Highest Paying Jobs in District of Columbia

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

Highest Occupation Median

$332,000

Neurologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$202,024

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

100

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking is drawn from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release for District of Columbia. The top occupation's state median is +34% above the national median of $248,560 for the same role. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $236,185. 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, 87 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in District of Columbia. 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	National	Difference	Estimated Jobs
1	Neurologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$332,000	$248,560	+34% above	50
2	Emergency Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$318,200	$335,550	5% below	120
3	Podiatrists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$265,740	$160,300	+66% above	N/A
4	Family Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$233,390	$244,180	4% below	150
5	General Internal Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$223,250	$256,560	13% below	490
6	Anesthesiologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$202,570	$391,490	48% below	100
7	Financial Examiners Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$198,720	$94,160	+111% above	470
8	Public Relations Managers Management Occupations	$197,600	$146,910	+35% above	7,410
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers Management Occupations	$195,190	$175,140	+11% above	5,690
10	Nuclear Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$195,190	$133,970	+46% above	230
11	Lawyers Legal Occupations	$195,190	$159,670	+22% above	33,070
12	Financial Managers Management Occupations	$188,880	$166,570	+13% above	8,930
13	Architectural and Engineering Managers Management Occupations	$185,220	$171,270	+8% above	1,290
14	Human Resources Managers Management Occupations	$184,350	$149,280	+23% above	2,250
15	Emergency Management Directors Management Occupations	$184,350	$93,330	+98% above	150
16	Psychiatrists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$183,080	$281,870	35% below	310
17	Radiologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$182,450	$420,860	57% below	80
18	Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Legal Occupations	$181,060	$117,860	+54% above	300
19	Marketing Managers Management Occupations	$177,170	$166,790	+6% above	3,470
20	Purchasing Managers Management Occupations	$175,720	$148,080	+19% above	1,110
21	Managers, All Other Management Occupations	$175,720	$141,900	+24% above	18,570
22	Marine Engineers and Naval Architects Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$172,330	$112,230	+54% above	490
23	General and Operations Managers Management Occupations	$168,000	$105,770	+59% above	36,150
24	Life Scientists, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$167,640	$93,750	+79% above	50
25	Economists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$167,590	$124,720	+34% above	3,000
26	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$167,520	$107,310	+56% above	1,460
27	Actuaries Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$166,230	$130,000	+28% above	160
28	Computer Hardware Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$163,360	$161,740	+1% above	210
29	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$161,860	$123,920	+31% above	220
30	Compensation and Benefits Managers Management Occupations	$160,990	$149,230	+8% above	130
31	Detectives and Criminal Investigators Protective Service Occupations	$160,760	$93,790	+71% above	2,980
32	Aerospace Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$157,600	$134,960	+17% above	290
33	Electronics Engineers, Except Computer Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$157,040	$130,220	+21% above	400
34	Physicists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$157,040	$172,250	9% below	480
35	Natural Sciences Managers Management Occupations	$156,730	$167,220	6% below	1,540
36	Physical Scientists, All Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$156,730	$122,570	+28% above	790
37	Computer Occupations, All Other Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$156,590	$116,580	+34% above	17,200
38	Medical and Health Services Managers Management Occupations	$155,140	$123,860	+25% above	2,010
39	Pharmacists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$153,400	$140,910	+9% above	850
40	Political Scientists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$152,530	$142,080	+7% above	3,070
41	Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$151,990	$115,210	+32% above	490
42	Engineers, All Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$151,920	$122,930	+24% above	3,560
43	Database Architects Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$150,010	$139,500	+8% above	790
44	Chemists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$149,860	$91,240	+64% above	280
45	Computer and Information Research Scientists Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$144,190	$140,300	+3% above	330
46	Advertising and Promotions Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). Management Occupations	$143,040	$133,660	+7% above	80
47	Electrical Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$143,000	$120,630	+19% above	330
48	Sales Managers Management Occupations	$141,800	$148,270	4% below	1,930
49	Fundraising Managers Management Occupations	$141,720	$125,470	+13% above	800
50	Training and Development Managers Management Occupations	$141,710	$133,000	+7% above	210
51	Education Administrators, All Other Management Occupations	$140,670	$95,200	+48% above	740
52	Statisticians Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$140,670	$105,650	+33% above	550
53	Computer Network Architects Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$137,670	$134,050	+3% above	1,490
