Insights / Pharmacy pay versus the U.S. median / Washington
Pharmacy pay in Washington
In Washington the wider pharmacy premium is on technicians, and there are more of them than pharmacists.
The pharmacist offer had been localized. The technician posting was still a national midpoint.
Pharmacists in Washington have a median of $160,610 against $140,910 nationally, 1.14 times the country, with 7,350 employed and a 75th percentile of $179,480.
Pharmacy technicians are the larger group, 8,150 jobs, at $58,900 against $45,750 nationally. That is 1.29 times the country, a wider step than the pharmacist step, and the 75th percentile is $67,630. A technician comparing your ad with the pharmacy down the street is using the local median, not the national one.
Ranked table
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. | State employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmacists | $160,610 | $179,480 | $140,910 | 1.14 | 7,350 |
| 2 | Pharmacy Technicians | $58,900 | $67,630 | $45,750 | 1.29 | 8,150 |
| 3 | Pharmacy Aides | $45,110 | $48,830 | $37,680 | 1.20 | 1,990 |
Takeaways
- Pharmacy aides number 1,990 at $45,110, against $37,680 nationally, which is 1.20 times the country.
- The aide 75th percentile is $48,830, close to the aide median. The technician band runs higher.
- Washington is 4 of 48 when sorted on pharmacists, so the technician row is easy to treat as supporting detail.
- Both wage gaps point the same direction. They are not the same size, and the larger occupation has the larger one.
For recruiters
- Read the technician comparison in the same meeting as the pharmacist comparison.
- If the technician ad still shows a national wage, change it before the next refresh.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
Occupations are the fixed set named in the series, kept only when both the Washington median and the U.S. median are published. A 75th percentile or an employment count that is unpublished stays blank in the table. The article is omitted when fewer than 3 occupations qualify. OEWS May 2025. A comparison of 1.00 matches the U.S. median. Sorted by the Pharmacists state median when that occupation qualifies, otherwise by the highest median in the table. Washington is 4 of 48. A row links to the Washington metro page with the highest public market difficulty score for that occupation when one is published, and otherwise to the occupation page on the hiring grid. An unpublished percentile or employment count is shown as unpublished rather than replaced with a zero. The wages are annual OEWS figures. They are not job listings and they are not an employer's current offer. Read the comparison beside the dollar figures: a high state wage can still sit under the national median for that occupation, and a lower state wage can still sit above it. Rounded figures in the prose: $160,610 is stated as about $160.6K. $140,910 is stated as about $140.9K. a comparison of 1.14 is stated as 14 percent. $179,480 is stated as about $179.5K. $45,110 is stated as about $45.1K. a comparison of 1.20 is stated as 20 percent. $37,680 is stated as about $37.7K. Rounded figures in the prose: $58,900 is stated as about $58.9K. a comparison of 1.29 is stated as 29 percent.
Sources
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