How much does a Pharmacist make in Arkansas?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $134,230 for Pharmacists in Arkansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,410 and the 75th-percentile is $148,490.

How many Pharmacists does Arkansas employ?

BLS OES counts 3,100 Pharmacists employed in Arkansas in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Arkansas rank for Pharmacist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas 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.

Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $134,230 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $154,625. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Pharmacists comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Arkansas?

Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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.

How Much Do Pharmacists Make in Arkansas? $134K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Arkansas Pharmacist median pay at $134,230. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $154,625.
Bottom quartile $127,410, top quartile $148,490. The P90 ($159,980) is roughly 1.6× the P10 ($101,140).
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $20,395 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #5 of 51; nominal rank is #39.

Wage breakdown — Arkansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$101,140	$116,507
P25 (lower quartile)	$127,410	$146,769
P50 (median)	$134,230	$154,625
P75 (upper quartile)	$148,490	$171,052
P90 (top tier)	$159,980	$184,288
Mean	$132,090	$152,160
Employment	3,100 Pharmacists in Arkansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arkansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	93.1
Services	81.9
Rents	56.7

Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$134,230	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,033	15.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,736	0–3.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,269	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$98,193	73.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$113,112	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $98,193 (73.2% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $113,112.

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. Arkansas sits at #39 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 34 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in Arkansas?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $134,230 for Pharmacists in Arkansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,410 and the 75th-percentile is $148,490.
How many Pharmacists does Arkansas employ?: BLS OES counts 3,100 Pharmacists employed in Arkansas in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Arkansas rank for Pharmacist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas 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.
Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $134,230 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $154,625. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Pharmacists comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Arkansas?: Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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.