Business phone system for pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey

How many pharmacies and drug stores operate in New Jersey

County Business Patterns counts 1,655 establishments in New Jersey classified as Pharmacies and Drug Stores (NAICS 446110) for 2023. They employed 26,348 people in mid-March and reported $1.1 billion in annual payroll. That is the 6th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Pharmacies and drug stores make up 0.70% of the 237,968 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) New Jersey has 17.4 pharmacies and drug stores, 41.8% above the national rate of 12.3. The average establishment has 15.9 employees against 16.5 nationally. Payroll per employee is $41,883, 5.8% below the U.S. figure of $44,477.

Where pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey are concentrated

Census published pharmacy counts for 6 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of New Jersey. The largest is New York, NY-NJ, with 4,632 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 8.8% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey

24.6% of New Jersey's pharmacies and drug stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 18.4% nationally. 45.4% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Why the phone matters for pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey

Independent pharmacies take refill requests, prescriber calls and insurance questions throughout the day, often while pharmacists are filling prescriptions. Sorting calls by purpose keeps prescribers and patients from waiting in the same queue.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey:

• A prescriber's office calls to clarify a prescription.
• A customer calls to request a refill.
• The pharmacy calls a prescriber for a refill authorization.

Business texting for pharmacies and drug stores

Independent pharmacies text customers when a prescription is ready for pickup and when a refill needs attention.

Texting from a local number in New Jersey requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Phone system pricing for a 16-person pharmacy

Pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey average 15.9 employees, so the comparison uses a 16-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 16 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $480.00 a month and 16 on Ooma Office Pro cost $399.20. Callata comes to $319.00 a month for 16 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,932 less than RingCentral for a pharmacy in New Jersey of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in New Jersey

New Jersey has 10 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a pharmacy can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for pharmacies and drug stores in New Jersey

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Porting a number you already use in New Jersey is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.

Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.