Pharmacy Professional salaries: $23.00/hr median.
Pharmacy professionals manage medication therapy and ensure safe medication use across inpatient, outpatient, and retail care.
Showing 7 titles (7 with pay data) across 4 tracks and 51 states. Latest data as of October 22, 2026.
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| Role | Category · Track | Median /hr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technician | Pharmacy Professional · Technicians | $20.50 | $19.00–$23.00 | 22,489 |
| Pharmacist | Pharmacy Professional · Pharmacists | $68.00 | $66.50–$71.00 | 11,713 |
| Hospital Pharmacist | Pharmacy Professional · Pharmacists | $82.65 | $75.63–$89.94 | 463 |
| Oncology Pharmacist | Pharmacy Professional · Clinical | $78.39 | $74.66–$81.74 | 14 |
| IV Compounding Pharmacy Technician | Pharmacy Professional · Clinical | $53.98 | $26.11–$77.02 | 6 |
| Specialty Pharmacy Technician | Pharmacy Professional · Clinical | $27.50 | $25.00–$30.00 | 2 |
Pharmacy Professional pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 51 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
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How to become a Pharmacy Professional.
Pharmacy professionals dispense medications, counsel patients, and manage drug therapy across hospital, retail, ambulatory, and specialty settings. The category spans two very different paths: pharmacists (PharmD doctorate plus licensure) and pharmacy technicians (certificate or short program plus state registration). Both work side by side under the same scope umbrella but on different pay and training ladders.
Pharmacist path: bachelor's prerequisites (2-3 years) → 4-year PharmD → NAPLEX + MPJE → state license. Hospital and clinical roles add a 1-2 year residency. Technician path: HS diploma → certificate or on-the-job training → PTCE/ExCPT exam → state registration. Most states require both pharmacists and technicians to be registered or licensed before dispensing.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of PharmacyPharmD | 4 years post-prerequisites (typically 6 years total) | Required for pharmacist licensure. Includes didactic plus advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in hospital, community, and ambulatory care. |
| Pharmacy ResidencyPGY-1 / PGY-2 | 1-2 years post-PharmD | PGY-1 covers general clinical pharmacy. PGY-2 is sub-specialty (ICU, oncology, infectious disease, pediatrics, etc.). Required for most hospital and clinical pharmacist roles. |
| Pharmacy technician certificateCert | 6 months - 2 years | Short certificate or AAS program leading to PTCE/ExCPT certification. Sufficient for most retail and inpatient technician roles. |
State-issued license required to practice as a pharmacist. Eligibility requires graduation from an ACPE-accredited PharmD program plus passing NAPLEX and the state's MPJE.
Required in most states. Eligibility typically requires PTCB or NHA certification plus a background check. A small number of states still allow on-the-job training without certification.
Required to administer vaccines under pharmacist scope. Standard for retail pharmacy roles today.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| BCPS Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist The broadest specialty board certification for clinical pharmacists. Demonstrates competence across acute and ambulatory pharmacotherapy. | BPS | +5-15% |
| BCOP / BCCCP / BCIDP / BCPP Oncology / Critical Care / Infectious Diseases / Psychiatric Pharmacy Sub-specialty boards. Typically pursued after PGY-2 in matching specialty. | BPS | +5-15% |
| CSPT / CPhT-Adv Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician / Advanced CPhT Advanced technician credentials for sterile compounding, hazardous drugs, billing/reimbursement, or medication therapy management. | PTCB | +5-10% |
- 0-3 yearsPharmacy technician
Entry point. Dispensing, inventory, insurance processing, and (with training) sterile compounding. Many techs use this as a stepping stone into pharmacy school.
- 0-1 years post-licensePharmD intern / new-grad pharmacist
Newly licensed pharmacist or PGY-1 resident. Building speed in dispensing and clinical review under preceptor oversight.
- 1-5 yearsStaff or clinical pharmacist
Independent practice in hospital, retail, ambulatory, or specialty pharmacy. Many add BCPS or sub-specialty board certification.
- 5-10 yearsLead / specialty pharmacist
Service-line leadership: anticoagulation, ID stewardship, oncology, transplant, pediatrics. Often holds a sub-specialty board credential.
- 10+ yearsPharmacy manager / Director of Pharmacy
Owns operations, budget, formulary, and staffing for a department or store. Director-level roles typically require an MS or MBA in addition to PharmD.
Schedule. Retail pharmacy is open 7 days a week including evenings. Hospitals run 24/7 — inpatient pharmacy includes overnight and weekend coverage. Ambulatory and specialty pharmacy generally run business hours.
Physical demands. Mostly on your feet in retail; mixed sitting and standing in hospital. Sterile compounding requires PPE and isolator-hood work. Cognitive precision matters more than physical exertion in this category.
Pharmacist job growth has moderated as retail consolidates and PharmD graduate volume catches up to demand. Hospital, clinical, ambulatory care, and specialty pharmacy still grow above average. Pharmacy technician demand is solid and likely to keep rising as scope expands (vaccinations, MTM, point-of-care testing).