Official annual estimates for the whole country, mapped to the closest published occupation.
United Kingdom · gross annual earnings estimate
25th percentile
£44,891
Median
£53,772
75th percentile
£62,344
This ASHE benchmark covers full-time employee jobs, not self-employed income or part-time jobs. ASHE gross earnings include basic pay, overtime, incentive pay such as bonuses and commissions, shift premiums, and other cash pay. They are before deductions, exclude payments in kind, and are not take-home pay or the whole benefits package. Compare the benchmark with an offer on the same working-hours and annual-pay basis.
This is a country-level occupation benchmark, not a local offer estimate. Pay can differ by location, employer, duties, and working pattern.
National median with 25th–75th percentile band, 2011–2025.Band hidden where official percentile estimates were suppressed.
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. Mapped to Pharmacists; the occupation is broader than the page role. Figures are estimates, not advertised salaries.
Quick interpretation
The Pharmacists benchmark is a useful national reference for a pharmacist offer. The UK profile places pharmacists in pharmacies, hospitals and GP practices, and lists dispensing and medication advice as possible activities. It remains an occupation-wide comparison: the duties, setting and working pattern of a particular vacancy can differ.
Benchmark fit
Why this benchmark applies to Pharmacist
The benchmark maps directly to the broader Pharmacists occupation. It fits the named role through possible duties such as dispensing medicines and advising on their use, dosage and risks. It also spans posts with clinical care, retail management, hospital supply or research duties, so those activities should only be included when the vacancy calls for them.
Overlapping responsibilities
Dispensing medicines and advising on prescriptions are possible duties within the wider pharmacist occupation.
Medication-safety checks, including reviewing allergies, medical conditions and existing medicines, also fit the general pharmacist scope.
What the occupation combines
Depending on the post, the wider occupation can include screening programmes, hospital medicine supply, stock management, staff supervision, research and clinical trials.
Treat the benchmark as an occupation-level comparison, not as the exact pay for a particular pharmacist vacancy or level of responsibility.
Role scope
What Pharmacist work usually includes
Pharmacists assess medicines, check for safety risks, and explain treatment to patients and healthcare colleagues. The balance between dispensing, counselling, clinical review, and management depends on the setting.
Responsibilities
Check allergies, medical conditions, and other medicines before dispensing a new prescription, reducing the risk of an adverse reaction. · Evaluate medication contents, side effects, interactions, and the patient's response to treatment when assessing drug therapy. · Explain how prescribed medicines should be used, their possible side effects, and how they should be stored; patient-facing roles may also answer questions about over-the-counter medicines. · In hospital, clinic, or similar direct-care work, clinical pharmacists may join rounds, recommend medicines, and review dose, timing, effectiveness, and patient progress. · Depending on the post, pharmacists may manage stock, supervise or train staff, run screening programmes, support hospital medicine distribution, or work on research and clinical trials.
Typical outputs
Medication-safety decisions and patient guidance · Clinical medication review in direct-care posts
Work settings
Pharmacies · Hospitals · GP practices · Clinics and similar direct-care settings
Read the range
Three points, one pay distribution
A pharmacist whose work centres on dispensing and patient counselling has a different responsibility mix from a clinical pharmacist who joins rounds and reviews treatment response. A retail pharmacist who oversees inventory and directs staff has another scope again. These are responsibility comparisons, not salary bands.
25th percentile
One quarter of employees earn below this figure.
Median
Half of employees earn below this figure and half above it; it is not the arithmetic midpoint of the displayed range.
75th percentile
One quarter of employees earn above this figure.
Location
Regional salary benchmarks
Supplementary regional medians are available for the listed regions. Compare the offer with both the UK benchmark and the relevant regional figure.
Regional 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile salary estimates
Region
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
East
Not published
£59,928
Not published
East Midlands
Not published
£52,145
Not published
London
Not published
£56,451
Not published
North East
Not published
£48,841
Not published
North West
Not published
£54,178
Not published
Scotland
Not published
£62,325
Not published
South East
Not published
£45,801
Not published
South West
Not published
£44,254
Not published
Wales
Not published
£53,260
Not published
West Midlands
Not published
£56,855
Not published
Yorkshire and The Humber
Not published
£48,886
Not published
Treat the regional figure as context rather than an exact offer estimate, because pay can still differ by employer, duties and working pattern.
Beyond salary
Salary versus total compensation
Start with guaranteed annual cash and contracted hours, but do not treat fixed pay alone as a like-for-like match. For the closest comparison, estimate total gross cash on the same hours and annual basis, including any expected overtime, bonus, commission, shift premium or other cash payment. Compare benefits separately.
Fixed cash pay: confirm the guaranteed annual amount, contracted hours and whether the quoted figure is before deductions.
Fixed pay gives you the guaranteed baseline, but add expected variable cash before comparing the resulting gross-cash total with the benchmark.
Conditional cash: ask how overtime, bonuses, commissions and shift premiums are calculated, and whether each payment depends on hours, performance or shifts.
Include a realistic expected amount in the benchmark comparison, while keeping it separate from guaranteed pay.
Benefits: ask for the separate terms of any offered pension, health cover, paid leave or equity, including eligibility and employer contributions.
The benchmark measures gross cash before deductions and excludes payments in kind, so compare benefits separately.
Offer review
How to evaluate your Pharmacist offer
What annual salary is guaranteed, and how many contracted hours does it cover?Use the same annual-pay and working-hours basis when comparing the offer with the benchmark.
Which overtime, bonus, commission or shift payments are available, and which are guaranteed?Separate fixed pay from conditional cash so you do not compare a guaranteed figure with an uncertain total.
Are pension, health cover, paid leave or equity included separately, and what eligibility rules apply?Benefits and other payments in kind are not part of the benchmark's gross cash measure.
Does the post include clinical rounds, staff supervision, stock management or research work?These duties help you judge whether the vacancy matches the broad pharmacist occupation benchmark and its responsibility mix.
Questions
Pharmacist salary FAQs
Source
About this salary benchmark
Source: ONS, 2025-04-30. The figures cover Pharmacists (2251) and full time employee jobs. Updated 15 October 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Pharmacist vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Build your Pharmacist CV for the roles you want.
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your CV around the experience that supports your target level.
