The median annual wage for pharmacists working in Riverside, CA, sits at $161,870, per BLS survey data. It runs 16% above the national median of $139,410 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $131,620 and $187,280 — a 55,660 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The catch: Riverside is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $77.82, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for pharmacists across all U.S. metros in our data is $139,410.