Pharmacists pay range in Chicago
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $84,950 a year or less, while the top 10% make $171,710 or more. The middle half of pharmacists in Chicago earn between $126,050 and $163,710.
- $85K10th
- $126K25th
- $141KMedian
- $164K75th
- $172K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $138,420 | $11,535 | $66.55 |
| Median | $140,880 | $11,740 | $67.73 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $126,050 | $10,504 | $60.60 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $163,710 | $13,642 | $78.71 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Pharmacists salary after taxes in Chicago
On the average salary of $138,420, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $99,165 a year, or $8,264 a month and $3,814 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% of gross pay.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in IN | $101,753 | $8,479 |
| Working in IL | $99,165 | $8,264 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Chicago a good place for pharmacists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Chicago area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $138,420 buys what about $133,616 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 2.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Pharmacists salary in other Illinois cities
Chicago ranks 4th of 8 Illinois metro areas for this job; Bloomington pays the most ($143,090).
- Bloomington$143,090
- Kankakee$141,610
- Peoria$138,770
- Chicago$138,420
- Champaign$137,790
- Springfield$137,420
- Rockford$136,830
- Decatur$136,060
Highest-paying cities for pharmacists
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($190,370).
- San Jose, CA$190,370
- Napa, CA$186,750
- San Francisco, CA$184,540
- Florence, SC$184,250
- Santa Rosa, CA$175,910
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Pharmacists salary in Chicago: questions
How much do pharmacists make an hour in Chicago?
$66.55 an hour on average, and $67.73 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level pharmacists salary in Chicago?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $84,950 a year and the 25th percentile is $126,050, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the pharmacists take-home pay in Chicago?
About $99,165 a year ($8,264 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $138,420.
Do pharmacists earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($141,264).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 29-1051; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.96, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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