# Pharmacists

US SOC code 29-1051. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1051

Also called: Clinical pharmacist, Staff pharmacist, Retail pharmacist, Hospital pharmacist, Inpatient pharmacist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **321,970** US pharmacists, with median pay of **$140,910** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **331,700**, in May 2023, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html) of **56,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for pharmacists: ScriptPro / Parata robotic dispensing + automatic dispensing cabinets, 1994 to 2015. Robotic dispensing did not reduce pharmacist headcount in the short term: prescription volumes were growing fast enough to absorb the productivity gain.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1051&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **40%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.012** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.012. BLS counted **287,420** of these jobs in May 2013 and **321,970** in May 2025 (+12%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Pharmacists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1820
- Latest US employment: 321,970 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $140,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [13]
- Outlook: +5.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [36]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 31120)
  - Employment, 2020: 41,945. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 31120 Pharmacists, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$108,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [19]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 31120 Pharmacists, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.
- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 2251)
  - Employment, 2025: 60,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [11]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 2251 Pharmacists, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £47,508. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [22]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 2251 Pharmacists, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 2515)
  - Employment, 2025: 46,000. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey March 2026 [12]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 2515 Pharmacists, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$101,712. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [23]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,956 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 2515.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 56,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1900 [1] |
| 1940 | 88,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 1960 | 112,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Compounding (Wikipedia) [3] |
| 2000 | 212,660 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 215,030 | $80,530 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 222,960 | $84,900 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 229,740 | $89,820 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 239,920 | $94,520 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 253,110 | $100,480 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 266,410 | $106,410 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 267,860 | $109,180 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 268,030 | $111,570 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 272,320 | $113,390 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 281,560 | $116,670 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 287,420 | $119,280 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 290,780 | $120,950 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 295,620 | $121,500 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 305,510 | $122,230 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 309,330 | $124,170 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 309,550 | $126,120 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 311,200 | $128,090 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 315,470 | $128,710 | BLS OEWS May 2020 (employment) [5]; BLS OEWS May 2020 (pay) [16] |
| 2021 | 312,550 | $128,570 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 325,480 | $132,750 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 331,700 | $136,030 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 328,870 | $137,480 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 321,970 | $140,910 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (113)

### Employment series

1. [U.S. Census Bureau — Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (1900); combined "druggists and pharmacists" enumeration](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), U.S. Census Bureau
2. [Wikipedia — Walgreens (founding 1901, chain expansion history provides demand-side context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgreens), Wikipedia
3. [Compounding (Wikipedia) — "Pharmacists continued to compound most prescriptions until the early 1950s when the majority of dispensed drugs came directly from the large pharmaceutical companies"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compounding), Wikipedia
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
9. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2213, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip), [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
10. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2251, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
11. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2251, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
12. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), March 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

13. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
14. [BLS OEWS May 2015, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
16. [BLS OEWS May 2020 — Pharmacists (29-1051), median annual wage $128,710](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2020/may/oes291051.htm), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
18. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
19. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
20. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2213, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip), [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
21. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2251, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
22. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 2251, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
23. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Pharmacists (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/2515-pharmacists), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

24. [United States Pharmacopeia (Wikipedia) — "11 physicians came together...to protect patients from being harmed by the inconsistent and poor-quality medical preparations" (founding 1820)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Pharmacopeia), Wikipedia / USP
25. [American Pharmacists Association (Wikipedia) — "founded in 1852...the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pharmacists_Association), Wikipedia / APhA
26. [Compounding (Wikipedia) — "Pharmacists continued to compound most prescriptions until the early 1950s when the majority of dispensed drugs came directly from the large pharmaceutical companies"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compounding), Wikipedia
27. [Durham-Humphrey Amendment (Wikipedia) — co-sponsored by Senator Humphrey (a pharmacist) and Representative Durham (a pharmacist); signed by President Truman, October 26, 1951](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham%E2%80%93Humphrey_Amendment), Wikipedia
28. [National Archives — "Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965)" — largest driver of prescription volume expansion](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), US National Archives
29. [Walgreens (Wikipedia) — chain pharmacy expansion history, founding context and growth through the retail pharmacy era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgreens), Wikipedia
30. [Parata Systems — pharmacy automation technology overview (robotic dispensing for retail and institutional pharmacy, 1990s-2000s deployment)](https://parata.com/about-us/), Parata Systems
31. [Pharmacist (Wikipedia) — citing automation and clinical role expansion context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacist), Wikipedia
32. [Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (Wikipedia) — "signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 8, 2003...largest overhaul of Medicare in the public health program's 38-year history"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Modernization_Act), Wikipedia
33. [Medication Therapy Management (Wikipedia) — "In 2014, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services required Part D plans to include an MTM program, which led to an expansion of services offered"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medication_therapy_management), Wikipedia / CMS
34. [CVS Health — COVID-19 vaccination program administration (30M+ doses by mid-2021; pharmacy as mass immunization site)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVS_Health), CVS Health / Wikipedia
35. [Rite Aid (Wikipedia) — Chapter 11 bankruptcy October 15, 2023; 778 stores closed by August 2024 (38% of locations); complete liquidation by October 2025](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_Aid), Rite Aid / Wikipedia

