How are Oregon 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 Oregon?

The 90th percentile lands at $192,810. 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 $179,280.

How many Pharmacists does Oregon employ?

BLS OES counts 3,660 Pharmacists employed in Oregon 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 Oregon rank for Pharmacist pay?

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

No — Oregon's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?

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 Oregon.

Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Oregon?

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.

Oregon Pharmacist Salary 2026 — BLS Median $163K, Real Take-Home $156K

TL;DR

Headline Pharmacist pay in Oregon is $163,120. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $155,631.
Nominal: #3/51 · Real: #4/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
P25-P75 spread runs $141,420 to $179,280; P10 floor $125,880, P90 ceiling $192,810.

Wage breakdown — Oregon

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$125,880	$120,101
P25 (lower quartile)	$141,420	$134,927
P50 (median)	$163,120	$155,631
P75 (upper quartile)	$179,280	$171,049
P90 (top tier)	$192,810	$183,958
Mean	$156,160	$148,991
Employment	3,660 Pharmacists in Oregon

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Oregon index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.8
Goods	104.8
Services	91.0
Rents	109.2

Oregon's overall RPP (104.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$163,120	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$27,967	17.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$14,139	4.75–9.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$12,479	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$108,536	66.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$103,553	÷ (104.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Oregon carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (8.7% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 33.5%, leaving $108,536 pre-RPP and $103,553 after the 104.8 cost-of-living index — a $59,567 gap from the headline gross.

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. Oregon sits at #3 on nominal pay and #4 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Oregon falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Oregon 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 Oregon?: The 90th percentile lands at $192,810. 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 $179,280.
How many Pharmacists does Oregon employ?: BLS OES counts 3,660 Pharmacists employed in Oregon 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 Oregon rank for Pharmacist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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 Oregon a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?: No — Oregon's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?: 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 Oregon.
Retail vs hospital vs clinical pharmacist pay in Oregon?: 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.

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 Oregon 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.