Highest Paying Jobs in Pennsylvania

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

Highest Occupation Median

$579,120

Cardiologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$272,016

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

100

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Pennsylvania by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Cardiologists pays a state median of $579,120, +17% above the national median of $496,010 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 100 are at least $100,000 per year in Pennsylvania. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $401,749. 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, 33 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in Pennsylvania. 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 Cardiologists $579,120
2 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons $553,740
3 Anesthesiologists $461,390
4 Radiologists $455,380
5 Physicians, Pathologists $413,370
6 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $354,020
7 Orthodontists $311,180
8 Family Medicine Physicians $306,030
9 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $304,290
10 Psychiatrists $278,970
11 Chief Executives $232,560
12 Pediatricians, General $226,440
13 Nurse Anesthetists $221,530
14 Physicians, All Other $217,310
15 General Internal Medicine Physicians $213,310
16 Physicists $210,990
17 Dentists, All Other Specialists $195,150
18 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $164,990
19 Architectural and Engineering Managers $164,690
20 Computer and Information Systems Managers $163,910
21 Dentists, General $163,390
22 Lawyers $157,180
23 Podiatrists $155,050
24 Marketing Managers $150,810
25 Financial Managers $145,610
26 Medical Dosimetrists $142,850
27 Purchasing Managers $141,790
28 Political Scientists $140,020
29 Compensation and Benefits Managers $139,040
30 Pharmacists $138,160
31 Natural Sciences Managers $137,900
32 Optometrists $135,400
33 Physical Scientists, All Other $134,780
34 Biochemists and Biophysicists $134,090
35 Commercial Pilots $134,030
36 Aerospace Engineers $133,940
37 Veterinarians $133,520
38 Nuclear Engineers $133,250
39 Human Resources Managers $133,060
40 Air Traffic Controllers $132,350
41 Computer Network Architects $131,840
42 Managers, All Other $131,600
43 Sales Managers $130,610
44 Computer and Information Research Scientists $130,300
45 Nurse Practitioners $130,140
46 Physician Assistants $127,070
47 Software Developers $126,550
48 Actuaries $125,040
49 Nuclear Technicians $124,070
50 Advertising and Promotions Managers $122,940
51 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $122,560
52 Training and Development Managers $122,150
53 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $121,730
54 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $121,310
55 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $121,260
56 Nurse Midwives $119,990
57 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $118,710
58 Public Relations Managers $118,050
59 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $117,970
60 Information Security Analysts $117,770
61 Avionics Technicians $117,470
62 Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $117,250
63 Chemical Engineers $116,970
64 Economists $115,000
65 Fundraising Managers $111,280
66 Electrical Engineers $110,820
67 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $110,580
68 Industrial Production Managers $109,140
69 Engineers, All Other $108,950
70 Construction Managers $108,250
71 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,920
72 Computer Occupations, All Other $107,230
73 Materials Scientists $106,920
74 Data Scientists $106,850
75 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $106,230
76 Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $105,650
77 Administrative Services Managers $105,640
78 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $105,240
79 Personal Financial Advisors $105,200
80 Funeral Home Managers $104,400
81 Web and Digital Interface Designers $104,160
82 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $103,790
83 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $103,740
84 Medical and Health Services Managers $103,670
85 Environmental Engineers $103,330
86 Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other $103,150
87 General and Operations Managers $103,130
88 Financial Risk Specialists $103,040
89 Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers $103,010
90 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $102,400
91 Petroleum Engineers $101,880
92 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $101,760
93 Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary $101,740
94 Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $101,660
95 Physical Therapists $101,380
96 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $101,050
97 Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary $100,880
98 Biological Scientists, All Other $100,780
99 Radiation Therapists $100,540
100 Project Management Specialists $100,150

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

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.