Highest Paying Jobs in Rhode Island

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

Highest Salary

$512,730

Emergency Medicine Physicians

Top 25 Average

$252,697

median salary

$100K+ Jobs

100

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Rhode Island by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Emergency Medicine Physicians pays a state median of $512,730, +53% above the national median of $335,550 for the same role. Of the 100 tracked positions, 100 pay above $100,000 per year in Rhode Island - a useful threshold for separating specialist professional roles from mid-tier employment. The top-10 average sits at $370,510, giving a sense of what elite specialists inside this state actually clear.

The "Difference" column compares each state median to the corresponding national median for the same SOC code, making pay premiums and discounts immediately visible. In this list, 62 of 100 occupations pay above the national median in Rhode Island, which usually signals one of three things: a local concentration of specialized employers (finance hubs, tech clusters, research universities, federal agencies), a cost-of-living adjustment baked into state-wide wage scales, or scarce in-state talent supply bidding up competitive roles. Occupations paying below the national median are not necessarily bad news, they often reflect lower cost of living in the state or industries where Rhode Island is not a concentrated employer.

Rankings like this show ceiling-potential by specialty, but they don't tell you the odds of landing one of those roles. Pair this table with the employment column (how many workers the state actually employs in each occupation) and the growth projections on each occupation's national page to see whether the field is expanding or contracting. BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, especially distorting for top-paying roles where equity and performance compensation can represent 30-50% of total pay. Use this leaderboard to shortlist careers worth exploring in Rhode Island, then drill into each row's linked profile to check percentile spread, typical education, metro-level variation, and whether projected openings match your timeline.

