Highest Paying Jobs in Arkansas

Top 100 occupations ranked by median annual salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

Highest Occupation Median

$422,060

Dermatologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$190,358

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

57

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Arkansas by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Dermatologists pays a state median of $422,060, +28% above the national median of $328,730 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 57 are at least $100,000 per year in Arkansas. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $263,673. It is not a worker mean or median.

The "Difference" column subtracts or compares each state median with the corresponding national median for the same SOC code. In this list, 20 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in Arkansas. These values do not identify why the state and national estimates differ.

This ranking orders published occupation medians; it does not identify career stages, individual earning potential, or the odds of obtaining a job. The employment column contains estimated jobs in covered establishments. Occupation profiles separately show BLS projection and typical-entry education assignments where available. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. Employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, and nonproduction bonuses are outside the estimate, so review those separately for any specific offer. Open a linked profile to compare percentile boundaries, BLS education assignments, local-area estimates, and projected openings without treating one measure as a personal forecast.

# Occupation State Median
1 Dermatologists $422,060
2 Neurologists $317,880
3 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $262,470
4 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $259,320
5 Surgeons, All Other $254,940
6 General Internal Medicine Physicians $233,130
7 Dentists, All Other Specialists $232,730
8 Nurse Anesthetists $224,280
9 Family Medicine Physicians $215,820
10 Physicians, Pathologists $214,100
11 Dentists, General $178,930
12 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $168,970
13 Pediatricians, General $160,440
14 Purchasing Managers $156,450
15 Architectural and Engineering Managers $140,600
16 Medical Dosimetrists $138,260
17 Physicians, All Other $136,880
18 Marketing Managers $136,520
19 Pharmacists $136,060
20 Physicists $135,820
21 Sales Engineers $130,760
22 Computer and Information Systems Managers $127,220
23 Nurse Practitioners $125,660
24 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $124,890
25 Psychiatrists $124,750
26 Optometrists $124,470
27 Computer Hardware Engineers $120,290
28 Chief Executives $119,990
29 Natural Sciences Managers $119,430
30 Physician Assistants $118,430
31 Industrial Production Managers $118,120
32 Power Distributors and Dispatchers $117,370
33 Financial Managers $116,570
34 Psychologists, All Other $114,340
35 Computer Programmers $111,840
36 Computer Network Architects $110,400
37 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $109,830
38 Air Traffic Controllers $109,760
39 Data Scientists $109,390
40 Human Resources Managers $108,580
41 Sales Managers $108,330
42 Veterinarians $107,710
43 Occupational Therapists $106,360
44 Statisticians $105,720
45 Chemical Engineers $105,270
46 Software Developers $104,490
47 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $104,210
48 Public Relations Managers $104,170
49 Database Architects $104,070
50 Materials Engineers $103,900
51 Information Security Analysts $103,490
52 Aerospace Engineers $102,040
53 Training and Development Managers $101,830
54 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $101,590
55 Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $101,120
56 Gas Plant Operators $100,870
57 Compensation and Benefits Managers $100,810
58 Physical Therapists $99,010
59 Lawyers $98,880
60 Industrial Engineers $98,410
61 Postmasters and Mail Superintendents $97,880
62 Power Plant Operators $97,760
63 Audiologists $96,980
64 Electrical Engineers $96,860
65 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $95,630
66 Commercial Pilots $94,410
67 Medical and Health Services Managers $94,340
68 Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars $93,300
69 Commercial and Industrial Designers $92,540
70 Chemical Plant and System Operators $91,610
71 Economists $91,560
72 Facilities Managers $89,810
73 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $89,200
74 Managers, All Other $87,520
75 Computer Occupations, All Other $86,940
76 Dental Hygienists $86,760
77 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $86,580
78 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $86,330
79 Construction Managers $86,310
80 Environmental Engineers $85,280
81 Transportation Inspectors $85,130
82 Civil Engineers $85,020
83 Administrative Services Managers $84,480
84 Food Scientists and Technologists $84,330
85 Nuclear Medicine Technologists $83,670
86 Speech-Language Pathologists $83,580
87 Database Administrators $82,480
88 Biochemists and Biophysicists $82,390
89 Insurance Underwriters $82,130
90 Computer Systems Analysts $81,760
91 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $81,590
92 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $81,500
93 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $81,450
94 Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other $81,330
95 Financial and Investment Analysts $81,110
96 Mechanical Engineers $80,180
97 Judicial Law Clerks $80,150
98 Personal Financial Advisors $79,420
99 Radiation Therapists $78,950
100 Registered Nurses $78,940

More ways to explore Arkansas pay and compare with national data.

About This Data

All salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. State-level data reflects wages for workers employed in Arkansas. The "Difference" column shows how Arkansas pay compares to the national median for that occupation.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Rankings by median annual salary in Arkansas.

National benchmark comparisons computed against BLS OEWS National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. These figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level wage data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.