $57.03 $118,630

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Health and Personal Care Stores 119,770 12.10 $54.83 $114,040
Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers 3,830 2.03 $51.76 $107,660
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 59,640 1.15 $53.27 $110,810
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 2,460 1.12 $53.52 $111,320
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses 2,860 1.11 $51.08 $106,260

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 120 0.05 $60.33 $125,480
Other General Merchandise Stores 14,820 0.97 $57.03 $118,630
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 620 0.06 $56.97 $118,490
Offices of Physicians 2,430 0.10 $56.61 $117,750
Outpatient Care Centers 3,070 0.50 $56.49 $117,510


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 22,960 1.64 0.77 $59.04 $122,800
Texas 20,000 1.94 0.91 $54.60 $113,570
New York 17,820 2.11 1.00 $53.72 $111,750
Florida 17,290 2.42 1.14 $53.73 $111,760
Pennsylvania 12,110 2.18 1.03 $50.58 $105,210




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Virginia 2,130 3.04 1.43 $55.74 $115,950
Alabama 4,950 2.74 1.29 $57.60 $119,810
South Carolina 4,810 2.71 1.28 $55.18 $114,780
Tennessee 6,860 2.64 1.24 $55.51 $115,460
Michigan 10,010 2.61 1.23 $54.38 $113,100




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 410 1.30 0.61 $60.25 $125,330
Maine 1,290 2.24 1.06 $60.24 $125,310
California 22,960 1.64 0.77 $59.04 $122,800
Vermont 570 1.95 0.92 $58.89 $122,490
Alabama 4,950 2.74 1.29 $57.60 $119,810





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 10,640 2.10 0.99 $51.52 $107,150
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 5,990 1.67 0.79 $48.92 $101,750
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 5,780 1.51 0.71 $57.66 $119,940
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 5,460 2.14 1.01 $52.35 $108,880
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 4,570 2.52 1.19 $51.28 $106,670
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 4,020 1.81 0.85 $52.48 $109,170
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 3,650 1.58 0.74 $53.75 $111,800
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 3,490 1.71 0.80 $52.95 $110,130
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,320 1.94 0.91 $54.51 $113,380
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 3,100 1.85 0.87 $51.25 $106,590




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Palm Coast, FL 80 4.50 2.12 $50.62 $105,280
Anderson, SC 240 4.33 2.04 $57.01 $118,580
Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Division 2,710 4.00 1.89 $65.58 $136,400
Gainesville, FL 470 3.95 1.86 $49.12 $102,160
Medford, OR 290 3.88 1.83 $56.40 $117,300
Johnson City, TN 290 3.75 1.76 $51.30 $106,710
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 400 3.69 1.74 $51.66 $107,460
Iowa City, IA 300 3.59 1.69 $48.32 $100,520
Morgantown, WV 210 3.52 1.66 $48.96 $101,840
Auburn-Opelika, AL 160 3.50 1.65 $56.53 $117,590




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
El Centro, CA 50 1.08 0.51 $78.56 $163,410
Napa, CA 60 0.97 0.46 $67.42 $140,230
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 160 1.90 0.90 $67.41 $140,220
Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Division 2,710 4.00 1.89 $65.58 $136,400
Chico, CA 170 2.45 1.16 $65.28 $135,780
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 280 2.21 1.04 $64.82 $134,830
Kingston, NY 90 1.64 0.77 $64.42 $134,000
Laredo, TX 100 1.17 0.55 $64.41 $133,970
Bowling Green, KY 100 1.77 0.83 $64.22 $133,590
Yuma, AZ 70 1.19 0.56 $64.19 $133,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 750 1.98 0.93 $50.15 $104,320
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 710 2.44 1.15 $58.15 $120,950
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 570 2.14 1.01 $50.70 $105,450
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 550 2.25 1.06 $56.90 $118,350
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 540 1.94 0.92 $55.94 $116,350

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 240 4.15 1.96 $51.98 $108,120
Winnsboro nonmetropolitan area 300 3.74 1.76 $58.37 $121,400
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 3.35 1.58 $56.79 $118,120
Southwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area 440 3.29 1.55 $52.38 $108,940
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 410 3.28 1.54 $50.92 $105,920

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 180 2.62 1.23 $71.96 $149,680
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 100 1.58 0.74 $69.00 $143,510
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 190 2.02 0.95 $68.30 $142,070
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 1.50 0.71 $67.41 $140,220
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 340 2.50 1.18 $65.41 $136,060


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012