SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · May 2025
How much do Pharmacists make in Columbia, SC?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Pharmacists in Columbia, SC is $133,850. The 10th percentile is $81,390 and the 90th percentile is $169,540. Employment is 1,050.
Median annual wage
$133,850
- 10th percentile
- $81,390
- 25th percentile
- $114,510
- Median
- $133,850
- 75th percentile
- $152,600
- 90th percentile
- $169,540
- Mean
- $129,530
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Pharmacists, the published 10th percentile is $81,390 and the 90th percentile is $169,540. The difference is $88,150, which is 65.9% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $114,510 to the 75th at $152,600, covers $38,090.
The mean annual wage is $129,530, which sits below the median of $133,850. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Columbia, SC median is 5% lower than the national median of $140,910 for Pharmacists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $142,907, which is 1.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 1.4% lower than the South Carolina median of $135,700.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Columbia, SC is 93.662, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $133,850 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Pharmacists at $142,907 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
31 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Pharmacists. Columbia, SC ranks 22nd of 32 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Sumter, SC is 39 miles away, with a median of $129,820 and employment of 80. That median is 3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $147,489, against $142,907 here.
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC is 69 miles away, with a median of $131,630 and employment of 620. That median is 1.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $143,227, against $142,907 here.
- Spartanburg, SC is 70 miles away, with a median of $153,610 and employment of 480. That median is 14.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $168,708, against $142,907 here.
Employment share
Pharmacists accounts for 0.27% of wage-and-salary employment in Columbia, SC (1,050 of 394,200). Nationally the occupation is 0.21% of employment (321,970 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.29 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Columbia, SC · Pharmacists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Pharmacists make in Columbia, SC?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Pharmacists in Columbia, SC is $133,850. The 10th percentile is $81,390 and the 90th percentile is $169,540. Employment is 1,050.
How does that compare with the national median for Pharmacists?
The local median is 5% lower than the national median of $140,910.
What is Pharmacists pay in Columbia, SC after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Columbia, SC is 93.662, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $133,850 is $142,907. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Columbia, SC compare with nearby metros for Pharmacists?
Sumter, SC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $129,820. Columbia, SC ranks 22nd of 32 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.