Average Pharmaceutical Representative Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Pharmaceutical Representative salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Pharmaceutical Representative Make in United States?

A Pharmaceutical Representative working in United States will typically earn around 83,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 45,100 USD to the highest average salary of 127,600 USD.

Average Annual Salary
83,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,933 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
45,100 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,758 USD

Highest Annual Salary
127,600 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
10,633 USD

These are average salaries for a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Pharmaceutical Representative to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Pharmaceutical Representative salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Pharmaceutical Representative Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Pharmaceutical Representative will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Pharmaceutical Representative can earn between 45,100 USD and 127,600 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States is 80,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 80,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 80,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Pharmaceutical Representative salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 54,100 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 54,100 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 97,900 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 97,900 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Pharmaceutical Representative Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average pharmaceutical representative salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Pharmaceutical Representative in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 49,300 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Pharmaceutical Representative salary would increase to 66,700 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Pharmaceutical Representative, the average salary would be 85,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 105,200 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Pharmaceutical Representative with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 114,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Pharmaceutical Representative with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 119,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
49,300 USD
2-5 Years +34%
66,700 USD
5-10 Years +30%
85,500 USD
10-15 Years +21%
105,200 USD
15-20 Years +9%
114,900 USD
20+ Years +5%
119,700 USD

Pharmaceutical Representative Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Pharmaceutical Representative in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 68,800 USD.

  • Master's Degree. A Pharmaceutical Representative in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 97,600 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
68,800 USD
Master's Degree +39%
97,600 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Pharmaceutical Representative Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male pharmaceutical representative will earn an average of 86,800 USD, while a female pharmaceutical representative will earn around 82,300 USD.

This means that a male pharmaceutical representative earns approximately 5% more than a female pharmaceutical representative for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
86,800 USD
Female -5%
82,300 USD

Pharmaceutical Representative Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Pharmaceutical Representative Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Pharmaceutical Representative is a high bonus based job, with 79% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

21% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus
79%
No Bonus
21%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Pharmaceutical Representative

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Pharmaceutical Representative in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 79,600 USD
Assistant Pharmacy Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 151,800 USD
Associate Medical Affairs Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 204,900 USD
Bioinformatics Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 193,400 USD
Bioinformatics Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 83,200 USD
Biological Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 200,600 USD
Biological Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 86,800 USD
Biomedical Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 85,500 USD
Biomedical Engineering Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 153,800 USD
Biostatistician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 127,700 USD
Biotechnologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 130,500 USD
Biotechnology Lead Data Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 101,100 USD
Chemical Process Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 87,400 USD
Clinical Consultant Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 125,400 USD
Clinical Data Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 127,700 USD
Clinical Data Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 119,700 USD
Clinical Informatics Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 93,100 USD
Clinical Operations Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 172,300 USD
Clinical Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 118,900 USD
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 146,900 USD
Clinical Programmer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 64,400 USD
Clinical Project Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 119,700 USD
Clinical Research Associate Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 109,700 USD
Clinical Research Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 177,100 USD
Clinical Study Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 157,600 USD
Compliance Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 125,400 USD
Cytology Laboratory Technologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 103,600 USD
Cytotechnologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 105,800 USD
GCP Auditor Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 107,700 USD
Hospital Pharmacy Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 91,700 USD
Manufacturing Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 102,700 USD
Medical Affairs Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 191,100 USD
Medical Representative Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 80,800 USD
Medical Science Liaison Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 140,700 USD
Molecular and Cellular Biologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 205,400 USD
Nuclear Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 128,400 USD
Pharmaceutical Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 218,700 USD
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Lead Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 239,000 USD
Pharmaceutical Operations Excellence Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 193,400 USD
Pharmaceutical Process Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 112,700 USD
Pharmaceutical Production Assistant Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 141,000 USD
Pharmaceutical Project Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 127,600 USD
Pharmaceutical Quality Auditor Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 139,100 USD
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Assistant Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 99,100 USD
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 139,100 USD
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 108,200 USD
Pharmaceutical Research Associate Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 130,500 USD
Pharmaceutical Research Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 182,400 USD
Pharmaceutical Researcher Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 187,500 USD
Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 158,900 USD
Pharmaceutical Sales Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 172,300 USD
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 82,200 USD
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 183,600 USD
Pharmaceutical Team Leader Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 130,400 USD
Pharmaceutical Technologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 96,400 USD
Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 127,600 USD
Pharmacy Aide Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 83,400 USD
Pharmacy Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 168,700 USD
Pharmacy Stock Controller Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 73,200 USD
Pharmacy Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 74,100 USD
Records Management Coordinator Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 69,200 USD
Shift Encapsulator Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 73,500 USD
Staff Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 125,400 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 81,600 USD
Austin 90,600 USD
Baltimore 85,400 USD
Boston 84,600 USD
Bristol 71,700 USD
Chicago 94,000 USD
Cincinnati 73,700 USD
Cleveland 74,900 USD
Dallas 90,000 USD
Denver 92,000 USD
Detroit 87,000 USD
Honolulu 68,400 USD
Houston 100,700 USD
Indianapolis 90,000 USD
Iowa City 67,500 USD
Jacksonville 92,300 USD
Kansas City 79,800 USD
Kent 67,900 USD
Las Vegas 86,600 USD
Long Beach 76,000 USD
Los Angeles 97,900 USD
Memphis 84,300 USD
Miami 78,500 USD
Minneapolis 77,100 USD
New Orleans 76,000 USD
New York 100,100 USD
Oakland 74,200 USD
Oklahoma City 87,000 USD
Orlando 66,100 USD
Philadelphia 94,800 USD
Phoenix 95,400 USD
Sacramento 78,200 USD
San Antonio 100,100 USD
San Diego 95,500 USD
San Francisco 94,800 USD
San Jose 94,200 USD
Seattle 84,800 USD
Tampa 74,700 USD
Vancouver 68,300 USD
Washington D.C. 87,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 81,400 USD
Alaska 72,700 USD
Arizona 86,600 USD
Arkansas 83,700 USD
California 93,100 USD
Colorado 87,000 USD
Connecticut 86,400 USD
Delaware 79,000 USD
District of Columbia 70,700 USD
Florida 90,900 USD
Georgia 88,300 USD
Hawaii 78,500 USD
Idaho 79,800 USD
Illinois 94,800 USD
Indiana 88,700 USD
Iowa 83,100 USD
Kansas 86,800 USD
Kentucky 80,000 USD
Louisiana 80,500 USD
Maine 74,900 USD
Maryland 88,600 USD
Massachusetts 89,800 USD
Michigan 91,500 USD
Minnesota 87,900 USD
Mississippi 85,100 USD
Missouri 82,200 USD
Montana 72,300 USD
Nebraska 78,500 USD
Nevada 80,900 USD
New Hampshire 76,800 USD
New Jersey 92,200 USD
New Mexico 83,300 USD
New York 98,800 USD
North Carolina 86,600 USD
North Dakota 72,800 USD
Ohio 88,300 USD
Oklahoma 81,700 USD
Oregon 83,200 USD
Pennsylvania 94,800 USD
Rhode Island 78,100 USD
South Carolina 87,600 USD
South Dakota 79,600 USD
Tennessee 86,400 USD
Texas 92,200 USD
Utah 80,200 USD
Vermont 73,500 USD
Virginia 92,000 USD
Washington 91,200 USD
West Virginia 81,600 USD
Wisconsin 88,700 USD
Wyoming 71,100 USD

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