SALARY · PHARMACISTS · CALIFORNIA

Pharmacists salary in California

Salary talk gets noisy fast, so I try to keep it plain. In California, pharmacists earned a median of $164,610 a year. From there, this page walks through the range, the hourly rate, how many people do the job here, and what stays in your pocket after federal tax and FICA.

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY

$164,610

$79 per hour at the median · That is $23,700 (16.8 percent) above the national median of $140,910 for this occupation.

$162,340Mean annual salary
$78Mean hourly wage
$34,030People employed in this job in California

Salary range

25th: $138,360Median: $164,61075th: $197,860
MeasureAnnual
25th percentile$138,360
Median (50th percentile)$164,610
75th percentile$197,860
Mean$162,340

The middle half of workers earned from $138,360 to $197,860 a year. Employment size matters too. A field with many workers in a state usually means more openings and more room to move employers without moving states. A small field can pay well but offer fewer ways in.

What stays in your pocket on the median salary

ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME PAY

$112,857 a year
$9,405 a month
Federal tax $28,240 · FICA $12,593 · State tax $10,920
Read this before you use the take-home figure. It is a single-filer estimate using the 2026 standard deduction. It leaves out credits, other deductions, local taxes, and retirement or health deductions. Your actual paycheck can differ, and for states without a verified 2026 table in this build, state tax is still to be added once its table is verified.

Same job, other states

Other jobs in California

Try your own salary in the paycheck calculator