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It’s true that there are a lot of things in life more important than money. However, you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that money represents more than just the ability to buy things. After all, for the vast majority of people around the world, an hourly wage represents the price at which one sells their life. Your time should be priceless, but the reality is that it’s one of the many things money can buy.
As such, taking a long look at the highest-paid profession in your area can tell you a lot about what really matters to people. The fact that their services are so valuable often speaks to the importance of their role or how specialized their skill set is. To find the most lucrative jobs across America, GOBankingRates compiled the highest-paid profession in each state, using the mean annual wage as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, one pattern that immediately emerges is that a few jobs — like CEOs and/or medical experts — top those lists in every state. So, to give a better sense of how each state differs from each other, this study omits medical professionals and chief executives. So, other than doctors, what profession do you think earns top dollar in your state?
Last updated: July 27, 2020
Alabama: Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
- Salary: $145,820
- Total employment: 100
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Alaska: Airline Pilots, Copilots and Flight Engineers
- Salary: $151,460
- Total employment: 1,460
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s and non-degree award
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Arizona: Nuclear Engineers
- Salary: $149,120
- Total employment: N/A
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Arkansas: Marketing Managers
- Salary: $145,140
- Total employment: 1,320
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
California: Airline Pilots, Copilots and Flight Engineers
- Salary: $204,760
- Total employment: 10,340
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s and non-degree award
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Connecticut: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $183,630
- Total employment: 240
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Delaware: Sales Managers
- Salary: $165,250
- Total employment: 1,020
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: Less than 5 years
District of Columbia: Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
- Salary: $169,600
- Total employment: 5,990
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Florida: Petroleum Engineers
- Salary: $171,880
- Total employment: N/A
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Georgia: Law Teachers, Postsecondary
- Salary: $165,400
- Total employment: 100
- Education requirement: Doctoral
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Hawaii: Astronomers
- Salary: $133,560
- Total employment: 100
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: None
Idaho: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $142,490
- Total employment: 1,290
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Indiana: Petroleum Engineers
- Salary: $185,440
- Total employment: N/A
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Iowa: Sales Engineers
- Salary: $135,370
- Total employment: 170
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Kansas: Physicists
- Salary: $179,690
- Total employment: 30
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: None
Kentucky: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $134,310
- Total employment: 300
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Louisiana: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $150,180
- Total employment: 1,390
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Maine: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $130,860
- Total employment: 90
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Maryland: Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Salary: $151,370
- Total employment: 11,730
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Massachusetts: Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary
- Salary: $174,300
- Total employment: 340
- Education requirement: Doctoral
- Work experience requirement: Less than 5 years
Michigan: Sales Managers
- Salary: $133,730
- Total employment: 9,440
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: Less than 5 years
Minnesota: Law Teachers, Postsecondary
- Salary: $164,050
- Total employment: N/A
- Education requirement: Doctoral
- Work experience requirement: 6 years or more
Still Hiring: 20 Hot Jobs That Pay More Than $150,000
Mississippi: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $123,720
- Total employment: 920
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Missouri: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $145,310
- Total employment: 560
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Montana: Petroleum Engineers
- Salary: $126,760
- Total employment: 190
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Nebraska: Law Teachers, Postsecondary
- Salary: $155,190
- Total employment: 100
- Education requirement: Doctoral
- Work experience requirement: 7 years or more
Nevada: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $168,180
- Total employment: 230
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
New Hampshire: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $152,840
- Total employment: 1,550
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
New Jersey: Compensation and Benefits Managers
- Salary: $175,250
- Total employment: 430
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
New Mexico: Physicists
- Salary: $167,200
- Total employment: 1,740
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: None
New York: Financial Managers
- Salary: $197,080
- Total employment: 46,100
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
North Carolina: Natural Sciences Managers
- Salary: $142,140
- Total employment: 3,390
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
North Dakota: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $145,470
- Total employment: 120
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Ohio: Air Traffic Controllers
- Salary: $137,760
- Total employment: 720
- Education requirement: Associate’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Oklahoma: Physicists
- Salary: $181,380
- Total employment: 40
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: None
Pennsylvania: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $145,200
- Total employment: 7,070
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Rhode Island: Compensation and Benefits Managers
- Salary: $162,170
- Total employment: 50
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
South Carolina: Physical Scientists
- Salary: $128,770
- Total employment: 50
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
South Dakota: Marketing Managers
- Salary: $139,360
- Total employment: 70
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Tennessee: Nuclear Engineers
- Salary: $128,990
- Total employment: 460
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: None
Texas: Airline Pilots, Copilots and Flight Engineers
- Salary: $161,250
- Total employment: N/A
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s and non-degree award
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Vermont: Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates
- Salary: $140,280
- Total employment: 60
- Education requirement: Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Virginia: Marketing Managers
- Salary: $166,530
- Total employment: 5,150
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Washington: Commercial Divers
- Salary: $171,010
- Total employment: 90
- Education requirement: Postsecondary non-degree award
- Work experience requirement: None
West Virginia: Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Salary: $134,040
- Total employment: 510
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
Wisconsin: Sales Managers
- Salary: $126,350
- Total employment: 4,570
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: Less than 5 years
Wyoming: Industrial Production Managers
- Salary: $127,980
- Total employment: 440
- Education requirement: Bachelor’s
- Work experience requirement: 5 years or more
More From GOBankingRates
Methodology: GOBankingRates used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) May 2019 employment and wage data to find the highest-paying job in every state in terms of annual median wage, excluding healthcare professionals and chief executive officers. Supplemental information on each job’s total employment in the state and median hourly wage from the same source and on each job’s education and experience requirements from the BLS’ Occupational Outlook Handbook was also provided. All data was collected on and up to date as of July 17, 2020.
