Highest Paying Jobs in Wisconsin

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

Highest Occupation Median

$636,580

Cardiologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$295,769

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

78

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Wisconsin by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Cardiologists pays a state median of $636,580, +28% above the national median of $496,010 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 78 are at least $100,000 per year in Wisconsin. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $433,444. 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, 44 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in Wisconsin. 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 $636,580
2 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $572,060
3 Anesthesiologists $443,990
4 Dermatologists $440,710
5 Surgeons, All Other $416,000
6 Radiologists $392,610
7 Physicians, All Other $391,740
8 General Internal Medicine Physicians $367,160
9 Neurologists $342,520
10 Psychiatrists $331,070
11 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $304,990
12 Family Medicine Physicians $290,640
13 Nurse Anesthetists $273,170
14 Pediatricians, General $269,790
15 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $213,890
16 Orthodontists $212,860
17 Chief Executives $208,350
18 Dentists, General $193,690
19 Podiatrists $185,100
20 Physicists $173,120
21 Computer and Information Systems Managers $160,140
22 Pharmacists $148,740
23 Medical Dosimetrists $142,300
24 Architectural and Engineering Managers $142,060
25 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $140,940
26 Financial Managers $139,720
27 Optometrists $139,720
28 Database Architects $137,810
29 Materials Scientists $137,700
30 Sales Managers $134,870
31 Physician Assistants $133,950
32 Marketing Managers $133,600
33 Human Resources Managers $133,490
34 Nurse Midwives $133,070
35 Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $132,250
36 Nurse Practitioners $131,980
37 Computer Network Architects $131,720
38 Actuaries $131,640
39 Advertising and Promotions Managers $131,530
40 Commercial Pilots $129,860
41 Natural Sciences Managers $128,890
42 Medical and Health Services Managers $128,320
43 Compensation and Benefits Managers $127,920
44 Lawyers $126,760
45 Purchasing Managers $124,990
46 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $124,960
47 Training and Development Managers $123,640
48 Fundraising Managers $123,090
49 Software Developers $122,660
50 Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers $121,620
51 Personal Financial Advisors $119,430
52 General and Operations Managers $118,730
53 Sales Engineers $117,970
54 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $117,010
55 Construction Managers $114,190
56 Public Relations Managers $113,980
57 Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $113,360
58 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $112,830
59 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $110,430
60 Engineers, All Other $110,360
61 Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $108,980
62 Veterinarians $108,780
63 Administrative Services Managers $108,450
64 Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $107,370
65 Statisticians $107,150
66 Managers, All Other $107,050
67 Data Scientists $106,680
68 Biochemists and Biophysicists $106,480
69 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $105,820
70 Personal Service Managers, All Other $104,860
71 Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other $104,330
72 Facilities Managers $103,620
73 Audiologists $102,840
74 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $102,090
75 Physical Therapists $101,840
76 Information Security Analysts $101,550
77 Computer Systems Analysts $100,440
78 Database Administrators $100,020
79 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $99,970
80 Electrical Engineers $99,700
81 Management Analysts $98,780
82 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $98,510
83 Nuclear Medicine Technologists $98,450
84 Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary $98,410
85 Financial Risk Specialists $97,820
86 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $97,730
87 Chemical Engineers $97,660
88 Boilermakers $97,590
89 Project Management Specialists $97,580
90 Physical Scientists, All Other $97,470
91 Insurance Underwriters $97,370
92 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $97,120
93 Industrial Engineers $96,980
94 Postmasters and Mail Superintendents $96,810
95 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $96,680
96 Dental Hygienists $96,540
97 First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers $96,260
98 Materials Engineers $96,210
99 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $95,950
100 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $95,900

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

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.