Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 04/13/23
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.
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.
As another of the highest-paying pharmacist jobs, Pharmacometricians make above $150,000 on average, but can make as high as $180,000 working in major cities with demand for them. Considering these pharmacists ensure everything about new medicines functions perfectly, the high salary and bright career outlook are warranted.
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.
The average annual salary for a Pharmacist Manager is around $148,000. This position warrants a high salary given their ownership of the business and the major stake they play in the day-to-day operations. As long as individual pharmacies continue to perform well, the outlook for the Pharmacist Managers will gradually improve.
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.
The average salary for Pharmaceutical Physicians in the United States is $128,423, making them among the highest-paying pharmacy jobs. However, their salary can go much higher, upwards of $150,000, depending on the importance of their role at a major company or hospital. Pharmaceutical Physicians have a very bright career outlook.
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.
The average annual pay of a Hospital Pharmacist is about $125,000. Hospital Pharmacists have a bright career outlook, seeing the most demand and pay for their services in major cities.
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.
Clinical Pharmacologists make an annual salary of about $125,000 on average. Like other jobs on this list, the high end of the pay scale can earn a skilled and experienced Clinical Pharmacologist well over $200,000. The education needed to pursue this specialty keeps their job outlook at a growth rate that is slower-than-average.
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.
Chief Pharmacists make around $120,000 on average annually, but can always earn much more through experience. Most Chief Pharmacists work their way into the position, starting as lower-level pharmacists before advancing through experience and seniority. Chief Pharmacists work in various settings but have slower job market growth.
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.
The average pay for a Pharmacy Consultant is $120,000, but they can make much more, enabling them to easily rank among the highest-paying pharmacy jobs. With a job outlook that’s bright enough to meet the demands of the industry, many of these professionals start in other specialties before becoming consultants.
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.
Pharmacy informaticists make an average annual salary of $118,000. If you’re looking for a pharmacist job and also have some knowledge or interest in technology, consider pursuing this role. As tech becomes more integrated into pharmaceuticals, expect to see more demand than average for this job’s outlook.
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.
The average annual pay for a Registered Pharmacist is $116,000 in the United States. However, their pay ranges change depending on their experience level and where they live. While the pharmaceutical industry is strong, the job growth rate for pharmacists is slower than average, likely because of the high level of required education.
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.
As a Pharmaceutical Financial Analyst, expect an average annual salary of $90,000, with potential earnings as high as $145,000. The demand for these professionals heavily relies on the success of the pharmaceutical industry, as they closely monitor the economy.
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.
The average annual pay of a Pharmacologist is about $86,000. These professionals are focused on scientific research in a laboratory setting, which sets them apart from other specializations on this list. They typically do not work in industry-related roles, which are responsible for funding the higher-paying pharmacy jobs.
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!
The average annual salary of a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative is $86,000, but the pay range can go upwards of $120,000 based on experience and skill, placing it among the highest-paying pharmacy jobs.
Below you’ll find common questions about the high paying jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.
The highest-paid pharmacist job specialties fall into the Pharmacometrician role, making $150,000 on average. This job has highly demanding skill sets, requiring large amounts of education in statistics and science, however they end up making a lot of money for their job as a consequence.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacists make an average wage of $125,690 annually. The high wage potential for this career heavily skews this number. The low-end or starting salary for pharmacists is around $76,840, which is a great starting point for any career.
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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