How much does a Pharmacist make in Kansas?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $134,350 for Pharmacists in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $120,810 and the 75th-percentile is $156,230.

How are Kansas 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.

Where does Kansas rank for Pharmacist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Kansas 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 Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $134,350 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $149,431. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Pharmacists comparing offers across regions.

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.

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

PharmD programs in Kansas 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 Kansas 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.

Kansas Pharmacist Salary: BLS $134K Median, Real $149K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Kansas Pharmacist median pay at $134,350. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $149,431.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $53,730 · P25 $120,810 · P75 $156,230 · P90 $170,670.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $15,081.
Nominal: #38/51 · Real: #17/51 — ranking shifts by 21 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Kansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$53,730	$59,761
P25 (lower quartile)	$120,810	$134,371
P50 (median)	$134,350	$149,431
P75 (upper quartile)	$156,230	$173,767
P90 (top tier)	$170,670	$189,827
Mean	$130,770	$145,449
Employment	3,560 Pharmacists in Kansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	96.5
Services	90.8
Rents	68.6

Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$134,350	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,062	15.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$7,001	3.1–5.7% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,278	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$96,009	71.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$106,786	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $96,009 (71.5% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $106,786.

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. Kansas sits at #38 on nominal pay and #17 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 21 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in Kansas?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $134,350 for Pharmacists in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $120,810 and the 75th-percentile is $156,230.
How are Kansas 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.
Where does Kansas rank for Pharmacist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Kansas 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 Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $134,350 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $149,431. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Pharmacists comparing offers across regions.
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.
PharmD ROI in Kansas — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?: PharmD programs in Kansas 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 Kansas 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.

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 Kansas 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.