So where are the pharmacy hotspots?

[WVUPharm2007]

I've heard Phoenix, Tennesee, all of California, most of Florida, and Jacksonville are all the most hungry for pharmacists. Anybody know of any other places that will pay the most premium for us?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[npage148]

maine and alaska

 

[dgroulx]

I've heard Phoenix, Tennesee, all of California, most of Florida, and Jacksonville are all the most hungry for pharmacists. Anybody know of any other places that will pay the most premium for us?

Walgreens will pay a premium for southwest Florida. This includes areas like Fort Myers and Naples. There are lots of retirees and not many young people. There's not as many jobs in the areas where young people want to live. Florida schools will be pumping about 500 pharmacists per year into the work force.

 

[Sosumi]

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics from May 2004, the top 5 paying states for pharmacists are:

1. California $97,260
2. Vermont $90,680
3. Wisconsin $89,730
4. Alaska $89,410
5. Maine $88,700

http://www.bls.gov/oes/2004/may/oes291051.htm

These numbers look kind of low compared to salary.com's figures and just from personal experience with the pharmacists I've talked to in retail and hospital in Maryland.

 

[ButlerPharm.D.]

Perhaps because they are averages, you've got people above and below.

 

[Requiem]

Perhaps because they are averages, you've got people above and below.

LOGIC??!?!? ON THIS BOARD????

 

[Sosumi]

Perhaps because they are averages, you've got people above and below.

Well obviously...

What I'm saying is that all the information I've come across on salary.com says that the current average is about $95,000/yr for pharmacists in the USA and higher than those listed on USLB's site. The info from aacp, from our school (which likes to quote that the average grad gets 3.9 offers upon graduation and avg salary of $89,000-$110,000), www.drugtopics.com, and other sites have much higher salaries being given which is why I said it's strange that USLB's figures are lower. USLB's figures seem to be consistently lower for other profession's salaries such as dentristy and optometry as well.

 

[DHG]

Don't forget cost of living... 92k/year goes a LOT farther in TN than in CA.


I'd suggest getting cost of living statistics from the census beaureu (Avg cost of new home, property tax rate, state income tax, state sales tax, etc) and make some sort of # associated with it that represents each of "expenses"... then divide the number by the pharmacists salary. Whichever place that has the lower ratio (closer to zero) would be the best place to be.


But that is a lot of work. Great. Now I'll spend all night figguring out an equation to represent "expenses."

 

[xnc123]

http://www.monstertrak.monster.com/resources/salarycenter/resourceframe_index.html
They have a cost of living wizard as well as a salary wizard.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Well obviously...

What I'm saying is that all the information I've come across on salary.com says that the current average is about $95,000/yr for pharmacists in the USA and higher than those listed on USLB's site. The info from aacp, from our school (which likes to quote that the average grad gets 3.9 offers upon graduation and avg salary of $89,000-$110,000), www.drugtopics.com, and other sites have much higher salaries being given which is why I said it's strange that USLB's figures are lower. USLB's figures seem to be consistently lower for other profession's salaries such as dentristy and optometry as well.

The answer to this is because for the US labor outlook handbook, the government takes only data from what they can gather. In other words, if walgreen doesnt give their pay data, the US labor outlook handbook does not factor it in. They also do not factor in most independent pharmacy. What they can factor in is maybe what the government pays their own pharmacists?

 

[meg]

Here's salaries for pharmacists by state:
http://www.pharmacyonesource.com/members/surveys/salary/fall2005/default.asp?article_id=7688

And they have a cost-of-living calculator too:
http://www.pharmacyonesource.com/members/career/coli/