- Various medical specializations are the highest-paying job in 39 US states and DC as of May 2019.
- Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we found the highest-paying job, excluding doctors and dentists, in each state and DC.
- CEOs are at the top of the list in 22 states and DC.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Doctors make a lot of money across the board, but other professions can also pay well.
Medical doctors of various specializations are the highest-paying job in 39 US states. We decided to take a look at the highest-paying job in each state and DC outside of the medical field.
Using salary and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics program, we found the jobs for which the BLS reported at least 1,000 employees in the state with the highest average salary in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, excluding several professions for medical doctors and dentists.
To get a sense of what occupations other than doctors are well paid across the US, we excluded family medicine physicians, surgeons, dentists, anesthesiologists, general internal medicine physicians, obstetricians and gynecologists, and all other general physicians.
CEOs dominate the non-medical occupations, with chief executives being the highest-paying occupation in 22 states and DC. Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers are the top-paying jobs other than doctors in six states.
Below we included the 14 different high-paying jobs across the US, apart from doctors, in alphabetical order. We also included their mean annual salary in each state and DC.
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
What they do, according to O*NET: Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo.
Alaska: $171,030
Colorado: $186,620
Florida: $226,930
Michigan: $238,270
Nevada: $234,750
Washington: $234,060
Architectural and engineering managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
Idaho: $145,860
Louisiana: $152,070
New Hampshire: $158,180
Chief executives
What they do, according to O*NET: Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body.
Alabama: $193,110
Arizona: $183,660
District of Columbia: $235,450
Indiana: $161,410
Iowa: $155,180
Kansas: $164,760
Kentucky: $148,350
Massachusetts: $219,550
Minnesota: $195,920
Missouri: $172,430
Nebraska: $203,810
North Carolina: $206,390
Ohio: $196,440
Oklahoma: $157,590
Oregon: $212,010
Pennsylvania: $228,620
South Carolina: $179,530
Tennessee: $158,280
Texas: $231,310
Utah: $162,660
Virginia: $225,950
Wisconsin: $159,500
Computer and information systems managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.
Maryland: $157,200
New Jersey: $181,620
Financial managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate financial activities.
Connecticut: $167,000
North Dakota: $133,980
Rhode Island: $161,880
Vermont: $105,160
General and operations managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of public or private organizations.
South Dakota: $128,890
Wyoming: $102,040
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
What they do, according to O*NET: Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.
Mississippi: $150,240
Marketing managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers.
Arkansas: $152,410
Medical and health services managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
Hawaii: $133,320
Nurse anesthetists
What they do, according to O*NET: Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.
Georgia: $174,310
Pharmacists
What they do, according to O*NET: Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use.
Maine: $134,670
Montana: $115,270
West Virginia: $123,030
Physicists
What they do, according to O*NET: Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
New Mexico: $166,720
Psychiatrists
What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind.
California: $236,930
Illinois: $246,090
New York: $216,280
Sales managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.
Delaware: $177,560