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The number of pharmacists in the Philadelphia area is growing — and so is their pay

See how the number of working pharmacists, and their average pay, differs across the metro areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

The Philadelphia region has more pharmacists than all but three metro areas in the country, based on 2023 employment estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Philadelphia region has more pharmacists than all but three metro areas in the country, based on 2023 employment estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

The number of pharmacists in the Philadelphia metro area increased by 10% in 2023 from the prior year, according to data published last month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Philly region employed 7,760 pharmacists last year, ranking fourth in the nation behind the New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago metro areas.

But in pay, Philadelphia ranks 149th among metro areas. Pharmacists in the Philadelphia area on average earned $133,680, a 3% increase from 2022.

Leading the nation are several metro areas in California — including Napa ($182,380), San Francisco ($179,500), and San Jose ($178,920). But pharmacists in the Philadelphia area were also paid less than those in Portland, Ore. ($153,300); Charlottesville, Va. ($145,050); and Phoenix, Ariz. $(134,200).

In the three states around Philadelphia, the areas with the highest average annual salaries for pharmacists were Chambersburg-Waynesboro, Pa. ($139,530); Williamsport, Pa. ($136,710); Dover, Del. ($135,300); and Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa. ($134,680).

Pharmacists in the Philly area were paid more on average than those in the second-largest market for a region that spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware — Pittsburgh’s 3,070 pharmacists earned on average $125,830.