#	Occupation	State Median	National	Difference	Employment
1	Emergency Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$512,730	$335,550	+53% above	290
2	Family Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$467,160	$244,180	+91% above	210
3	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$450,370	$300,080	+50% above	180
4	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$414,060	$352,220	+18% above	N/A
5	Cardiologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$395,610	$496,010	20% below	60
6	General Internal Medicine Physicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$379,490	$256,560	+48% above	300
7	Physicians, Pathologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$322,950	$312,400	+3% above	N/A
8	Psychiatrists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$287,610	$281,870	+2% above	270
9	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Legal Occupations	$239,760	$153,990	+56% above	120
10	Chief Executives Management Occupations	$235,360	$213,990	+10% above	460
11	Physicians, All Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$228,590	$265,930	14% below	1,180
12	Pediatricians, General Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$218,080	$210,040	+4% above	180
13	Surgeons, All Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$199,990	$414,010	52% below	N/A
14	Architectural and Engineering Managers Management Occupations	$175,910	$171,270	+3% above	370
15	Computer and Information Systems Managers Management Occupations	$167,270	$175,140	4% below	1,210
16	Human Resources Managers Management Occupations	$167,110	$149,280	+12% above	530
17	Financial Managers Management Occupations	$166,940	$166,570	same as	2,570
18	Obstetricians and Gynecologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$166,390	$292,910	43% below	140
19	Managers, All Other Management Occupations	$165,900	$141,900	+17% above	790
20	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$164,880	$232,140	29% below	40
21	Dentists, General Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$161,560	$170,950	5% below	360
22	Podiatrists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$159,760	$160,300	same as	50
23	Advertising and Promotions Managers Management Occupations	$157,890	$133,660	+18% above	60
24	Public Relations Managers Management Occupations	$156,080	$146,910	+6% above	210
25	Fundraising Managers Management Occupations	$155,970	$125,470	+24% above	220
26	Physicists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$155,150	$172,250	10% below	N/A
27	Sales Managers Management Occupations	$154,970	$148,270	+5% above	1,120
28	Sales Engineers Sales and Related Occupations	$149,750	$124,900	+20% above	30
29	Compensation and Benefits Managers Management Occupations	$149,340	$149,230	same as	50
30	Database Architects Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$140,320	$139,500	+1% above	160
31	Physician Assistants Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$139,930	$135,880	+3% above	810
32	Lawyers Legal Occupations	$138,960	$159,670	13% below	1,840
33	Electronics Engineers, Except Computer Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$136,360	$130,220	+5% above	970
34	Nurse Practitioners Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$135,970	$132,300	+3% above	1,180
35	Nurse Midwives Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$135,180	$134,040	+1% above	80
36	Computer Systems Analysts Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$134,630	$105,850	+27% above	1,850
37	Purchasing Managers Management Occupations	$134,560	$148,080	9% below	220
38	Optometrists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$134,520	$136,570	2% below	250
39	Computer Network Architects Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$131,320	$134,050	2% below	460
40	Psychologists, All Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$130,960	$110,840	+18% above	90
41	Software Developers Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$130,590	$135,980	4% below	5,070
42	Natural Sciences Managers Management Occupations	$130,480	$167,220	22% below	200
43	Teachers and Instructors, All Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$130,480	$66,140	+97% above	410
44	Administrative Services Managers Management Occupations	$128,980	$114,130	+13% above	780
45	Law Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$128,490	$128,500	same as	N/A
46	Pharmacists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$128,180	$140,910	9% below	1,510
47	Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$126,630	$72,990	+73% above	140
48	Veterinarians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$126,570	$130,100	3% below	430
49	Commercial Divers Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$126,320	$72,990	+73% above	N/A
50	Air Traffic Controllers Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$126,300	$148,080	15% below	50
51	Industrial Production Managers Management Occupations	$124,120	$126,060	2% below	940
52	Funeral Home Managers Management Occupations	$122,150	$78,790	+55% above	120
53	Computer and Information Research Scientists Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$121,470	$140,300	13% below	500
54	Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$121,010	$101,920	+19% above	N/A
55	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary Management Occupations	$119,980	$105,870	+13% above	1,160
56	Computer Hardware Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$119,510	$161,740	26% below	390
57	Ship Engineers Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$119,330	$109,530	+9% above	50
58	Medical and Health Services Managers Management Occupations	$119,260	$123,860	4% below	3,370
59	Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales and Related Occupations	$117,670	$104,920	+12% above	530
60	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers Management Occupations	$117,600	$107,230	+10% above	450
61	General and Operations Managers Management Occupations	$117,380	$105,770	+11% above	9,150
62	Engineers, All Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$117,080	$122,930	5% below	380
63	Training and Development Managers Management Occupations	$116,590	$133,000	12% below	100
64	Mechanical Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$116,230	$104,110	+12% above	1,560
65	Chemical Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$111,590	$125,040	11% below	50
66	Social Workers, All Other Community and Social Service Occupations	$111,590	$71,900	+55% above	90
67	Actuaries Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$111,090	$130,000	15% below	100
68	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$110,900	$74,340	+49% above	110
69	Information Security Analysts Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$109,420	$129,180	15% below	710
70	Industrial Engineers Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$109,350	$102,440	+7% above	990
71	Mathematicians Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$109,260	$126,710	14% below	100
72	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$107,980	$103,020	+5% above	30
73	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$107,490	$100,580	+7% above	420
74	Lodging Managers Management Occupations	$106,630	$69,250	+54% above	110
75	Education Administrators, Postsecondary Management Occupations	$106,520	$104,590	+2% above	1,140
76	Facilities Managers Management Occupations	$106,510	$106,660	same as	470
77	Database Administrators Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$106,020	$104,620	+1% above	280
78	Web and Digital Interface Designers Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$105,990	$104,000	+2% above	240
79	Architects, Except Landscape and Naval Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$105,160	$99,280	+6% above	550
80	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$105,060	$95,480	+10% above	140
81	Project Management Specialists Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$104,680	$102,320	+2% above	3,880
82	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$104,620	$95,320	+10% above	120
83	Financial Risk Specialists Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$104,470	$117,330	11% below	450
84	Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$104,460	$85,020	+23% above	N/A
85	Crane and Tower Operators Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$104,340	$68,080	+53% above	N/A
86	Speech-Language Pathologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$104,000	$97,870	+6% above	720
87	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$104,000	$74,310	+40% above	260
88	Nuclear Medicine Technologists Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$104,000	$101,370	+3% above	110
89	Construction Managers Management Occupations	$103,990	$114,990	10% below	450
90	Business Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$103,820	$99,080	+5% above	360
91	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$103,810	$74,330	+40% above	490
92	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$103,780	$107,310	3% below	480
93	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$103,370	$103,410	same as	670
94	Network and Computer Systems Administrators Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$103,100	$99,130	+4% above	1,060
95	Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$102,690	$109,270	6% below	N/A
96	Statisticians Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$102,620	$105,650	3% below	40
97	Data Scientists Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$102,440	$120,230	15% below	1,160
98	Technical Writers Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	$102,360	$90,390	+13% above	150
99	Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$102,300	$84,620	+21% above	250
100	Computer Occupations, All Other Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$102,210	$116,580	12% below	830

More ways to explore Rhode Island pay and compare with national data.

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Emergency Medicine Physicians

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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 Rhode Island. The "Difference" column shows how Rhode Island pay compares to the national median for that occupation.

Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. 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 Editorial, Occupational Wages Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

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