Every state has a single occupation that out-pays everything else. Missouri leads with Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $842,800/yr — see the full state-by-state list.
Every state has one occupation that out-pays the rest. The May 2025 BLS OEWS release lets us identify the single highest-paying job in each of the 50 states plus DC — and the answers say a lot about each state's economy.
The State With the Highest Top Salary
Missouri takes the top spot: Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric earn a median of $842,800 per year. By contrast, the highest-paying job in Wyoming (Family Medicine Physicians) tops out at $264,580 — still strong, but a $578,220 gap from the top.
Highest-Paying Occupation in Every State (2025)
Sorted alphabetically by state. Click any state for the full salary breakdown across all occupations there.
You'll notice a pattern: surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other physician roles top the list in nearly every state. That's not coincidence — physician supply is constrained by a long, expensive training pipeline plus residency caps, while demand keeps rising with an aging population. The combination keeps median pay high in every market.
Compare Salaries State-by-State
Look up any of 800+ occupations across all 50 states with percentile breakdowns and after-tax calculations in our salary database. Or see the full national picture in our State of US Salaries 2025 report.
Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS survey, May 2025 release. Highest median salary per state across 800+ occupations.
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