How much does a Pharmacist make in Alaska?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $163,200 for Pharmacists in Alaska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $146,550 and the 75th-percentile is $174,010.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Pharmacist salary in Alaska?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 103.3 for Alaska), the real-wage equivalent is $157,991 — what the $163,200 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $141,872 to $168,456.

How many Pharmacists does Alaska employ?

BLS OES counts 510 Pharmacists employed in Alaska in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

What are the limits of these Pharmacist salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Alaska?

BLS aggregates pharmacists (29-1051) into one figure. In {state}, retail chain pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, independents) historically led on starting pay but has compressed as chain consolidation and store-closure cycles squeeze hours. Hospital pharmacy in {state} typically pays mid-band with stronger benefits and pension. Clinical and specialty (oncology, infectious disease, ambulatory care) leads at the senior level, especially with PGY-1/PGY-2 residency credentials. Industry (pharma, PBM, managed care) sits at the high end.

PharmD ROI in Alaska — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?

PharmD programs in Alaska typically run $35-60K/year tuition × 4 years plus 4 years of foregone earnings, putting the all-in cost over $200K for many students. With a Alaska pharmacist median in the BLS table above and retail pay compression in 2023-2025, ROI breakeven is now 12-18 years post-graduation in most markets — substantially worse than a decade ago. Hospital and industry tracks payback faster; retail-only careers have a much weaker ROI than the historical baseline.

Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Alaska?

Alaska pharmacist labor markets vary. National PharmD graduate output peaked around 2018 and has stayed above retiree replacement rates, contributing to chain-pharmacy hour cuts and offers below historical BLS norms in saturated metros. Rural Alaska markets remain undersupplied — sign-on bonuses of $20-50K for rural retail or hospital roles are common. Hospital and clinical roles requiring PGY-1/PGY-2 residency are not oversupplied; specialty boards (BCPS, BCOP, BCACP) are still differentiators that push pay above the BLS median.

Alaska Pharmacist Salary 2026 — BLS Median $163K, Real Take-Home $158K

TL;DR

Median Pharmacist salary in Alaska: $163,200 nominal, $157,991 real (BEA RPP basis).
Nominal: #2/51 · Real: #2/51 — ranking shifts by 0 positions after RPP.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Bottom quartile $146,550, top quartile $174,010. The P90 ($183,920) is roughly 1.5× the P10 ($123,220).

Wage breakdown — Alaska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$123,220	$119,287
P25 (lower quartile)	$146,550	$141,872
P50 (median)	$163,200	$157,991
P75 (upper quartile)	$174,010	$168,456
P90 (top tier)	$183,920	$178,050
Mean	$158,430	$153,373
Employment	510 Pharmacists in Alaska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Alaska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.3
Goods	103.7
Services	113.3
Rents	96.7

Alaska's overall RPP (103.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Alaska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$163,200	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$27,986	17.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$12,485	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$122,729	75.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$118,812	÷ (103.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Alaska state-tax burden means for Pharmacist take-home

Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $8,160 a year for a Pharmacist at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $118,812 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $137,480 for Pharmacists with mean pay of $137,210 and total employment of 328,870. Alaska sits at #2 on nominal pay and #2 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in Alaska?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $163,200 for Pharmacists in Alaska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $146,550 and the 75th-percentile is $174,010.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Pharmacist salary in Alaska?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 103.3 for Alaska), the real-wage equivalent is $157,991 — what the $163,200 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $141,872 to $168,456.
How many Pharmacists does Alaska employ?: BLS OES counts 510 Pharmacists employed in Alaska in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
What are the limits of these Pharmacist salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Alaska?: BLS aggregates pharmacists (29-1051) into one figure. In {state}, retail chain pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, independents) historically led on starting pay but has compressed as chain consolidation and store-closure cycles squeeze hours. Hospital pharmacy in {state} typically pays mid-band with stronger benefits and pension. Clinical and specialty (oncology, infectious disease, ambulatory care) leads at the senior level, especially with PGY-1/PGY-2 residency credentials. Industry (pharma, PBM, managed care) sits at the high end.
PharmD ROI in Alaska — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?: PharmD programs in Alaska typically run $35-60K/year tuition × 4 years plus 4 years of foregone earnings, putting the all-in cost over $200K for many students. With a Alaska pharmacist median in the BLS table above and retail pay compression in 2023-2025, ROI breakeven is now 12-18 years post-graduation in most markets — substantially worse than a decade ago. Hospital and industry tracks payback faster; retail-only careers have a much weaker ROI than the historical baseline.
Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Alaska?: Alaska pharmacist labor markets vary. National PharmD graduate output peaked around 2018 and has stayed above retiree replacement rates, contributing to chain-pharmacy hour cuts and offers below historical BLS norms in saturated metros. Rural Alaska markets remain undersupplied — sign-on bonuses of $20-50K for rural retail or hospital roles are common. Hospital and clinical roles requiring PGY-1/PGY-2 residency are not oversupplied; specialty boards (BCPS, BCOP, BCACP) are still differentiators that push pay above the BLS median.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1051, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Alaska Pharmacist pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.