Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC, 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 Asheville, NC are those of general internal medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $204,260. The second highest-paying jobs are those of obstetricians and gynecologists, with an average salary of $199,770.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Asheville, NC 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 Asheville, NC in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$204,260	$55,980	50
2	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$199,770	$208,510	60
3	Family Medicine Physicians	$194,440	$144,370	120
4	Chief Executives	$185,570	$101,830	70
5	Nurse Anesthetists	$178,030	$164,570	170
6	General Pediatricians	$176,490	$119,640	120
7	General Dentists	$161,990	$104,570	290
8	Psychiatrists	$155,570	$76,860	30
9	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$135,370	$99,390	130
10	Pharmacists	$130,340	$85,620	520
11	Optometrists	$130,000	$79,780	40
12	Data Scientists	$124,890	$60,560	60
13	Financial Managers	$124,300	$72,420	430
14	Natural Sciences Managers	$124,200	$95,220	40
15	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$123,690	$77,880	270
16	Physician Assistants	$121,010	$95,820	400
17	Industrial Production Managers	$105,680	$63,120	340
18	Software Developers	$105,430	$56,490	850
19	Nurse Practitioners	$104,930	$96,550	500
20	Veterinarians	$104,030	$76,530	180
21	Medical and Health Services Managers	$101,510	$72,660	710
22	Purchasing Managers	$101,480	$66,200	60
23	Marketing Managers	$101,450	$65,410	190
24	Public Relations Managers	$100,350	$62,680	40
25	Human Resources Managers	$98,990	$64,130	180
26	Computer Network Architects	$96,560	$63,540	90
27	Lawyers	$94,680	$47,150	660
28	Sales Engineers	$93,540	$74,660	50
29	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$92,440	$52,770	170
30	Construction Managers	$89,940	$54,600	930
31	Information Security Analysts	$86,970	$47,980	60
32	Personal Financial Advisors	$86,950	$36,390	440
33	Electrical Engineers	$86,310	$61,330	260
34	Other Biological Scientists	$86,070	$56,530	30
35	Training and Development Managers	$85,790	$56,900	50
36	Engineers, All Other	$85,700	$51,250	60
37	Occupational Therapists	$85,040	$60,220	160
38	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$84,990	$49,050	110
39	Facilities Managers	$84,850	$51,810	110
40	Industrial Engineers	$83,530	$61,310	490
41	Management Analysts	$83,420	$52,490	380
42	Physical Therapists	$83,370	$68,060	350
43	General and Operations Managers	$83,050	$40,600	3,860
44	All Other Managers	$82,990	$51,010	560
45	Computer Programmers	$82,970	$38,740	90
46	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$82,790	$74,250	30
47	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$82,580	$37,950	130
48	Administrative Services Managers	$82,450	$58,340	200
49	Web Developers	$81,060	$45,680	60
50	Mechanical Engineers	$80,800	$48,000	260
51	Other Physical Scientists	$80,430	$48,550	80
52	Civil Engineers	$80,400	$62,790	330
53	Sales Managers	$80,310	$47,750	430
54	Computer Occupations, All Other	$80,310	$44,260	150
55	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$80,260	$27,670	60
56	Computer Systems Analysts	$79,980	$46,080	270
57	Other Education Administrators	$79,830	$43,890	50
58	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$79,720	$48,900	70
59	Fundraising Managers	$79,700	$58,750	70
60	Orthotists and Prosthetists	$78,480	$31,210	30
61	Environmental Engineers	$78,110	$60,320	50
62	Dental Hygienists	$77,880	$65,950	360
63	Real Estate Brokers	$77,740	$55,290	110
64	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$77,530	$61,510	50
65	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$77,090	$50,990	380
66	Labor Relations Specialists	$76,740	$48,350	30
67	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$76,390	$46,290	200
68	Registered Nurses	$76,150	$53,620	5,480
69	Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers	$76,110	$55,400	130
70	Project Management Specialists	$75,930	$46,630	520
71	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$75,730	$58,830	140
72	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$75,540	$46,060	120
73	Financial Analysts	$75,450	$47,200	70
74	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$75,290	$51,750	280
75	Other Social Workers	$75,030	$36,230	80
76	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$74,950	$62,360	50
77	Database Administrators	$74,540	$42,590	30
78	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$73,700	$51,640	280
79	Accountants and Auditors	$73,340	$47,320	1,700
80	All Other Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners	$70,620	$66,210	40
81	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$69,180	$58,940	120
82	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$68,260	$46,290	110
83	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$68,010	$39,630	90
84	Other Financial Specialists	$67,500	$49,210	90
85	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$66,740	$45,270	60
86	Technical Writers	$66,700	$34,420	50
87	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$66,270	$40,440	140
88	Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	$65,960	$33,800	50
89	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$65,950	$57,580	70
90	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$65,910	$50,500	60
91	Loan Officers	$65,410	$36,690	310
92	Speech-Language Pathologists	$65,120	$50,000	300
93	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$64,910	$46,920	90
94	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$64,360	$41,290	100
95	Cost Estimators	$64,200	$39,220	290
96	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$64,170	$39,230	90
97	Other Business Operations Specialists	$63,920	$41,930	840
98	Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers	$63,750	$48,110	50
99	Respiratory Therapists	$63,680	$51,560	160
100	Surveyors	$62,470	$37,870	80

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Pediatricians	$169,660
2	Chief Executives	$168,340
3	Nurse Anesthetists	$165,900
4	General Dentists	$163,650
5	Psychiatrists	$155,570
6	Pharmacists	$128,190
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,950
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$126,500
9	Financial Managers	$124,320
10	Optometrists	$121,010

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$182,560
2	Psychiatrists	$174,690
3	General Dentists	$166,050
4	General Pediatricians	$160,450
5	Nurse Anesthetists	$153,990
6	Pharmacists	$121,090
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$120,150
8	Optometrists	$112,360
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$107,420
10	Other Psychologists	$106,450

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$199,770
2	General Dentists	$183,640
3	Psychiatrists	$168,190
4	Chief Executives	$167,170
5	General Pediatricians	$159,570
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$125,140
7	Pharmacists	$123,780
8	Optometrists	$111,990
9	Purchasing Managers	$107,880
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$104,960

Also see The most popular jobs in Asheville, NC.

Also see The most popular jobs in North Carolina, The top paying jobs in North Carolina.