Facts

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 average for the country's pharmacist salaries was reported as $106,630 per year. Salaries for pharmacists in California compared favorably to the national wage, as the state's annual mean wage in 2009 was $121,200, $14,570 per year higher.
  
  

Ranges

• Not all of California's 23,060 pharmacists (as of May 2009) earned above the national rate. Pharmacists in the bottom 10th percentile earned an annual wage of $91,770, which is still significantly closer to the nation's 50th percentile average. Those in the 90th percentile earned salaries that averaged $142,450 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• Prospective pharmacists hoping to earn a salary in their field take a specialized path of education and training leading to a four-year postsecondary Pharm.D. degree from one of the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, including eight schools in California, such as Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy, Touro University California College of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy and the Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy. Pharmacists must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam along with other licensing exams and credentials.
  
  

Outlook

• Those interested in attaining pharmacist salaries will find an optimistic outlook for the field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 17 percent growth rate and addition of 45,900 jobs across the country through 2018, due in part to the aging population, scientific advances in medication and demand for mail-order pharmacies.