Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA are those of family medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $231,120. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $168,440.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Ames, IA has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in Ames, IA in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$231,120	$50,030	60
2	Chief Executives	$168,440	$39,200	100
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$132,240	$101,360	100
4	Lawyers	$130,950	$61,090	100
5	Sales Managers	$130,580	$80,160	50
6	Pharmacists	$129,060	$102,800	60
7	Marketing Managers	$128,660	$76,700	70
8	Nurse Practitioners	$122,180	$101,670	70
9	Physician Assistants	$121,980	$71,250	40
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$118,270	$85,620	180
11	All Other Managers	$109,990	$79,990	100
12	Human Resources Managers	$108,850	$78,240	40
13	Financial Managers	$108,410	$72,450	240
14	Software Developers	$105,730	$66,700	340
15	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$102,960	$78,140	70
16	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$100,600	$54,740	50
17	Medical and Health Services Managers	$99,010	$64,160	190
18	Industrial Production Managers	$98,040	$78,560	80
19	Natural Sciences Managers	$97,780	$58,740	60
20	Industrial Engineers	$97,230	$68,600	210
21	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$95,420	$68,830	70
22	Mechanical Engineers	$93,950	$60,780	210
23	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$93,590	$74,340	30
24	Computer Systems Analysts	$91,640	$59,610	180
25	Civil Engineers	$90,190	$61,650	270
26	Personal Financial Advisors	$88,810	$46,700	40
27	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$88,490	$59,140	90
28	Financial Analysts	$88,400	$61,700	30
29	Information Security Analysts	$87,810	$36,860	30
30	Computer Occupations, All Other	$87,400	$63,720	70
31	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$85,340	$67,290	60
32	Physical Therapists	$83,790	$67,190	80
33	Speech-Language Pathologists	$83,210	$60,210	30
34	Construction Managers	$82,660	$70,000	80
35	Project Management Specialists	$82,390	$48,540	220
36	Other Biological Scientists	$82,220	$50,970	60
37	Facilities Managers	$81,660	$60,660	60
38	Logisticians	$80,610	$52,690	100
39	Budget Analysts	$79,580	$52,620	70
40	Veterinarians	$79,580	$31,370	110
41	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$79,310	$52,370	60
42	Computer Programmers	$79,290	$44,550	40
43	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$78,550	$58,300	60
44	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$78,360	$48,370	40
45	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$77,790	$53,330	50
46	Dental Hygienists	$77,640	$63,760	90
47	General and Operations Managers	$76,640	$36,990	970
48	Loan Officers	$76,540	$46,850	60
49	Chemists	$76,540	$59,400	40
50	Cost Estimators	$73,830	$50,220	90
51	Training and Development Specialists	$72,810	$31,650	90
52	Civil Engineering Technicians	$72,570	$37,560	130
53	Computer Network Support Specialists	$71,230	$52,900	130
54	Construction and Building Inspectors	$68,790	$61,110	50
55	Food Service Managers	$67,500	$46,540	40
56	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$67,390	$43,630	170
57	Data Scientists	$67,290	$51,180	70
58	Management Analysts	$67,020	$53,660	160
59	Instructional Coordinators	$66,510	$50,420	90
60	Animal Scientists	$66,250	$44,230	50
61	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$66,220	$49,940	240
62	Accountants and Auditors	$65,440	$46,530	420
63	Registered Nurses	$64,540	$58,550	900
64	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$64,500	$52,570	150
65	Computer User Support Specialists	$64,460	$39,550	310
66	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$64,450	$37,680	350
67	Compliance Officers	$64,430	$50,950	170
68	Human Resources Specialists	$64,280	$39,230	200
69	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$63,350	$47,830	220
70	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$62,840	$49,880	60
71	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$62,260	$38,810	120
72	Social and Community Service Managers	$61,780	$45,990	60
73	Insurance Sales Agents	$61,510	$34,830	60
74	Biochemists and Biophysicists	$61,420	$39,790	40
75	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$61,410	$41,340	270
76	Soil and Plant Scientists	$60,830	$40,010	220
77	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$60,220	$49,870	40
78	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$60,200	$30,580	180
79	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$60,120	$36,600	270
80	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$60,070	$40,090	240
81	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$60,050	$37,840	40
82	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$60,020	$37,460	40
83	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$59,690	$40,550	50
84	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$58,810	$37,500	190
85	Other Business Operations Specialists	$58,530	$18,900	800
86	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$58,530	$34,190	60
87	Sheet Metal Workers	$58,330	$36,570	30
88	Physical Therapist Assistants	$58,140	$46,660	30
89	Public Relations Specialists	$58,050	$41,170	190
90	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$57,770	$40,240	130
91	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$57,250	$37,820	150
92	Radiologic Technologists	$56,460	$40,920	80
93	Highway Maintenance Workers	$55,000	$39,460	80
94	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	$54,950	$36,660	40
95	Chefs and Head Cooks	$54,190	$34,250	40
96	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$53,900	$39,640	100
97	Biological Technicians	$52,980	$32,550	190
98	Electricians	$52,920	$35,650	160
99	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$52,810	$40,410	160
100	Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians	$52,790	$45,560	90

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$157,750
2	Chief Executives	$157,540
3	Sales Managers	$127,240
4	Pharmacists	$127,240
5	Marketing Managers	$126,660
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$126,500
7	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$120,010
8	All Other Managers	$112,510
9	Natural Sciences Managers	$110,550
10	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$105,830

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Sales Managers	$148,600
2	Pharmacists	$135,310
3	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$126,630
4	Computer Network Architects	$123,860
5	Natural Sciences Managers	$118,240
6	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$113,050
7	Nurse Practitioners	$109,760
8	General Dentists	$105,330
9	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$103,720
10	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$99,920

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Sales Managers	$144,990
2	Pharmacists	$136,710
3	Natural Sciences Managers	$120,660
4	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$120,450
5	Computer Network Architects	$117,050
6	Physical Therapists	$107,260
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$106,140
8	Financial Managers	$101,550
9	All Other Personal Service Managers, Entertainment Managers, Except Gambling; and Managers	$100,170
10	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$99,810

Also see The most popular jobs in Ames, IA.

Also see The most popular jobs in Iowa, The top paying jobs in Iowa.