Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in Arkansas is Dermatologists, with a median salary of $422,060 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in AR based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025
See how Arkansas compares to other states. Click any state for its top-paying jobs.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dermatologists | $422,060 | $378,500 | 40 |
| 2 | Neurologists | $317,880 | $296,780 | 70 |
| 3 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $262,470 | $332,090 | 350 |
| 4 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $259,320 | $255,110 | 30 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $233,130 | $210,540 | 290 |
| 6 | Nurse Anesthetists | $224,280 | $198,540 | N/A |
| 7 | Family Medicine Physicians | $215,820 | $232,230 | 290 |
| 8 | Physicians, Pathologists | $214,100 | $221,970 | 130 |
| 9 | Dentists, General | $178,930 | $174,280 | 1,210 |
| 10 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $168,970 | $152,980 | 250 |
| 11 | Pediatricians, General | $160,440 | $182,700 | 100 |
| 12 | Purchasing Managers | $156,450 | $159,840 | 930 |
| 13 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $140,600 | $148,470 | 1,220 |
| 14 | Medical Dosimetrists | $138,260 | $145,390 | 30 |
| 15 | Marketing Managers | $136,520 | $148,230 | 1,860 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | $136,060 | $135,780 | 2,900 |
| 17 | Physicists | $135,820 | $146,880 | 60 |
| 18 | Sales Engineers | $130,760 | $113,010 | 30 |
| 19 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $127,220 | $138,910 | 3,420 |
| 20 | Nurse Practitioners | $125,660 | $130,260 | 3,970 |
| 21 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $124,890 | $205,560 | 2,080 |
| 22 | Psychiatrists | $124,750 | $182,100 | 150 |
| 23 | Optometrists | $124,470 | $125,460 | 320 |
| 24 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $120,290 | $120,220 | 160 |
| 25 | Chief Executives | $119,990 | $164,930 | 3,550 |
The top-paying careers in Arkansas are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Dermatologists, pays $359,324 more than the state average of $62,735 per year.
At the 90th percentile, experienced Dermatologists professionals in AR can earn up to $545,080 annually — making it one of the most lucrative career paths in the state.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $119,990, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
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See how Arkansas's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.