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Pharmacists salary in Seattle, WA

Median pay for pharmacists in Seattle, WA: $157,400/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $115,140 – $179,220 · about 6,380 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($135,000) by +$22,400 (+17%).

What it's really worth in Seattle

With Seattle's cost of living at 113 (US=100), that $157,400 has the buying power of about $139,624 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $107,206 · median home $750,279 · median rent $2,232/mo.

Full Seattle cost of living & taxes →

How Seattle ranks for this job

On raw pay, Seattle, WA is 15th of the 187 metros we hold pharmacists wages for. Once Seattle's cost of living is applied, it ranks 132nd.

The headline number flatters Seattle. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, pharmacists here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Seattle

A median home in Seattle, WA costs $750,279 — about 4.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,232/mo works out at 17% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where pharmacists earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Seattle.

MetroMedian payvs SeattleRent vs Seattle
San Jose, CA $190,570 +21% 1.6×
San Francisco, CA $180,420 +15% 1.5×
Vallejo, CA $179,210 +14% 1.1×
Santa Rosa, CA $170,100 +8% 1.2×

Same job elsewhere in WA

MetroMedian payvs SeattleRent vs Seattle
Bremerton, WA $149,650 −5% 0.9×
Kennewick, WA $147,530 −6% 0.8×
Olympia, WA $144,100 −8% 0.9×
Spokane, WA $143,820 −9% 0.7×

Staying in WA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Seattle

Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.