Pharmacist.
Philadelphia.
$150,000
median salary, 14% above the national average
$134,000 to $172,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Philadelphia is 9% more expensive than the national average. For Pharmacists, that shakes out to a median of $150,000, with the full range spanning $134,000 to $172,000. Practice setting creates the widest salary spread, with hospital and specialty pharmacy paying above retail. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Pharmacist in Philadelphia, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $148,740 for Pharmacists (SOC 29-1051) in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area, based on 6,460 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$119,840
25th percentile
$133,390
Median
$148,740
75th percentile
$158,840
90th percentile
$167,270
Workers surveyed
6,460
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Pharmacists (SOC 29-1051) rather than Pharmacist specifically. The Philadelphia range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $135,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$98,000
to $120,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$128,000
to $158,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$165,000
to $195,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$188,000
to $233,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $40,000 to the total package.
Base
$150,000
Equity
$23,000
Bonus
$14,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $190,000
How Philadelphia compares.
Philadelphia, PA
$150,000
Cost of living: 9% above average
National Average
$132,000
Philadelphia is $18,000 above
Pharmacist salary by city.
Salary by role in Philadelphia.
What you should know.
The Pharmacist landscape in Philadelphia is not what most salary sites will tell you. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. Tech growth has accelerated, particularly in health tech and enterprise software, offering salaries that stretch further than in nearby New York. Practice setting creates the widest salary spread, with hospital and specialty pharmacy paying above retail. Board certifications in oncology, critical care, or ambulatory care add 5 to 10% premiums. States with pharmacist provider status and areas with workforce shortages consistently offer higher base salaries to attract talent.
Staff pharmacists start at $115,000 to $125,000 in most settings. Clinical specialists with board certification earn $135,000 to $155,000 after gaining experience. Pharmacy directors and chief pharmacy officers can reach $160,000 to $220,000 in health system leadership roles. In Philadelphia, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Pharmacists receive comprehensive benefits, often including loan repayment assistance of $5,000 to $20,000 annually. Retail pharmacists may earn performance bonuses, while hospital pharmacists receive shift differentials and clinical ladder advancement pay. And on the tax side: pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When someone quotes you $150,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income. The range for Pharmacists in Philadelphia runs from $134,000 to $172,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Pharmacist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Philadelphia.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Pharmacist Salary in Philadelphia, PA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/pharmacist/philadelphia
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