diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index dc4e6e23c3..ee3791a3ae 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMCTL_BINARY_PATH',                      join_paths(rootbin
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_TTY_ASK_PASSWORD_AGENT_BINARY_PATH', join_paths(rootbindir, 'systemd-tty-ask-password-agent'))
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_STDIO_BRIDGE_BINARY_PATH',           join_paths(bindir, 'systemd-stdio-bridge'))
 conf.set_quoted('ROOTPREFIX',                                 rootprefixdir)
+conf.set_quoted('ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH',                         rootprefixdir_noslash)
 conf.set_quoted('RANDOM_SEED_DIR',                            randomseeddir)
 conf.set_quoted('RANDOM_SEED',                                join_paths(randomseeddir, 'random-seed'))
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_CRYPTSETUP_PATH',                    join_paths(rootlibexecdir, 'systemd-cryptsetup'))
diff --git a/src/core/systemd.pc.in b/src/core/systemd.pc.in
index 8424837824..3af9f99830 100644
--- a/src/core/systemd.pc.in
+++ b/src/core/systemd.pc.in
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 # considered deprecated (though there is no plan to remove them). New names
 # shall have underscores.
 
-prefix=@prefix@
+prefix=/usr
 root_prefix=@rootprefix_noslash@
 rootprefix=${root_prefix}
 sysconf_dir=@sysconfdir@
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ systemdsystemunitdir=${systemd_system_unit_dir}
 systemd_system_preset_dir=${rootprefix}/lib/systemd/system-preset
 systemdsystempresetdir=${systemd_system_preset_dir}
 
-systemd_user_unit_dir=${prefix}/lib/systemd/user
+systemd_user_unit_dir=/usr/lib/systemd/user
 systemduserunitdir=${systemd_user_unit_dir}
 
-systemd_user_preset_dir=${prefix}/lib/systemd/user-preset
+systemd_user_preset_dir=/usr/lib/systemd/user-preset
 systemduserpresetdir=${systemd_user_preset_dir}
 
 systemd_system_conf_dir=${sysconfdir}/systemd/system
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ systemduserunitpath=${systemd_user_unit_path}
 systemd_system_generator_dir=${root_prefix}/lib/systemd/system-generators
 systemdsystemgeneratordir=${systemd_system_generator_dir}
 
-systemd_user_generator_dir=${prefix}/lib/systemd/user-generators
+systemd_user_generator_dir=/usr/lib/systemd/user-generators
 systemdusergeneratordir=${systemd_user_generator_dir}
 
 systemd_system_generator_path=/run/systemd/system-generators:/etc/systemd/system-generators:/usr/local/lib/systemd/system-generators:${systemd_system_generator_dir}
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ systemdsleepdir=${systemd_sleep_dir}
 systemd_shutdown_dir=${root_prefix}/lib/systemd/system-shutdown
 systemdshutdowndir=${systemd_shutdown_dir}
 
-tmpfiles_dir=${prefix}/lib/tmpfiles.d
+tmpfiles_dir=/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d
 tmpfilesdir=${tmpfiles_dir}
 
 sysusers_dir=${rootprefix}/lib/sysusers.d
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ binfmtdir=${binfmt_dir}
 modules_load_dir=${rootprefix}/lib/modules-load.d
 modulesloaddir=${modules_load_dir}
 
-catalog_dir=${prefix}/lib/systemd/catalog
+catalog_dir=/usr/lib/systemd/catalog
 catalogdir=${catalog_dir}
 
 system_uid_max=@systemuidmax@
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-path/sd-path.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-path/sd-path.c
index 736795d1d7..26d2341c2b 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-path/sd-path.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-path/sd-path.c
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static int get_path(uint64_t type, char **buffer, const char **ret) {
                 return from_user_dir("XDG_DESKTOP_DIR", buffer, ret);
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_UTIL:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/systemd";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/systemd";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_UNIT:
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ static int get_path(uint64_t type, char **buffer, const char **ret) {
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_PRESET:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/systemd/system-preset";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/systemd/system-preset";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_USER_UNIT:
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ static int get_path(uint64_t type, char **buffer, const char **ret) {
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_USER_PRESET:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/systemd/user-preset";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/systemd/user-preset";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_CONF:
@@ -357,33 +357,31 @@ static int get_path(uint64_t type, char **buffer, const char **ret) {
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_SLEEP:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/systemd/system-sleep";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/systemd/system-sleep";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSTEMD_SHUTDOWN:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/systemd/system-shutdown";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/systemd/system-shutdown";
                 return 0;
 
-        /* FIXME: systemd.pc uses ${prefix}, but CONF_PATHS_NULSTR doesn't.
-         *        Should ${prefix} use in systemd.pc be removed? */
         case SD_PATH_TMPFILES:
                 *ret = "/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSUSERS:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/sysusers.d";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/sysusers.d";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_SYSCTL:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/sysctl.d";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/sysctl.d";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_BINFMT:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/binfmt.d";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/binfmt.d";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_MODULES_LOAD:
-                *ret = ROOTPREFIX "/lib/modules-load.d";
+                *ret = ROOTPREFIX_NOSLASH "/lib/modules-load.d";
                 return 0;
 
         case SD_PATH_CATALOG: