How much does a Pharmacist make in Arizona?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $138,080 for Pharmacists in Arizona as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $132,230 and the 75th-percentile is $157,720.

How are Arizona Pharmacist salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Pharmacist pay scale look like in Arizona?

The 90th percentile lands at $166,710. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $157,720.

How many Pharmacists does Arizona employ?

BLS OES counts 7,690 Pharmacists employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Arizona different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Arizona's overall index of 100.7 reflects rents 108.6, services 83.3, and goods 97.9.

Where does Arizona rank for Pharmacist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Arizona?

P10 to P90 spans $81,120 to $166,710. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

2026 Pharmacist Salary — Arizona ($138K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

BLS reports Arizona Pharmacist median pay at $138,080. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $137,063.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Quartile range $132,230 (bottom 25%) to $157,720 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $81,120 to $166,710.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #41 of 51; nominal rank is #16.

Wage breakdown — Arizona

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$81,120	$80,523
P25 (lower quartile)	$132,230	$131,256
P50 (median)	$138,080	$137,063
P75 (upper quartile)	$157,720	$156,558
P90 (top tier)	$166,710	$165,482
Mean	$136,410	$135,405
Employment	7,690 Pharmacists in Arizona

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arizona index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	100.7
Goods	97.9
Services	83.3
Rents	108.6

Arizona's overall RPP (100.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$138,080	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,957	15.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,058	2.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,563	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$102,501	74.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$101,746	÷ (100.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Arizona's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.2% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the cost-of-living premium (RPP 100.7), which still erodes real take-home despite the low state tax — net real after-tax $101,746.

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. Arizona sits at #16 on nominal pay and #41 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arizona falls 25 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in Arizona?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $138,080 for Pharmacists in Arizona as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $132,230 and the 75th-percentile is $157,720.
How are Arizona Pharmacist salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Pharmacist pay scale look like in Arizona?: The 90th percentile lands at $166,710. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $157,720.
How many Pharmacists does Arizona employ?: BLS OES counts 7,690 Pharmacists employed in Arizona in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Arizona different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Arizona's overall index of 100.7 reflects rents 108.6, services 83.3, and goods 97.9.
Where does Arizona rank for Pharmacist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arizona ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Arizona?: P10 to P90 spans $81,120 to $166,710. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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 Arizona 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.