How are Wisconsin 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.

Where does Wisconsin rank for Pharmacist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?

P10 to P90 spans $105,500 to $174,730. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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 Wisconsin?

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

PharmD programs in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.

Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin? $140K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Wisconsin pays Pharmacists a BLS median of $140,410 — the more useful number is $150,622, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $10,212.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $105,500 · P25 $127,800 · P75 $165,200 · P90 $174,730.
Nominal: #11/51 · Real: #11/51 — ranking shifts by 0 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$105,500	$113,173
P25 (lower quartile)	$127,800	$137,095
P50 (median)	$140,410	$150,622
P75 (upper quartile)	$165,200	$177,215
P90 (top tier)	$174,730	$187,438
Mean	$141,090	$151,352
Employment	4,940 Pharmacists in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Pharmacist)	$140,410	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$22,516	16.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$6,354	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,741	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$100,798	71.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$108,130	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $100,798 (71.8% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $108,130.

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. Wisconsin sits at #11 on nominal pay and #11 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How are Wisconsin 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.
Where does Wisconsin rank for Pharmacist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?: P10 to P90 spans $105,500 to $174,730. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
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 Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin — does the salary justify $150-220K of tuition?: PharmD programs in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.
Is the pharmacist labor market oversupplied in Wisconsin?: Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.