54	Materials Scientists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$137,600	$117,790	+17% above	N/A
55	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary Management Occupations	$137,470	$105,870	+30% above	1,930
56	Dental Hygienists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$137,220	$98,100	+40% above	320
57	Urban and Regional Planners Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$137,000	$89,320	+53% above	120
58	Software Developers Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$136,880	$135,980	+1% above	6,120
59	Nurse Practitioners Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$135,880	$132,300	+3% above	680
60	Physician Assistants Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$135,140	$135,880	1% below	470
61	Information Security Analysts Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$135,090	$129,180	+5% above	1,510
62	Optometrists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$134,840	$136,570	1% below	50
63	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Protective Service Occupations	$134,760	$106,040	+27% above	1,230
64	Veterinarians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$134,530	$130,100	+3% above	190
65	Law Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$134,090	$128,500	+4% above	670
66	Mechanical Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$133,300	$104,110	+28% above	510
67	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$132,620	$82,220	+61% above	1,270
68	Credit Analysts Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$132,590	$83,510	+59% above	50
69	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers Management Occupations	$132,180	$107,230	+23% above	610
70	Writers and Authors Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	$129,300	$76,910	+68% above	1,050
71	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$128,710	$95,480	+35% above	150
72	Administrative Services Managers Management Occupations	$128,610	$114,130	+13% above	1,030
73	Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$128,440	$101,110	+27% above	2,480
74	Business Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$128,370	$99,080	+30% above	630
75	Therapists, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$127,010	$77,930	+63% above	80
76	First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers Protective Service Occupations	$126,560	$93,530	+35% above	380
77	Data Scientists Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$126,490	$120,230	+5% above	2,680
78	Construction Managers Management Occupations	$126,430	$114,990	+10% above	1,250
79	Management Analysts Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$126,140	$101,860	+24% above	19,000
80	Financial Specialists, All Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$125,110	$81,100	+54% above	2,460
81	Psychologists, All Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$125,110	$110,840	+13% above	230
82	Budget Analysts Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$124,590	$91,640	+36% above	1,490
83	Industrial Production Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). Management Occupations	$124,420	$126,060	1% below	50
84	Buyers and Purchasing Agents Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$124,090	$77,710	+60% above	1,880
85	Real Estate Sales Agents Sales and Related Occupations	$123,770	$52,830	+134% above	590
86	Surgical Assistants Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$123,390	$66,800	+85% above	90
87	Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers Construction and Extraction Occupations	$122,570	$109,910	+12% above	N/A
88	Biochemists and Biophysicists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$120,090	$127,410	6% below	70
89	Database Administrators Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$118,540	$104,620	+13% above	560
90	Historians Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$118,290	$76,750	+54% above	250
91	Technical Writers Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	$117,810	$90,390	+30% above	440
92	Computer Systems Analysts Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$116,820	$105,850	+10% above	2,480
93	Nuclear Medicine Technologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 30 workers (fewer than 100). Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$116,630	$101,370	+15% above	30
94	Printing Press Operators Production Occupations	$116,630	$45,780	+155% above	350
95	Facilities Managers Management Occupations	$115,770	$106,660	+9% above	930
96	Labor Relations Specialists Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$115,600	$95,420	+21% above	160
97	Web Developers Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$114,690	$92,650	+24% above	430
98	Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 30 workers (fewer than 100). Management Occupations	$113,930	$79,520	+43% above	30
99	Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$113,640	$65,790	+73% above	130
100	Epidemiologists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$112,370	$87,220	+29% above	90

Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.9% under 100 workers against 2.3% at 100 or more (May 2025 state estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.

More ways to explore District of Columbia pay and compare with national data.

District of Columbia Overview

Full state salary data

Fastest Growing in District of Columbia

Top 50 by growth rate

National Rankings

Highest paying jobs nationwide

Neurologists

National profile & state breakdown

All State-Area Jurisdictions

Compare across states

Compare Neurologists side-by-side with another occupation →

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 District of Columbia. The "Difference" column shows how District of Columbia pay compares to the national median for that occupation.

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.

Compiled by WageDex · August 10, 2026

Nearby & Related Pages

About This Data