State Market Insights
By Category
All Pharmacies
1,324
Retail
913
Specialty
46
Hospital
112
LTC
159
MailOrder
15
Wholesale
35
Remote
44
Market Scale
Population
7,688,549
Density (all) /10k
1.72
Density (retail) /10k
1.19
Pharmacy Desert Counties
10
Avg. VigilScale™
58/100
Avg. Enrollment Age
14 yrs
Chain Mix
Solo (1)
222
Small Group (2–9)
211
Mid Chain (10–49)
115
Large Chain (50+)
309
Mega Chain
467
Special Designations
Independent
222
Sterile Compounding
23
Tele-Pharmacy
48
Government Owned
55
Non-Profit
154
Top Chains
WALGREENS
11%
THRIFTY PAYLESS
8%
SAFEWAY
8%
Washington Pharmacy Landscape
🔒 Browse New Pharmacy Openings in Washington
Search recently enrolled pharmacies and filter by category
WA Quality Assurance Commission
State Regulator
Visit official state pharmacy board website
WA PMP
Official Program Information
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program requirements and information
WA PMP
Clinical Login
Look up patient prescription history before dispensing controlled substances
WA PMP
Data Submission Portal
Submit prescription dispensing data to state monitoring database
Quick Facts
Key regulatory requirements and practice standards
Pharmacist-Technician Ratio
State regulations require a pharmacist-to-technician ratio of None (Discretionary) to maintain safe pharmacy operations.
Continuing Education
Pharmacists must complete 30 hrs biennially of continuing education to maintain active licensure.
Technician Requirements
Pharmacy technicians in this state must meet the following requirement: Certification + licensure required.
Intern Supervision
Pharmacy intern supervision follows this standard: 1:1.
Remote Pharmacy
Remote pharmacy work and telepharmacy services are governed by these rules: Widely permitted.
Vaccine Authority
Pharmacist authority to administer vaccines: Independent authority.
Regulatory Warnings
Compliance requirements and monitoring obligations
Pharmacist in Charge Notification
When a Pharmacist in Charge (PIC) changes, the pharmacy must notify the state board within the following timeframe: 10 days.
Prescription Monitoring Reporting
Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) reporting requirements: Daily.
PMP Query Requirements
Before dispensing controlled substances, pharmacists must check the Prescription Monitoring Program: Mandatory for Opioids/Benzos.
Board Inspection Focus
State pharmacy board inspections frequently focus on: WA does not use 'Board of Pharmacy'—it uses a Quality Assurance Commission..
Top Cities by Pharmacy Count
Largest pharmacy markets in Washington
Browse by County
All counties sorted by pharmacy count
King County
2,254,371 pop · 267 retail · 1.18 density
Snohomish County
828,337 pop · 102 retail · 1.23 density
Pierce County
918,993 pop · 99 retail · 1.08 density
Spokane County
538,711 pop · 64 retail · 1.19 density
Clark CountyPharmacy Desert
504,091 pop · 49 retail · 0.97 density
Kitsap County
275,411 pop · 38 retail · 1.38 density
Thurston County
294,272 pop · 33 retail · 1.12 density
Yakima County
256,143 pop · 35 retail · 1.37 density
Whatcom County
226,523 pop · 25 retail · 1.10 density
Benton County
207,560 pop · 26 retail · 1.25 density
Skagit County
129,480 pop · 16 retail · 1.24 density
Clallam County
77,333 pop · 15 retail · 1.94 density
Cowlitz County
110,621 pop · 16 retail · 1.45 density
Lewis County
82,663 pop · 12 retail · 1.45 density
Chelan County
79,076 pop · 10 retail · 1.26 density
Grant County
99,145 pop · 12 retail · 1.21 density
Grays Harbor County
75,672 pop · 9 retail · 1.19 density
Island CountyPharmacy Desert
86,510 pop · 7 retail · 0.81 density
Walla Walla County
62,150 pop · 11 retail · 1.77 density
Franklin CountyPharmacy Desert
96,692 pop · 9 retail · 0.93 density
Douglas County
43,189 pop · 5 retail · 1.16 density
Mason County
66,053 pop · 9 retail · 1.36 density
Okanogan County
42,336 pop · 6 retail · 1.42 density
Kittitas County
44,424 pop · 6 retail · 1.35 density
Stevens County
46,774 pop · 5 retail · 1.07 density
Whitman County
47,141 pop · 5 retail · 1.06 density
Asotin County
22,370 pop · 4 retail · 1.79 density
Jefferson County
33,006 pop · 5 retail · 1.51 density
Pacific CountyPharmacy Desert
23,396 pop · 2 retail · 0.85 density
Pend Oreille County
13,570 pop · 2 retail · 1.47 density
Adams CountyPharmacy Desert
20,557 pop · 1 retail · 0.49 density
Ferry CountyPharmacy Desert
7,260 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Lincoln County
11,036 pop · 3 retail · 2.72 density
San Juan County
18,001 pop · 2 retail · 1.11 density
Klickitat CountyPharmacy Desert
22,798 pop · 1 retail · 0.44 density
Garfield CountyPharmacy Desert
2,310 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Skamania CountyPharmacy Desert
12,118 pop · 1 retail · 0.83 density
Wahkiakum County
4,476 pop · 1 retail · 2.23 density
Columbia CountyPharmacy Desert
3,980 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
* Pharmacy Desert: fewer than 1 retail pharmacy per 10,000 residents, based on 2026 NPI and ROPA billing data.