Find a Job You Really Want In
Pharmacists are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as pharmacists in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since pharmacists are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where pharmacists have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for pharmacists.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s pharmacists:
So there you have it — Pharmacists is the best of the best when it comes to being a pharmacist.
How did Pharmacists end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for pharmacists and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- These Are The 10 Best Cities For Pharmacists
- 5 Best Startups to Work For in Little Rock
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Arkansas
How we determined the best states to be a pharmacist
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for pharmacists in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well pharmacists get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for pharmacists in California is $139,690 and the average salary in Illinois is $125,360, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for pharmacists in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for pharmacists.
1. Arkansas
Total Jobs: 3,270
Average Annual Salary: $118,320
Average Entry Level Salary: $83,590
Average Experienced Salary: $157,750
Location Quotient: 1.26
2. Missouri
Total Jobs: 6,180
Average Annual Salary: $128,420
Average Entry Level Salary: $107,040
Average Experienced Salary: $160,590
Location Quotient: 1.03
3. Kentucky
Total Jobs: 5,010
Average Annual Salary: $122,450
Average Entry Level Salary: $89,430
Average Experienced Salary: $160,360
Location Quotient: 1.24
4. Tennessee
Total Jobs: 7,330
Average Annual Salary: $124,310
Average Entry Level Salary: $86,290
Average Experienced Salary: $161,410
Location Quotient: 1.16
5. Mississippi
Total Jobs: 2,280
Average Annual Salary: $124,120
Average Entry Level Salary: $98,110
Average Experienced Salary: $160,080
Location Quotient: 0.95
6. Alabama
Total Jobs: 4,880
Average Annual Salary: $122,200
Average Entry Level Salary: $85,610
Average Experienced Salary: $158,820
Location Quotient: 1.17
7. Nebraska
Total Jobs: 2,550
Average Annual Salary: $119,670
Average Entry Level Salary: $93,020
Average Experienced Salary: $154,410
Location Quotient: 1.22
8. Texas
Total Jobs: 21,250
Average Annual Salary: $126,800
Average Entry Level Salary: $93,400
Average Experienced Salary: $161,560
Location Quotient: 0.82
9. Kansas
Total Jobs: 2,990
Average Annual Salary: $121,790
Average Entry Level Salary: $84,680
Average Experienced Salary: $159,600
Location Quotient: 1.02
10. Michigan
Total Jobs: 9,140
Average Annual Salary: $117,680
Average Entry Level Salary: $87,780
Average Experienced Salary: $155,020
Location Quotient: 0.99
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Pharmacist
If you’re looking to start out your career as a pharmacist these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a pharmacist in America:
For more reading, check out:
- These Are The 100 Largest Companies In Arkansas
- These Are The 10 Highest Pharmacist Salaries By State
Detailed List Of The Best States For pharmacists
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | $118,320 |
| 2 | Missouri | $128,420 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $122,450 |
| 4 | Tennessee | $124,310 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $124,120 |
| 6 | Alabama | $122,200 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $119,670 |
| 8 | Texas | $126,800 |
| 9 | Kansas | $121,790 |
| 10 | Michigan | $117,680 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $132,400 |
| 12 | Idaho | $121,940 |
| 13 | Arizona | $125,210 |
| 14 | Georgia | $118,710 |
| 15 | Illinois | $125,360 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $123,370 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $129,080 |
| 18 | Delaware | $125,400 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $115,000 |
| 20 | Iowa | $116,160 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $115,130 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $117,700 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $122,900 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $119,380 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $125,450 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $116,410 |
| 27 | Florida | $119,710 |
| 28 | Indiana | $117,260 |
| 29 | Ohio | $116,720 |
| 30 | Montana | $112,290 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $116,200 |
| 32 | Maine | $133,050 |
| 33 | Oregon | $130,480 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $120,890 |
| 35 | Washington | $127,360 |
| 36 | Nevada | $124,430 |
| 37 | Utah | $117,570 |
| 38 | Virginia | $123,920 |
| 39 | Vermont | $135,420 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $103,250 |
| 41 | Colorado | $120,980 |
| 42 | New Jersey | $120,660 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $121,780 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $127,350 |
| 45 | Maryland | $121,210 |
| 46 | Massachusetts | $116,890 |
| 47 | California | $139,690 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $123,950 |
| 49 | Alaska | $139,880 |
| 50 | New York | $121,030 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
