How many Pharmacists does Pennsylvania employ?

BLS OES counts 15,120 Pharmacists employed in Pennsylvania in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.

How wide is the wage spread in Pennsylvania?

P10 to P90 spans $104,380 to $161,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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

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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Pennsylvania?

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 Pennsylvania.

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.

Pharmacist Pay in Pennsylvania: $136K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$135,830 is the BLS median wage for Pharmacists in Pennsylvania; $139,456 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #36 of 51; nominal rank is #31.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Wage envelope: $104,380 (P10) to $161,760 (P90), with quartiles at $126,620 and $152,230.

Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$104,380	$107,166
P25 (lower quartile)	$126,620	$130,000
P50 (median)	$135,830	$139,456
P75 (upper quartile)	$152,230	$156,294
P90 (top tier)	$161,760	$166,078
Mean	$133,720	$137,290
Employment	15,120 Pharmacists in Pennsylvania

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Pennsylvania index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.4
Goods	98.4
Services	118.3
Rents	85.8

Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$135,830	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,417	15.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,170	3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,391	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$99,852	73.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$102,517	÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $99,852 (73.5% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $102,517. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $4,754/year if PHL-based.

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. Pennsylvania sits at #31 on nominal pay and #36 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Pharmacists does Pennsylvania employ?: BLS OES counts 15,120 Pharmacists employed in Pennsylvania in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.
How wide is the wage spread in Pennsylvania?: P10 to P90 spans $104,380 to $161,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Pennsylvania a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Pharmacists?: No — Pennsylvania's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Pennsylvania?: 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 Pennsylvania.
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.

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 Pennsylvania 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.