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Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 5/7/24
If you’re interested in exploring the opportunities the pharmaceutical industry has to offer, you’re in the right place! Read on to find out more about the high-paying pharmacy jobs.
The pharmaceutical industry has a major global impact on public health, worldwide economies, and the understanding of human biology. Even as the industry shifts to meet technological changes, there will always be a demand for highly skilled technicians to fulfill high-paying jobs. All in all, it’s a strong industry to work for.
You’re probably wondering, “what are the highest paying pharmacist jobs?” or even, “how will technology affect jobs and the pharmaceutical industry’s needs?” given the technological overhaul the industry is experiencing. To answer your questions, we’ve compiled a list of the top-paying pharmacy jobs!
The pharmaceutical industry employs highly educated pharmacists with expertise in medicine. Below you’ll find the industry's highest-paying jobs, from the most skilled physicians to the least intensive pharmacist jobs and financial advisors.
2024 Average Salary: $150,338 per year
Pharmacometricians handle the mathematical aspects of the industry by managing and interpreting data on drugs, diseases, and ongoing trials. Their main goal is to ensure the industry has access to as much information as possible. By conducting experiments and tests, these pharmacists aim to identify and solve quantitative problems in medicine.
Considering these pharmacists ensure everything about new medicines functions perfectly, the high salary and bright career outlook are warranted.
2024 Average Salary: $132,580 per year
Like Chief Pharmacists, Pharmacist Managers act as lead pharmacists, focusing more on the business side, while also ensuring the drug’s proper storage and care. Pharmacist Managers are often business owners rather than employees of larger organizations like hospitals, and they interact with customers more frequently.
2024 Average Salary: $128,423 per year
The Pharmaceutical Physician role marries a doctor's expertise and skill with a pharmacist's knowledge. These physicians work in every sector of the pharmaceutical industry to help with marketing, regulation, research, and advising for major companies. Pharmaceutical Physicians make up the backbone of industry knowledge.
2024 Average Salary: $134,299 per year
Hospital Pharmacists work with doctors and nurses to analyze patient charts and data in order to determine the most appropriate medications to administer.
In addition to providing medical evaluations, these pharmacists may also help monitor patients and recommend adjustments to medications as needed. Their unique role in patient care places them in the healthcare industry.
2024 Average Salary: $125,881 per year
If you’re more interested in chemistry, becoming a Clinical Pharmacologist may be best for you! In this role, pharmacists perform research at the molecular level to discover and synthesize them in a lab setting. This specialization is extremely scientific, requiring knowledge of everything from biochem to statistics.
2024 Average Salary: $112,724 per year
Chief Pharmacists oversees the day-to-day operations of a hospital or standalone pharmacy. In addition to training other pharmacists on policy changes and general knowledge, they also delegate work, help make decisions, and perform other pharmacy duties as needed. To qualify, Chief Pharmacists need to have extensive experience.
2024 Average Salary: $77,136 per year
Pharmacy Consultants use their expertise to advise companies on creating policy and drug guidelines, selecting technology, and more. Sometimes they may advise a patient on what prescriptions they need. Their main role is to stay updated on medical studies and technology to make informed recommendations.
2024 Average Salary: $150,338 per year
Pharmacy Informaticists manage the software and databases that pharmacists use as a part of their duties. Their role ensures that the flow of information is clear and reduces the risk of errors. While they focus on improving and adapting IT systems, informaticists also need pharmacists' knowledge to delegate tasks.
2024 Average Salary: $152,308 per year
As the standard pharmacist role, a Registered Pharmacist has all the necessary certifications and degrees. These Pharmacists take prescriptions from external sources and fill them for patients, ensuring they have the proper amount of pills, in the correct amount, with the proper instructions.
2024 Average Salary: $93,772 per year
As the name suggests, Pharmaceutical Financial Analysts provide financial guidance and economic expertise to the pharmaceutical industry. By monitoring drug market trends, these analysts help companies to increase their stock value and maintain consumer confidence in a particular drug brand.
2024 Average Salary: $152,482 per year
The next step up from the molecular level is cellular, and that’s where Pharmacologists come into play. In this specialty, Pharmacologists conduct drug experiments at various stages of development, from individual cells to whole organisms. This lab-centered role focuses on discovering a drug's effect, and eventual use, rather than how and where.
2024 Average Salary: $76,073 per year
Instead of working with consumers, Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives pitch new medications to doctors and companies as their clients. While you don’t need to become a pharmacist is not a requirement for this career, it can be highly advantageous!
2024 Average Salary: $139,595 per year
A biostatistician uses their deep understanding of numbers and data to study how we make and use medicines and medical tools. They might suggest experiments using animals or people, depending on the study's risk. They work with other scientists to create better ways to give out drugs and to make new medicines to help with health problems.
