How much does a Pharmacist make in Colorado?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $151,680 for Pharmacists in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $134,490 and the 75th-percentile is $164,860.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.9 for Colorado), the real-wage equivalent is $148,916 — what the $151,680 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $132,039 to $161,856.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $181,560. 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 $164,860.

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.

Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Colorado?

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 Colorado — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?

PharmD programs in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado?

Colorado 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 Colorado 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.

Pharmacist Salary in Colorado (2026): $152K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

$151,680 is the BLS median wage for Pharmacists in Colorado; $148,916 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
P25-P75 spread runs $134,490 to $164,860; P10 floor $108,030, P90 ceiling $181,560.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #20 of 51; nominal rank is #6.

Wage breakdown — Colorado

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$108,030	$106,061
P25 (lower quartile)	$134,490	$132,039
P50 (median)	$151,680	$148,916
P75 (upper quartile)	$164,860	$161,856
P90 (top tier)	$181,560	$178,252
Mean	$145,690	$143,035
Employment	5,130 Pharmacists in Colorado

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Colorado index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.9
Goods	99.2
Services	86.8
Rents	130.5

Colorado's overall RPP (101.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$151,680	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$25,221	16.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,981	4.4% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$11,604	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$108,874	71.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$106,890	÷ (101.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $108,874 (71.8% of gross). After the 101.9 RPP, real take-home is $106,890.

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. Colorado sits at #6 on nominal pay and #20 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Colorado falls 14 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in Colorado?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $151,680 for Pharmacists in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $134,490 and the 75th-percentile is $164,860.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Pharmacist salary in Colorado?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.9 for Colorado), the real-wage equivalent is $148,916 — what the $151,680 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $132,039 to $161,856.
What does the top of the Pharmacist pay scale look like in Colorado?: The 90th percentile lands at $181,560. 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 $164,860.
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.
Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Colorado?: 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 Colorado — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?: PharmD programs in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado?: Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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.