Widely perceived shortages of pharmacists have been reported across California by a spectrum of providers. Advances in drug therapies and technology, the shear number of prescriptions now written for American consumers, and an aging demographic likely to increase pharmaceutical usage has severely impacted the dynamics of supply and demand for pharmacy related workforces. This issue brief examines these critical workforce dynamics as well as national trends, challenges in rural areas, and diversity of both gender and ethnicity within the profession.