There’s a concerning lack of licensed pharmacists in the United States—in fact, the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration projects a shortage of nearly 5,000 of these critical allied health clinicians through 2036. People across America still need life-saving medication, however, and demand for pharmacists is poised to increase about as fast as the average occupation. In this blog, we’re going to take a closer look at the pharmacist job outlook for 2025 and beyond—and how increased demand could serve as a boon for travel pharmacists.
Pharmacist Job Outlook: Job Opportunities to Grow
While a pharmacist shortage is expected to continue over the next decade, opportunities for these allied health clinicians are projected to grow—employment of pharmacists is expected to grow 5% from 2023 to 2033 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The BLS gives a more comprehensive look at what this growth looks like year-over-year, projecting an average of 14,200 pharmacist job openings each year through 2033. In total, the BLS projects that overall pharmacist employment will grow by 18,300 through 2033 as older pharmacists retire and new ones take their place.
What’s the travel pharmacist job outlook?
While we don’t have comprehensive job outlook numbers for travel pharmacists like we do for pharmacists in general, it’s reasonable to expect that the travel pharmacist job outlook is also strong through 2033.
In fact, travel pharmacists may have more opportunities for employment in the coming years due to the traveling nature of the job. That means if a travel pharmacist can’t find an opening in their primary state, becoming a travel pharmacist allows them to pack up and take temporary work somewhere else where the demand is higher.
Job Market for Pharmacists: States with Highest Employment
Some states employ more pharmacists than others, and if these trends continue, you can expect to see a more robust job market for pharmacists in these areas of the country.
In 2023, California employed the highest number of pharmacists, with the BLS reporting nearly 36,000 pharmacists working in the state. Texas employs the second highest number of pharmacists, with employment numbers at nearly 25,000. Following those states are Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania, with around 15,000–20,000 pharmacists working in those states.
Pharmacist Scope of Practice: Will It Expand?
Research by the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health suggests that in the near future, pharmacists are going to play a much larger role in patient care at healthcare facilities. In fact, 86% of pharmacists surveyed said that they expect to see increased patient counseling responsibilities in their roles, play a larger role in preventative care measures, and be further integrated into care management teams.
The surveyed medical providers seemed to agree, with 63.4% agreeing that pharmacists will play a greater role in preventative care measures, and 51.1% agreeing that they will see a greater level of specialization. Furthermore, patients are also beginning to embrace pharmacy as a critical role in patient care, with 77.3% of patients reporting that they see pharmacists as an integral part of the healthcare team.
With more integration into the clinical side of patient care, an increase of pharmacist jobs within more clinical settings is a natural expectation, and travel pharmacists were already starting to see this shift in 2022.
Highest Paying Travel Pharmacist Jobs
Whereas the highest paying jobs for permanently employed staff pharmacists have remained in retail throughout 2021 and 2022, the top highest paying jobs for travel pharmacists in 2022 were in clinical settings.
While we don’t have data past 2022, based on a combination of data from 2022 and the projected transition for the pharmacy industry in the next 5 years, the top 3 highest paying jobs for 2023 were projected to be compounding pharmacist, at an average of about $150,000 per year, hospital pharmacist at an estimated average of $148,000 per year, and pharmacometrician at an average close to $142,000.
Find Travel Pharmacist Jobs with BHS
Ready to ring in the new year with a travel pharmacist assignment? Check out our open travel pharmacist jobs now!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Stacy Cyr in January 2023. It was updated by Mike Connors in November 2024 to reflect updated information.
