How much does a Pharmacist make in South Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,900 for Pharmacists in South Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,350 and the 75th-percentile is $154,520.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $145,383 — what the $135,900 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $136,237 to $165,303.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $165,520. 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 $154,520.

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.

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 South Carolina?

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

PharmD programs in South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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.

South Carolina Pharmacist Salary: BLS $136K Median, Real $145K (2026)

TL;DR

Pharmacists in South Carolina earn a BLS median of $135,900, with real take-home of $145,383 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Pharmacist ranking: #29 on the BLS table, #26 once cost of living is in.
Low BEA RPP (93.5) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $9,483.
Quartile range $127,350 (bottom 25%) to $154,520 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $89,910 to $165,520.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$89,910	$96,184
P25 (lower quartile)	$127,350	$136,237
P50 (median)	$135,900	$145,383
P75 (upper quartile)	$154,520	$165,303
P90 (top tier)	$165,520	$177,070
Mean	$135,720	$145,191
Employment	5,920 Pharmacists in South Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	South Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.5
Goods	95.9
Services	85.8
Rents	80.5

South Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.5), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.5.

After-tax take-home — South 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)	$135,900	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,434	15.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$6,862	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,396	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$97,207	71.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$103,991	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the South Carolina state-tax burden means for Pharmacist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $97,207 (71.5% of gross). After the 93.5 RPP, real take-home is $103,991.

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. South Carolina sits at #29 on nominal pay and #26 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Carolina climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Pharmacist make in South Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,900 for Pharmacists in South Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $127,350 and the 75th-percentile is $154,520.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Pharmacist salary in South Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $145,383 — what the $135,900 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $136,237 to $165,303.
What does the top of the Pharmacist pay scale look like in South Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $165,520. 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 $154,520.
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.
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 South Carolina?: 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 South Carolina — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?: PharmD programs in South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South 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.