Minnesota offers the highest hourly mean wage in the U.S. after adjusting for cost of living, while California has the highest unadjusted hourly mean wage, according to May 2024 salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Below are the mean hourly and annual wages for pharmacists in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Becker’s also calculated mean hourly wages, adjusted for each state’s cost of living using the 2024 cost-of-living index data from World Population Review.
| State | Annual Wage | Hourly Wage | Cost of Living Index (2024) | Pharmacist hourly mean wage, adjusted by cost of living |
| Alabama | $129,100 | $62.07 | 88 | $70.53 |
| Alaska | $158,430 | $76.17 | 123.8 | $61.53 |
| Arizona | $136,410 | $65.58 | 111.5 | $58.82 |
| Arkansas | $132,090 | $63.51 | 88.7 | $71.60 |
| California | $162,110 | $77.94 | 144.8 | $53.83 |
| Connecticut | $134,610 | $64.72 | 112.3 | $57.63 |
| Delaware | $138,860 | $66.76 | 100.8 | $66.23 |
| District of Columbia | $136,920 | $65.83 | 141.9 | $46.39 |
| Florida | $129,460 | $62.24 | 102.8 | $60.54 |
| Georgia | $130,430 | $62.71 | 91.3 | $68.69 |
| Hawaii | $147,650 | $70.99 | 186.9 | $37.98 |
| Idaho | $132,460 | $63.68 | 102 | $62.43 |
| Illinois | $136,050 | $65.41 | 94.4 | $69.29 |
| Indiana | $133,700 | $64.28 | 90.5 | $71.03 |
| Iowa | $131,150 | $63.05 | 89.7 | $70.29 |
| Kansas | $130,770 | $62.87 | 87 | $72.26 |
| Kentucky | $130,990 | $62.98 | 93 | $67.72 |
| Louisiana | $125,450 | $60.31 | 92.2 | $65.41 |
| Maine | $136,010 | $65.39 | 112.1 | $58.33 |
| Maryland | $136,210 | $65.49 | 115.3 | $56.80 |
| Massachusetts | $133,640 | $64.25 | 145.9 | $44.04 |
| Michigan | $129,620 | $62.32 | 90.4 | $68.94 |
| Minnesota | $147,880 | $71.10 | 95.1 | $74.76 |
| Mississippi | $127,530 | $61.31 | 87.9 | $69.75 |
| Missouri | $136,170 | $65.47 | 88.7 | $73.81 |
| Montana | $135,130 | $64.97 | 94.9 | $68.46 |
| Nebraska | $127,300 | $61.20 | 93.1 | $65.74 |
| Nevada | $133,320 | $64.10 | 101.3 | $63.28 |
| New Hampshire | $140,440 | $67.52 | 112.6 | $59.96 |
| New Jersey | $134,360 | $64.60 | 114.6 | $56.37 |
| New Mexico | $135,670 | $65.23 | 93.3 | $69.91 |
| New York | $136,020 | $65.39 | 123.3 | $53.03 |
| North Carolina | $134,030 | $64.44 | 97.8 | $65.89 |
| North Dakota | $125,790 | $60.47 | 91.9 | $65.80 |
| Ohio | $127,400 | $61.25 | 94.2 | $65.02 |
| Oklahoma | $127,050 | $61.08 | 85.7 | $71.27 |
| Oregon | $156,160 | $75.08 | 112 | $67.04 |
| Pennsylvania | $133,720 | $64.29 | 95.1 | $67.60 |
| Rhode Island | $120,170 | $57.77 | 112.2 | $51.49 |
| South Carolina | $135,720 | $65.25 | 95.9 | $68.04 |
| South Dakota | $137,460 | $66.09 | 92.2 | $71.68 |
| Tennessee | $125,850 | $60.51 | 90.5 | $66.86 |
| Texas | $134,880 | $64.85 | 92.7 | $69.96 |
| Utah | $131,280 | $63.12 | 104.9 | $60.17 |
| Vermont | $135,880 | $65.33 | 114.4 | $57.11 |
| Virginia | $137,920 | $66.31 | 100.7 | $65.85 |
| Washington | $154,860 | $74.45 | 114.2 | $65.19 |
| West Virginia | $125,530 | $60.35 | 84.1 | $71.76 |
| Wisconsin | $141,090 | $67.83 | 97 | $69.93 |
| Wyoming | $138,330 | $66.51 | 95.5 | $69.64 |
Editor’s note: This list excludes data from Colorado due to data quality concerns stemming from issues with the state’s unemployment insurance system modernization. Although the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages resumed publication for the state in February, the updated data could not be incorporated into the BLS release scheduled for April 2, according to the agency. Estimates for Colorado may be released at a later time.
