Retail Pharmacist Jobs Fall 8,200 in 2025 as Hospital Roles Rise 3,000, Pay Averages $140,920
Updated
Updated · drugchannels.net · Jun 23
Retail Pharmacist Jobs Fall 8,200 in 2025 as Hospital Roles Rise 3,000, Pay Averages $140,920
1 articles · Updated · drugchannels.net · Jun 23
Summary
Retail outpatient pharmacies employed 162,000 pharmacists in May 2025, down 8,200 jobs or 4.8% from a year earlier and the lowest level tracked since 2010.
Hospital pharmacist employment rose 3,000 to 102,000, nearly one-third of the 322,000 U.S. pharmacists, as health systems expand in-house specialty pharmacies and absorb work from weakened retail chains.
Nearly half of pharmacists now work outside traditional retail settings, with physician offices still adding jobs while home health shrank for a third straight year.
Average pharmacist pay reached $140,920 in 2025, up 2.7%; retail pharmacists posted the strongest real wage gains as CPI rose 2.4%, while hospital pay averaged $151,000 and physician offices led at $167,000.
The shift reflects prolonged retail margin pressure: the two remaining national drugstore chains have closed nearly 3,000 stores since 2018, pushing employment toward higher-paying clinical settings.