### Forecasts and exposure studies

36. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1051 Pharmacists (2025: 325.2 thousand; 2035: 342.3 thousand; +5.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1051&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
37. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 29-1051 Pharmacists: probability 0.012, rank 54 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
38. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1051.00, human-rated β 0.4)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

39. [United States Pharmacopeia (Wikipedia) — "11 physicians came together...to protect patients from being harmed by the inconsistent and poor-quality medical preparations at that time" (1820)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Pharmacopeia), Wikipedia / USP
40. [American Pharmacists Association (Wikipedia) — "founded in 1852...the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pharmacists_Association), Wikipedia / APhA
41. [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Wikipedia) — 1938 legislation requiring safety demonstrations; replaced Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Food,_Drug,_and_Cosmetic_Act), Wikipedia
42. [Durham-Humphrey Amendment (Wikipedia) — co-sponsored by Senator Humphrey and Representative Durham (both pharmacists); signed by President Truman, October 26, 1951](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham%E2%80%93Humphrey_Amendment), Wikipedia
43. [Medicare Modernization Act (Wikipedia) — "signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 8, 2003; largest overhaul of Medicare in the program's 38-year history"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Modernization_Act), Wikipedia
44. [CVS Health (Wikipedia) — "plans to close 900 stores nationwide over the next three years" (November 2021 announcement, ~10% of US locations)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVS_Health), CVS Health / Wikipedia
45. [Rite Aid (Wikipedia) — Chapter 11 filing October 15, 2023; 778 stores closed by August 2024; complete liquidation October 2025; at 2008 peak operated 5,059 stores with 112,800 employees](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_Aid), Wikipedia
46. [Walgreens (Wikipedia) — June 27, 2024 announcement of up to 2,150 store closures (25% of US footprint); 2022 elimination of task-based performance metrics for pharmacy staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgreens), Walgreens / Wikipedia

### Predecessors & successors

47. [United States Pharmacopeia (Wikipedia) — founding 1820 context; colonial apothecary practice preceding USP standardization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Pharmacopeia), Wikipedia / USP
48. [American Pharmacists Association (Wikipedia) — state licensing beginning Louisiana 1869; APhA lobbying for standardized education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pharmacists_Association), Wikipedia / APhA
49. [Pharmacist (Wikipedia) — "All graduating pharmacists must now obtain the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree before they are eligible to sit for the NAPLEX"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacist), Wikipedia
50. [Medication Therapy Management (Wikipedia) — expansion of clinical pharmacist roles under Medicare Part D MTM mandate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medication_therapy_management), Wikipedia / CMS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Pharmacists (29-1051.00): tasks, technology skills, work activities, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1051.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS OOH — Pharmacists: 335,100 employed 2024; +5% growth 2024-2034; 14,200 annual openings; median $137,480](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Drug Channels — Pharmacist Salaries and Employment in 2024: retail down 8,500; hospital +7.3% to ~100K; community share falling to projected 49% by 2033](https://www.drugchannels.net/2025/06/pharmacist-salaries-and-employment-in.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Walgreens doubles down on robots — CNBC May 2025: 11 micro-fulfillment centers; 5,000+ store target; $500M saved; 1,200+ store closures 2024-2025](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/11/walgreens-doubles-down-on-robots-to-fill-prescriptions-amid-turnaround.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Omnicell XR2 — Ballad Health deployment: zero medication picking errors in 9M+ doses; 100% barcode scan; 60,000+ unit-dose capacity](https://www.omnicell.com/central-pharmacy/xr2/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Omnicell Titan XT — December 2025: OmniSphere cloud medication management; 70% time savings on restocking reported by Holzer Regional Medical Center](https://ir.omnicell.com/news/news-details/2025/Announcing-Omnicell-Titan-XT-the-Next-Generation-Automated-Dispensing-System-Designed-to-Empower-Autonomous-Medication-Management/default.aspx), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Surescripts 2025 Annual Impact Report — 30.5B transactions; PA Automation 18-sec median approval; RTPB 1B uses; $55.1M patient savings](https://surescripts.com/insights/2025-annual-impact-report), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Surescripts — Prior Authorization Automation expansion May 2026: 68,000 prescribers at 42 health systems; 50% prescriber base expansion since Dec 2025](https://surescripts.com/press-releases/surescripts-expands-prior-authorization-automation-enabling-50-more-prescribers-nationwide-improve-medication-access-patients-2026), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Pharmacy Times — Intelligent Pharmacy: pharmacist productivity +33% with automation; 45% more patient-facing time; Walgreens fills 60% Rx robotically](https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/intelligent-pharmacy-leveraging-ai-and-automation-to-enhance-patient-care-and-pharmacist-roles), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Pharmacy Times / Ochsner Health — Latent Health AI in Epic: specialty PA throughput +96%; reauth cycle times -50%; 4-min clinical review avg](https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/transforming-pharmacy-operations-at-ochsner-health-through-ai), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ASHP Statement on AI in Pharmacy (AJHP 2025) — AI reduces time on routine tasks; pharmacists must be active implementation partners; AI creates new roles and alters scope of patient care](https://academic.oup.com/ajhp/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajhp/zxaf107/8240129), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.