2024 Average Salary: $119,755 per year
A community pharmacist works at a store or health facility where people go to get medicine. They talk to customers, fill prescriptions from doctors, and give advice on how to stay healthy. They also answer phone calls and let customers know when their medicine is ready.
2024 Average Salary: $119,755 per year
A nuclear pharmacist gives patients radioactive medicine to find or treat illnesses. They get, make, and mix the medicine as needed. They also ensure it's safely given out and thrown away to protect everyone from radiation.
2024 Average Salary: $126,514 per year
An outpatient pharmacist gives prescriptions to people who don't stay in hospitals. They also talk to patients about how to take their medicine correctly and might get to know regular customers who need refills for long-term health issues.
2024 Average Salary: $134,299 per year
An inpatient pharmacist helps people who are in the hospital. They work with doctors to explain treatments to patients. They might focus on one area of medicine, like internal medicine.
2024 Average Salary: $118,868 per year
A float pharmacist steps in when regular pharmacists are away. They might work at different stores in one area. They learn each store's way of doing things so they can keep things running smoothly.
2024 Average Salary: $125,569 per year
A psychiatric pharmacist knows much about pharmacy and mental health. They usually work in places for mental health care. They give out medicine to people with mental illnesses like bipolar disorder or PTSD. They also help people dealing with withdrawal from drugs.
2024 Average Salary: $125,901 per year
An ambulatory care pharmacist is like an outpatient pharmacist. They work in places like doctors' offices. They give out medicine to treat ongoing health issues like high blood pressure or diabetes. They check if the medicines are safe, teach patients about side effects, and see if they work well.
2024 Average Salary: $138,767 per year
A compounding pharmacist is trained to put drugs into different forms. They might mix drugs into suppositories, gels, or creams. They use special tools to keep everything clean. They can make products you put on your skin or products injected into your body.
2024 Average Salary: $199,345 per year
A pharmacy director or manager runs everything in the pharmacy. They help prepare medicines and order more when needed. They make rules for the staff and work with other medical staff in the building.
In the US, pharmacists typically make about $119,025 a year or $57.22 an hour on average. New pharmacists usually start at around $104,822 a year, while those with lots of experience can make up to $200,000 a year.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacists make an average wage of $129,410 annually. The high wage potential for this career heavily skews this number. The low-end or starting salary for pharmacists is around $79,950, which is a great starting point for any career.
In California, pharmacists make the most, around $151,280. Alaska comes in second with $146,400, followed by Oregon with $141,440. You should note that the amount you make will depend on what field of pharmacy you decide to work in.
Yes, pharmacists generally make good money. They often earn salaries that are higher than average in many places. However, the exact amount can depend on factors like experience, location, and the type of pharmacy they work in. Overall, it's considered a well-paying profession.
Below you’ll find common questions about the high paying jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.
The highest-paid pharmacist job specialties fall into the Chief Pharmacist role, making $190,000 on average. This job has highly demanding skill sets, requiring not only an extensive education in pharmaceuticals, but also in how to manage people and the pharmacy itself. The Chief Pharmacist is in charge of training fellow pharmacists, delegating tasks, and ensuring their pharmacy runs smoothly.
The lowest-paid pharmaceutical jobs fall into the Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, which on average makes $86,000 annually. These pharmaceutical industry jobs use drug information from major companies to promote and sell their brands to doctors, who then make recommendations for patient prescriptions.
Pharmacist jobs see the most demand in the states with the highest populations, like California, New York, Florida, and Texas.
The pharmaceutical industry has a bright future for the next ten years, expecting to see a great deal of growth as better and better drug products become a major draw to their markets. Pharmacists should expect to see more technology and potentially AI integrated into their work to complement consultations and automate tasks.
To become a pharmacist, you will need extensive education, as working with, recommending, and dispensing drugs to the correct person takes skill to do correctly. The level of critical thinking and the need for the right drugs without a chance for a mistake warrants the high pay. Some people need the right prescription to live properly.
If you’re looking for a solid career in healthcare, nursing is another great option. Some of the highest-paying nursing jobs include Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners with their own practice and Intensive Care Nurses.
To become any of these pharmacists and become one of the highest-paying specialties on our list, you start by taking on your four-year bachelor's program with a pre-pharmacy track before taking the PCAT. With a strong score, you’ll earn acceptance to a pharmacist program before jumping into another doctoral-level, four-year degree.
If you don’t see yourself as a physician, but still want to join the medical field and make a reasonable living, you should consider becoming a pharmacist. If you’re good with math and science, especially biochemistry, any of the various pharmaceutical jobs could become your end goal. If you can manage the education requirement, you’ll soar!
You can’t go wrong with any of these highest-paying pharmacy jobs.
Good luck!
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