Highest Paying Jobs in Michigan

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

Highest Occupation Median

$485,920

Radiologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$269,837

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

100

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Michigan by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Radiologists pays a state median of $485,920, +15% above the national median of $420,860 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 100 are at least $100,000 per year in Michigan. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $394,411. 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, 40 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in Michigan. 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 Radiologists $485,920
2 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $428,570
3 Cardiologists $419,030
4 Emergency Medicine Physicians $417,760
5 Dermatologists $414,910
6 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $413,450
7 Surgeons, All Other $412,460
8 Orthodontists $357,090
9 Physicians, Pathologists $303,070
10 Psychiatrists $291,850
11 Chief Executives $255,560
12 Nurse Anesthetists $247,010
13 Dentists, All Other Specialists $229,150
14 Family Medicine Physicians $214,070
15 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $209,650
16 Pediatricians, General $204,690
17 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $179,720
18 Dentists, General $169,930
19 Architectural and Engineering Managers $166,930
20 Computer and Information Systems Managers $163,760
21 Podiatrists $162,140
22 Physicians, All Other $155,480
23 Compensation and Benefits Managers $151,620
24 General Internal Medicine Physicians $149,990
25 Purchasing Managers $142,120
26 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $141,680
27 Financial Managers $139,370
28 Human Resources Managers $138,930
29 Marketing Managers $138,510
30 Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary $138,130
31 Medical Dosimetrists $137,970
32 Pharmacists $137,860
33 Sales Managers $136,870
34 Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $136,130
35 Optometrists $135,650
36 Managers, All Other $134,260
37 Physician Assistants $131,510
38 Nurse Practitioners $131,450
39 Database Architects $131,000
40 Lawyers $130,520
41 Nuclear Engineers $129,940
42 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $129,400
43 Natural Sciences Managers $129,070
44 Aerospace Engineers $128,960
45 Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $127,420
46 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $127,230
47 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $127,200
48 Commercial Pilots $126,670
49 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $125,650
50 Software Developers $125,570
51 Veterinarians $125,390
52 Nurse Midwives $125,140
53 Engineers, All Other $121,000
54 Industrial Production Managers $120,660
55 Computer Hardware Engineers $119,670
56 Air Traffic Controllers $118,930
57 Physical Scientists, All Other $118,870
58 Training and Development Managers $118,630
59 Public Relations Managers $117,900
60 Power Distributors and Dispatchers $116,780
61 Sales Engineers $114,180
62 Fundraising Managers $113,360
63 Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $112,730
64 Computer Network Architects $112,040
65 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $111,190
66 Biochemists and Biophysicists $109,340
67 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $109,090
68 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $108,970
69 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $108,500
70 Administrative Services Managers $108,210
71 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $107,780
72 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $107,690
73 Medical and Health Services Managers $107,570
74 Materials Scientists $107,410
75 Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary $107,060
76 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $106,890
77 Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $106,600
78 Economists $106,350
79 Information Security Analysts $106,230
80 Electrical Engineers $106,070
81 Power Plant Operators $105,820
82 Computer Occupations, All Other $105,680
83 Environmental Engineers $105,080
84 Mechanical Engineers $104,890
85 Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary $104,890
86 Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $104,780
87 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $104,020
88 Financial Risk Specialists $103,940
89 Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary $103,620
90 Computer Systems Analysts $103,410
91 Construction Managers $103,230
92 Chemical Engineers $103,230
93 Atmospheric and Space Scientists $103,210
94 Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary $102,870
95 Statisticians $102,710
96 Commercial and Industrial Designers $102,160
97 Gambling Managers $101,860
98 Industrial Engineers $101,680
99 Advertising and Promotions Managers $101,610
100 Survey Researchers $101,550

More ways to explore Michigan 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 Michigan. The "Difference" column shows how Michigan 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 Michigan.

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.