How much does a Pharmacist make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $136,000 for Pharmacists in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,340 and the 75th-percentile is $154,330.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $165,980. 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 $154,330.

Why is the BEA RPP for North Carolina 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. North Carolina's overall index of 94.4 reflects rents 80.8, services 83.6, and goods 96.8.

Is North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $136,000 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $144,069. 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 North Carolina?

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 North Carolina.

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 North Carolina?

North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina? $136K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Median Pharmacist salary in North Carolina: $136,000 nominal, $144,069 real (BEA RPP basis).
P25-P75 spread runs $127,340 to $154,330; P10 floor $93,330, P90 ceiling $165,980.
Low BEA RPP (94.4) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $8,069.
Nominal: #28/51 · Real: #29/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$93,330	$98,868
P25 (lower quartile)	$127,340	$134,895
P50 (median)	$136,000	$144,069
P75 (upper quartile)	$154,330	$163,487
P90 (top tier)	$165,980	$175,828
Mean	$134,030	$141,982
Employment	11,440 Pharmacists in North Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	94.4
Goods	96.8
Services	83.6
Rents	80.8

North Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 94.4), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.8.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$136,000	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,458	15.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,238	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,404	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$98,900	72.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$104,768	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina 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 $98,900 (72.7% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $104,768.

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. North Carolina sits at #28 on nominal pay and #29 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $136,000 for Pharmacists in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,340 and the 75th-percentile is $154,330.
What does the top of the Pharmacist pay scale look like in North Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $165,980. 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 $154,330.
Why is the BEA RPP for North Carolina 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. North Carolina's overall index of 94.4 reflects rents 80.8, services 83.6, and goods 96.8.
Is North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $136,000 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $144,069. 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 North Carolina?: 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 North Carolina.
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 North Carolina?: North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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.