National median: $130K (range: 100K–160K). Salaries adjusted by state cost index. Ranked by cost-adjusted purchasing power. The difference between the best and worst state is $15,587/year in real purchasing power.
Pharmacists earn $100K–$160K, putting them in higher federal brackets where state tax differences become very significant. A pharmacist in Texas keeps roughly $8,000–$12,000 more per year than one in California at the same salary.
The highest-paying state for pharmacists is Hawaii with an estimated salary of $250K and take-home of $165,389. But the best purchasing power goes to South Dakota \u2014 where a $120K salary, after taxes and cost adjustment, buys what $101,299 would buy nationally.
Regional averages show where pharmacists earn the most and where their money goes furthest:
| # | State | Est. Salary | Tax Rate | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | $120K | 0% | $93,195 | $7,766 | 22.3% | $101,299 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $117K | 0% | $91,085 | $7,590 | 22.1% | $101,205 |
| 3 | Texas | $121K | 0% | $93,899 | $7,825 | 22.4% | $100,966 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $122K | 0% | $94,602 | $7,884 | 22.5% | $100,640 |
| 5 | Florida | $130K | 0% | $100,081 | $8,340 | 23.0% | $100,081 |
| 6 | Nevada | $131K | 0% | $100,765 | $8,397 | 23.1% | $99,767 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $120K | 2.5% | $91,245 | $7,604 | 24.0% | $99,179 |
| 8 | Washington | $143K | 0% | $108,967 | $9,081 | 23.8% | $99,060 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $140K | 0% | $106,916 | $8,910 | 23.6% | $98,996 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $112K | 3.9% | $84,728 | $7,061 | 24.4% | $98,521 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $108K | 4.82% | $81,369 | $6,781 | 24.7% | $98,035 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $113K | 4.5% | $84,965 | $7,080 | 24.8% | $97,661 |
| 13 | Alaska | $165K | 0% | $124,004 | $10,334 | 24.8% | $97,641 |
| 14 | Ohio | $117K | 2.75% | $87,867 | $7,322 | 24.9% | $97,630 |
| 15 | Indiana | $117K | 2.95% | $87,633 | $7,303 | 25.1% | $97,370 |
| 16 | Arizona | $126K | 2.5% | $94,197 | $7,850 | 25.2% | $97,110 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $118K | 4.55% | $88,298 | $7,358 | 25.2% | $97,031 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $118K | 3% | $88,248 | $7,354 | 25.2% | $96,976 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $108K | 4% | $80,433 | $6,703 | 25.5% | $96,907 |
| 20 | Alabama | $114K | 5% | $85,269 | $7,106 | 25.2% | $96,897 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $117K | 3.5% | $86,990 | $7,249 | 25.7% | $96,655 |
| 22 | Iowa | $116K | 3.8% | $85,973 | $7,164 | 25.9% | $96,599 |
| 23 | Kansas | $117K | 5.58% | $86,841 | $7,237 | 25.8% | $96,490 |
| 24 | Missouri | $116K | 4% | $85,741 | $7,145 | 26.1% | $96,338 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $120K | 6% | $88,515 | $7,376 | 26.2% | $96,212 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $127K | 3.07% | $94,132 | $7,844 | 25.9% | $96,053 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $118K | 5.9% | $87,263 | $7,272 | 26.0% | $95,893 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $124K | 3.99% | $91,032 | $7,586 | 26.6% | $95,824 |
| 29 | Montana | $126K | 5.65% | $92,720 | $7,727 | 26.4% | $95,587 |
| 30 | Michigan | $118K | 4.25% | $86,773 | $7,231 | 26.5% | $95,355 |
| 31 | Virginia | $134K | 5.75% | $97,807 | $8,151 | 27.0% | $94,958 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $137K | 5.99% | $99,531 | $8,294 | 27.3% | $94,792 |
| 33 | Utah | $129K | 4.45% | $93,657 | $7,805 | 27.4% | $94,603 |
| 34 | Delaware | $133K | 6.6% | $96,426 | $8,035 | 27.5% | $94,535 |
| 35 | Illinois | $121K | 4.95% | $87,909 | $7,326 | 27.3% | $94,526 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $121K | 7.65% | $87,882 | $7,323 | 27.4% | $94,497 |
| 37 | Maryland | $146K | 5.75% | $105,560 | $8,797 | 27.7% | $94,250 |
| 38 | Georgia | $121K | 5.19% | $87,619 | $7,302 | 27.6% | $94,214 |
| 39 | Colorado | $137K | 4.4% | $98,838 | $8,236 | 27.9% | $94,131 |
| 40 | Idaho | $124K | 5.3% | $89,408 | $7,451 | 27.9% | $94,114 |
| 41 | Maine | $127K | 7.15% | $92,128 | $7,677 | 27.5% | $94,008 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $144K | 6.99% | $103,107 | $8,592 | 28.4% | $92,890 |
| 43 | Vermont | $137K | 8.75% | $97,074 | $8,089 | 29.1% | $92,451 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $129K | 9.85% | $91,138 | $7,595 | 29.4% | $92,059 |
| 45 | Massachusetts | $153K | 5% | $108,152 | $9,013 | 29.3% | $91,654 |
| 46 | Oregon | $143K | 9.9% | $99,764 | $8,314 | 30.2% | $90,695 |
| 47 | New Jersey | $150K | 10.75% | $103,270 | $8,606 | 31.2% | $89,800 |
| 48 | New York | $163K | 10.9% | $111,088 | $9,257 | 31.8% | $88,870 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $250K | 11% | $165,389 | $13,782 | 33.8% | $86,140 |
| 50 | California | $185K | 13.3% | $121,711 | $10,143 | 34.2% | $85,712 |