How much do Walgreens pharmacists make?
Studying to be a pharmacist can lead to a career that could earn you a six-figure salary. But not every employer pays the same. How does Walgreens compare?
While pharmacists have always been a vital part of society, the covid pandemic brought home just how important those who can administer medicines are. So, it should come as no surprise that those who take up the occupation are paid well above the median of workers in the United States.
Getting a degree in pharmacy can lead to a career with salary in the six-figures with the median being $132,750 per year. The low end according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is slightly less than $80,000 but the top earners in the field of pharmacy can make upwards of $164,000.
But not every employer pays the same. How does Walgreens compare?
How much do Walgreens pharmacists make?
While not an extensive sampling of employees, the average salary among 81 pharmacists that work for Walgreens that provided data to Indeed, the job listing site, was $118,488. The range was from $59,000 to $180,000.
The reported average salary at Walgreens is not only below the US median for all pharmacists, but also in every category for industry employers according to BLS data as of May 2022.
Walgreens employees set to strike for better work conditions
That could explain why there may be some disruption to service come Monday 9 October when staff at the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States plan to walk off the job. They will be following in the footsteps of CVS employees who staged walkouts in Missouri.
One of the reasons is that workers are feeling that they are being stretched thin due to ever greater demands on their time at work. Since the pandemic pharmacists have been tasked with administering more and more vaccinations while at the same time completely their other duties.
One such pharmacist at CVS for example said that they had 125 vaccine appointments in a single day. As the only person scheduled for that day, that works out to administering a vaccine once every not even four minutes for an eight-hour shift. And they were expected to do the rest of their work as well.