Quick answer: Pharmacists in Rhode Island earn a median $128,180 per year, below the national median of $140,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The state employs about 1,510 of them. Licensing runs through your state board of pharmacy.
| Metric | Rhode Island | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $128,180 | $140,910 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 10th percentile | $86,650 | $99,290 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 25th percentile | $115,250 | $129,380 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 75th percentile | $133,700 | $161,840 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 90th percentile | $161,090 | $174,230 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Employment | 1,510 | 321,970 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Location quotient | 1.45 | 1.00 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Projected change (2024-34) | not published by state | 4.6% | BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34 |
The Rhode Island median of $128,180 sits below the national median of $140,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Percentiles matter more than the midpoint when you are deciding whether a degree pays for itself: the 10th percentile is roughly where people start, and the 90th is what the top of the local market looks like after years of experience.
A location quotient of 1.45 puts Rhode Island well above the national average, so the work is noticeably more common here than in the typical state. That usually means a deeper job market and more room to change employers without relocating (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The measure compares how concentrated the occupation is here against the national average of 1.00.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Providence | $130,840 | 1,880 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Pharmacist employment follows retail pharmacy density and hospital systems, which makes it one of the more evenly distributed healthcare occupations across a state.
Every state licenses pharmacists through its own board of pharmacy. The national constants are a Doctor of Pharmacy from a program with accreditation from ACPE, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and the NAPLEX administered through NABP. Boards commonly add a jurisprudence examination covering their own law and a supervised practice-hours requirement, and rules for licensure transfer between states vary.
Requirements are set at state level and are amended periodically. Before you enroll in any program, confirm with your state board of pharmacy that the specific program you are considering satisfies the education requirement, and ask what it accepts from any training you have already completed. Get the answer in writing.
Most people reading this already have a job in the field, and the practical question is whether the credential can be earned without leaving it. Programs designed for working adults deliver the academic portion online or in the evening, while any labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience happen in person and locally. Prior college credit, military training, apprenticeship coursework and industry certifications can all shorten the path, so request a written transfer credit evaluation before you commit to any school.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 1 school within 19 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 1 of them carries a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for pharmacists in Rhode Island is $128,180, below the national median of $140,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $115,250 at the 25th percentile to $133,700 at the 75th.
Rhode Island holds about 1,510 pharmacist jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Nationally the occupation employs 321,970, and BLS projects about 14,200 openings per year through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Every state licenses pharmacists through its own board of pharmacy. The national constants are a Doctor of Pharmacy from a program with accreditation from ACPE, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and the NAPLEX administered through NABP. Boards commonly add a jurisprudence examination covering their own law and a supervised practice-hours requirement, and rules for licensure transfer between states vary. Requirements are set at the state level and change periodically, so confirm the current rules with your state board of pharmacy before you enroll in any program.
Often yes. Programs built for working adults deliver coursework online or in the evenings, though any required labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience are completed in person. Confirm that the program's accreditation satisfies your state board of pharmacy.
Among Rhode Island metro areas with published data, Providence reports the highest median at $130,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
On pay, the state median of $128,180 sits below the national $140,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 1.45 means the occupation is more concentrated here than in the average state. Weigh that against cost of living and how concentrated the work is near where you actually want to live.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
