The highest paying job in West Virginia is General Internal Medicine Physicians, with a median salary of $234,960 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in WV based on 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024
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 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $234,960 | $254,790 | 540 |
| 2 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $231,860 | $198,990 | 40 |
| 3 | Physicians, All Other | $228,680 | $241,220 | 2,300 |
| 4 | Dermatologists | $215,740 | $190,320 | 60 |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $181,930 | $203,960 | 1,390 |
| 6 | Pediatricians, General | $181,410 | $182,710 | 70 |
| 7 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $170,750 | $187,000 | 50 |
| 8 | Anesthesiologists | $168,390 | $193,830 | 160 |
| 9 | Database Architects | $157,590 | $132,690 | 270 |
| 10 | Dentists, General | $147,440 | $171,380 | 400 |
| 11 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $145,430 | $150,140 | 950 |
| 12 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $143,800 | $152,840 | 460 |
| 13 | Purchasing Managers | $140,370 | $141,790 | 190 |
| 14 | Chemical Engineers | $139,730 | $135,390 | 210 |
| 15 | Natural Sciences Managers | $134,410 | $138,380 | 170 |
| 16 | Veterinarian | $134,290 | $135,660 | 390 |
| 17 | Pharmacist | $133,910 | $125,530 | 2,570 |
| 18 | Sales Engineers | $132,590 | $126,480 | N/A |
| 19 | Optometrists | $130,190 | $136,210 | 150 |
| 20 | Podiatrists | $128,760 | $160,330 | 50 |
| 21 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $126,770 | $127,500 | 640 |
| 22 | Managers, All Other | $126,250 | $130,090 | 3,120 |
| 23 | Physician Assistants | $122,970 | $121,130 | 960 |
| 24 | Nurse Practitioners | $121,640 | $122,140 | 2,280 |
| 25 | Computer Occupations, All Other | $113,030 | $118,760 | 3,550 |
Average Salary in West Virginia · All West Virginia Jobs · Build Your Resume →
The top-paying careers in West Virginia are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, General Internal Medicine Physicians, pays $173,430 more than the state average of $61,529 per year.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $113,030, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
See how West Virginia'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 2024 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.