Pharmacists Salary
The median pay for a pharmacists in El Centro, CA is $158,490/year ($76.2/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $124K at the entry level to $201K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.17), that's roughly $166,534 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,362/month, or 14.6% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $158K get you in El Centro?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by El Centro’s Regional Price Parity (95.17). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About pharmacists
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What this looks like in El Centro
El Centro sits well above the national pay line for pharmacists, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $141K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,362/month, 15.1% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.17) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, El Centro offers a genuinely strong financial position for pharmacistss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for pharmacists in metros near El Centro, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $157K | $139K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $177K | $153K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $162K | $152K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $165K | $148K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, El Centro, CA
Entry-level pharmacists (10th percentile) start around $124K. Mid-career wages sit at $158K. Top earners bring in $201K or more, a $78K spread from bottom to top.
Pharmacists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Pharmacists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $167K | +19% | 560 |
| Oregon | $166K | +18% | 3,250 |
| California | $165K | +17% | 34,030 |
| Hawaii | $163K | +16% | 1,190 |
| Washington | $161K | +14% | 7,350 |
| Minnesota | $160K | +13% | 6,310 |
| Colorado | $156K | +11% | 4,560 |
| District of Columbia | $153K | +9% | 850 |
| Delaware | $153K | +8% | 790 |
| Wisconsin | $149K | +6% | 5,730 |
| New Mexico | $147K | +4% | 1,730 |
| Arizona | $147K | +4% | 6,900 |
| South Dakota | $147K | +4% | 1,280 |
| Idaho | $145K | +3% | 1,790 |
| Indiana | $144K | +2% | 6,430 |
| Utah | $144K | +2% | 2,830 |
| Virginia | $144K | +2% | 7,980 |
| New Hampshire | $143K | +1% | 1,130 |
| New York | $142K | +1% | 19,760 |
| Montana | $142K | +1% | 1,190 |
| North Dakota | $142K | +1% | 1,070 |
| Connecticut | $141K | +0% | 3,490 |
| Maine | $141K | +0% | 1,380 |
| Nevada | $140K | -1% | 2,500 |
| Wyoming | $140K | -1% | 510 |
| Nebraska | $139K | -1% | 2,450 |
| Illinois | $139K | -1% | 12,070 |
| Maryland | $139K | -1% | 5,400 |
| North Carolina | $139K | -1% | 11,430 |
| Iowa | $139K | -1% | 3,230 |
| Texas | $138K | -2% | 24,700 |
| Massachusetts | $138K | -2% | 7,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $138K | -2% | 14,090 |
| Michigan | $138K | -2% | 8,780 |
| Kansas | $138K | -2% | 3,500 |
| New Jersey | $138K | -2% | 9,420 |
| Missouri | $138K | -2% | 6,740 |
| Georgia | $137K | -3% | 10,530 |
| Ohio | $137K | -3% | 12,790 |
| Kentucky | $137K | -3% | 5,030 |
| Vermont | $136K | -3% | 530 |
| Arkansas | $136K | -3% | 2,900 |
| Florida | $136K | -4% | 21,540 |
| South Carolina | $136K | -4% | 5,320 |
| Oklahoma | $135K | -4% | 3,610 |
| Alabama | $135K | -4% | 5,400 |
| West Virginia | $133K | -5% | 2,260 |
| Tennessee | $133K | -5% | 8,250 |
| Mississippi | $133K | -5% | 3,050 |
| Louisiana | $132K | -6% | 5,610 |
| Rhode Island | $128K | -9% | 1,510 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track pharmacists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when El Centro numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a pharmacist afford a 2BR apartment alone in El Centro?
Yes — at the median salary of $158K, rent takes 15.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,362/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for pharmacists in El Centro?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new pharmacists typically earn — is $124K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $7,416/month. At HUD’s $1,362/month FMR, rent would take 18% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is pharmacist a high-paying job in El Centro?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $158K here vs. $141K nationally.
How does El Centro compare to the national average for pharmacists?
El Centro pays $158K median vs. the U.S. average of $141K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $167K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do pharmacists make in El Centro, CA?
The median is $158,490 a year, that works out to about $76 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $123,600, and experienced pharmacists can clear $201,290. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $158K enough to live in El Centro?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $9,017/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,362/month, which eats 15.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a pharmacists salary go in El Centro?
El Centro has a Regional Price Parity of 95.17 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median pharmacists salary is worth about $166,534 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do pharmacists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.