Business phone system for pharmacies and drug stores in Utah
213 pharmacies and drug stores operated in Utah in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.
- Establishments
- 213CBP 2023
- Employees
- 3,851mid-March 2023
- Per 100k residents
- 6.1U.S. 12.3
- State rank
- 37th of 51by count
The pharmacy industry in Utah
County Business Patterns counts 213 establishments in Utah classified as Pharmacies and Drug Stores (NAICS 446110) for 2023. They employed 3,851 people in mid-March and reported $149.4 million in annual payroll. That is the 37th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Pharmacies and drug stores make up 0.22% of the 95,494 business establishments in the state.
Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Utah has 6.1 pharmacies and drug stores, 50.5% below the national rate of 12.3. The average establishment has 18.1 employees against 16.5 nationally. Payroll per employee is $38,793, 12.8% below the U.S. figure of $44,477.
| Measure | Utah | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Establishments | 213 | 41,792 |
| Mid-March employees | 3,851 | 691,152 |
| Annual payroll | $149,390,000 | $30,740,561,000 |
| Employees per establishment | 18.1 | 16.5 |
| Payroll per employee | $38,793 | $44,477 |
| Establishments per 100,000 residents | 6.1 | 12.3 |
Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.
Where pharmacies and drug stores in Utah are concentrated
Census published pharmacy counts for 7 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Utah. The largest is Salt Lake City, UT, with 84 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 86% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.
| Area | Establishments | Employees | Per 100k residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City, UT | 84 | 1,649 | 6.5 |
| Ogden, UT | 40 | 629 | 6.0 |
| Provo, UT | 36 | 707 | 4.7 |
| St. George, UT | 17 | 255 | 8.2 |
| Logan, UT-ID | 9 | 144 | 5.6 |
| Cedar City, UT | 7 | 122 | 10.6 |
| Brigham City, UT-ID | 3 | 43 | 4.3 |
Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023; population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates.
Team sizes at pharmacies and drug stores in Utah
16.0% of Utah's pharmacies and drug stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 18.4% nationally. 30.0% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.
| Employment size | Establishments | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 employees | 34 | 16.0% | 18.4% |
| 5–9 employees | 30 | 14.1% | 20.3% |
| 10–19 employees | 49 | 23.0% | 16.4% |
| 20–49 employees | 96 | 45.1% | 43.4% |
| 50 or more employees | 4 | 1.9% | 1.6% |
Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Calls a pharmacy in Utah has to catch
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.
Calls a pharmacy in Utah might handle in a typical week include:
- A customer calls to ask about vaccine availability.
- The pharmacy calls a prescriber for a refill authorization.
- A customer calls to request a refill.
Calls after closing time
After-hours messages are mostly refill requests that staff can process at opening.
Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.
What a phone system costs a pharmacy in Utah
Pharmacies and drug stores in Utah average 18.1 employees, so the comparison uses an 18-person team. Priced per seat, 18 users would run $540.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $449.10 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 18 people cost $359.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.
The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $2,172. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.
| Provider (plan) | Pricing basis | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callata (Callata Office) | $99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user | $359.00 | $4,308.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $342.00 | $4,104.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $414.00 | $4,968.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $449.10 | $5,389.20 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $486.00 | $5,832.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $540.00 | $6,480.00 |
Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.
Area codes in Utah
Utah has 3 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your customers know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.
| Area code | Exchanges | Time zone | In service since | Overlay with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 801 | 783 | Mountain | 1947 | 385 |
| 435 | 501 | Mountain | 1997 | none |
| 385 | 494 | Mountain | 2009 | 801 |
Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.
How Callata works for pharmacies and drug stores in Utah
For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.
If you already have a number in Utah, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.
Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 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.
Frequently asked questions
How many pharmacies and drug stores are in Utah?
213 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 3,851 people in mid-March.
Which Utah metro area has the most pharmacies and drug stores?
Salt Lake City, UT, with 84 establishments in 2023.
What does a phone system cost an 18-person pharmacy?
$540.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $449.10 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $359.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).
Do I need to register to text customers from a Utah number?
Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.