Healthcare

Pharmacist Salary in District Of Columbia (2026)

The average Pharmacist in District Of Columbia earns around $138,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $96,828/year ($8,069/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$96,828
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$8,069
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$3,724
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$47/hr
Federal Tax
$21,854
State Tax
$8,762
FICA Taxes
$10,557
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

29.84%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Pharmacist Salary Ranges in District Of Columbia

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$118,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$138,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$168,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Pharmacists earn the same — not even close

DC's pharmacist market is anchored by Howard University College of Pharmacy (the only DC PharmD-granting institution + ~85 PharmDs/yr + the substantial Howard Pharmacy as one of country's substantial HBCU US PharmD programs post-1868 founding + the substantial Howard PharmD-Howard University Hospital partnership), DC hospital pharmacy (MedStar Washington Hospital Center + Children's National + GW Hospital + Howard University Hospital + Sibley Memorial Johns Hopkins + MedStar Georgetown + the substantial DC hospital pharmacy), DC retail pharmacy (CVS Pharmacy + Walgreens + Walmart + Costco + the substantial DC retail pharmacy + the substantial post-2020 DC retail demand), federal pharmacy (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda cross-border + NIH Clinical Center cross-border + Food and Drug Administration FDA Silver Spring MD cross-border + VA Washington DC Medical Center + the substantial DC federal civilian + military pharmacy + cleared pharmacist), specialty + infusion pharmacy (Optum DC + AmerisourceBergen + the substantial post-2020 DC specialty pharmacy growth), Federal Trade Commission FTC + Drug Enforcement Administration DEA + the substantial DC federal pharmaceutical regulatory + DEA registration.

Sr Health-System / Clinical Pharmacist

$125,000–$185,000+ bonus

PGY-1 + PGY-2 clinical at MedStar + Children + GW + Howard + Sibley · BCPS

Sr Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP)

$135,000–$200,000+ bonus

Onc rx at MedStar + GW Cancer + Sibley + Howard · NCI-affiliated

Sr Critical Care Pharmacist (BCCCP)

$132,000–$192,000+ bonus

ICU rx at MedStar + Children + GW + Howard · critical care rounds

Sr Retail Pharmacist (CVS / Walgreens / Walmart)

$125,000–$165,000+ bonus

Retail at CVS + Walgreens + Walmart + Costco · DC retail

Sr Specialty / Infusion Pharmacist

$135,000–$195,000+ bonus

Specialty rx at Optum + AmerisourceBergen + post-2020 DC specialty

Sr Pharmacy Manager / Director

$145,000–$225,000+ bonus

Pharm mgr at MedStar + GW + Howard + retail district · DC BoP

Sr Federal Pharmacist (Walter Reed / NIH / FDA / VA)

$135,000–$195,000+ GS-13/14

Walter Reed + NIH + FDA Silver Spring + VA DC · federal GS / VA pay band

Sr Federal Regulatory Pharmacist (FDA / DEA)

$135,000–$195,000+ GS-13/14

FDA Silver Spring + DEA HQ · federal pharmaceutical regulatory

Mid-Level Pharmacist (3-6 yrs)

$118,000–$148,000+ bonus

Functional pharm at DC major employers · transitioning to senior band

New Grad PharmD

$118,000–$135,000+ bonus

DC new grad · Howard PharmD pipeline · entry hospital + retail + federal

Worth knowing: Howard University College of Pharmacy HBCU + DC academic medical center pharmacy (MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard + Sibley) + DC federal pharmacy (Walter Reed + NIH + FDA cross-border) tri-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state HBCU PharmD + multi-academic medical center pharmacy + cross-border federal pharmacy cluster and a feature most national pharmacist surveys understate for DC. Howard University College of Pharmacy (the only DC PharmD-granting institution + ~85 PharmDs/yr + the substantial Howard Pharmacy as one of country's substantial HBCU US PharmD programs post-1868 founding). MedStar Washington Hospital Center + Children's National + GW Hospital + Howard University Hospital + Sibley Memorial Johns Hopkins + MedStar Georgetown. CVS + Walgreens + Walmart + Costco DC retail. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda cross-border + NIH Clinical Center cross-border + FDA Silver Spring MD cross-border + VA Washington DC Medical Center federal pharmacy (the substantial DC federal civilian + military + regulatory pharmacy). FTC + DEA federal pharmaceutical regulatory. specialty + infusion pharmacy. DC progressive top 10.75% + DC NLC since 2024 anchor the DC pharmacist proposition.

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