Exploring trends and determinants of pharmacist wage rates: Evidence from the 2000 and 2004 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey

Objectives: To examine pharmacists' hourly wage rates, growth rates in pharmacists' wage rates, and factors associated with pharmacists' wage rates in 2000 and 2004. Design: Descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study. Setting: United States. Participants: 1,644 and 1,129 pharmacists from the 2000 and 2004 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey, respectively. Interventions: Secondary data from surveys of pharmacists were analyzed. Main outcome measures: Pharmacists' wage rates in 2000 and 2004 and growth rates in wage rates between 2000 and 2004. Results: Wage rates for pharmacists, expressed in 2004 dollars, increased 4.9% per year between 2000 and 2004, suggesting real wage growth for pharmacists. In 2004, wage rates for pharmacists working part-time were $1.56 (3.4%) less than wages for pharmacists working full-time. In 2004, pharmacists who reported spending higher amounts of time in patient care activities earned significantly lower wages. In 2000 and 2004, wage rates were significantly less in independently owned pharmacies compared with all other practice settings. In 2004, women pharmacists earned significantly less per hour (4.9%) compared with men pharmacists. Conclusion: Pharmacists experienced real wage growth between 2000 and 2004, which reflects the excess demand for pharmacists. The location of pharmacists' employment and the tasks performed by pharmacists in their jobs affect wage rates.