Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV, 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 Charleston, WV are those of chief executive, with an average annual salary of $194,000. The second highest-paying jobs are those of nurse midwives, with an average salary of $179,860.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Chief Executives	$194,000	$82,130	220
2	Nurse Midwives	$179,860	$179,860	0
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$145,590	$89,590	110
4	Lawyers	$139,000	$66,970	800
5	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$130,750	$80,470	160
6	Industrial Engineers	$128,700	$78,790	160
7	General Dentists	$127,560	$47,140	80
8	Pharmacists	$123,780	$34,040	370
9	Industrial Production Managers	$122,800	$66,780	90
10	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$113,200	$70,460	100
11	All Other Managers	$110,830	$78,230	620
12	Sales Managers	$106,600	$59,130	150
13	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$105,810	$44,030	70
14	Medical and Health Services Managers	$105,040	$71,610	330
15	Physician Assistants	$104,610	$88,580	90
16	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$103,940	$60,360	40
17	Human Resources Managers	$102,720	$64,720	90
18	Electrical Engineers	$101,750	$66,400	60
19	Veterinarians	$100,110	$65,000	50
20	Nurse Practitioners	$99,990	$55,440	290
21	Mining and Geological Engineers	$98,290	$64,670	40
22	Financial Managers	$97,460	$55,520	390
23	Physical Therapists	$95,080	$67,010	140
24	Facilities Managers	$92,720	$44,530	80
25	Marketing Managers	$88,140	$47,990	50
26	Civil Engineers	$87,360	$46,130	350
27	Construction Managers	$86,370	$53,500	100
28	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$82,430	$38,790	110
29	Other Education Administrators	$82,050	$45,990	80
30	Software Developers	$81,430	$52,790	300
31	Computer Network Architects	$81,410	$48,900	60
32	Urban and Regional Planners	$80,850	$48,850	110
33	Environmental Engineers	$80,810	$60,020	250
34	Information Security Analysts	$80,380	$49,550	50
35	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$80,000	$39,220	90
36	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$79,880	$35,120	130
37	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$79,110	$46,510	110
38	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$78,840	$42,940	40
39	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$78,740	$41,790	60
40	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$78,720	$47,700	160
41	Project Management Specialists	$78,630	$42,060	260
42	Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	$78,330	$31,300	270
43	Management Analysts	$78,270	$43,140	210
44	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$78,000	$41,250	80
45	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$77,860	$51,680	100
46	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$76,970	$39,120	120
47	Speech-Language Pathologists	$75,600	$50,580	60
48	General and Operations Managers	$74,480	$33,280	2,290
49	Cost Estimators	$74,170	$41,260	160
50	Engineers, All Other	$73,330	$34,320	50
51	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$72,950	$47,640	620
52	Logisticians	$72,820	$50,410	90
53	Occupational Therapists	$72,560	$42,850	70
54	Social and Community Service Managers	$71,660	$46,000	80
55	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$70,940	$39,350	540
56	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$70,160	$47,920	90
57	Administrative Services Managers	$68,640	$49,570	520
58	Registered Nurses	$67,700	$38,260	3,690
59	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$67,500	$37,610	90
60	Atmospheric and Space Scientists	$66,360	$54,720	50
61	Physical Therapist Assistants	$66,350	$40,670	90
62	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$66,080	$38,860	250
63	Health Educators	$65,980	$39,030	40
64	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$65,730	$59,570	50
65	Other Engineering Technicians	$65,450	$44,730	60
66	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$65,380	$46,370	30
67	Chemical Technicians	$64,940	$36,820	40
68	Budget Analysts	$64,780	$42,490	40
69	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$64,580	$43,490	280
70	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$64,050	$41,830	160
71	Labor Relations Specialists	$64,010	$34,930	90
72	Computer Systems Analysts	$63,980	$42,020	250
73	Farm and Home Management Advisors	$63,740	$19,450	60
74	Other Business Operations Specialists	$63,250	$29,930	640
75	Epidemiologists	$63,090	$43,690	80
76	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$62,720	$52,000	130
77	Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists	$62,560	$33,630	140
78	Radiologic Technologists	$62,480	$48,590	280
79	Chemists	$62,170	$42,990	50
80	Dental Hygienists	$61,970	$49,310	230
81	Compliance Officers	$61,900	$39,070	450
82	Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$61,670	$34,920	60
83	Other Postsecondary Teachers	$61,640	$30,700	110
84	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$61,600	$36,750	100
85	Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	$61,520	$31,220	70
86	Insurance Underwriters	$61,360	$37,270	60
87	Accountants and Auditors	$61,300	$47,710	800
88	Database Administrators	$61,110	$50,850	80
89	Electricians	$61,050	$37,170	470
90	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$60,820	$59,320	40
91	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$60,540	$38,460	50
92	Sheet Metal Workers	$60,320	$35,100	100
93	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$59,960	$47,780	60
94	Financial Analysts	$59,950	$45,950	110
95	Instructional Coordinators	$59,660	$46,610	290
96	Other Teachers and Instructors	$58,960	$46,420	60
97	Personal Financial Advisors	$58,680	$34,410	150
98	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$58,630	$37,890	370
99	Meter Readers, Utilities	$58,390	$35,260	40
100	Respiratory Therapists	$58,020	$46,670	170

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$195,550
2	Nurse Midwives	$167,310
3	Chief Executives	$156,780
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$131,770
5	All Other Managers	$130,150
6	General Dentists	$126,740
7	Pharmacists	$126,170
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$120,010
9	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$103,870
10	Lawyers	$103,010

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$139,010
2	Computer Network Architects	$134,030
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$133,480
4	Chemical Engineers	$128,640
5	Pharmacists	$125,130
6	Veterinarians	$123,610
7	Industrial Production Managers	$122,140
8	Nurse Practitioners	$108,860
9	Physician Assistants	$107,670
10	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$106,900

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, WV – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$194,630
2	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$133,170
3	Chief Executives	$126,600
4	Pharmacists	$125,670
5	Industrial Production Managers	$124,270
6	General Dentists	$120,590
7	Optometrists	$109,060
8	Veterinarians	$106,680
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$106,630
10	Chemical Engineers	$105,470

Also see The most popular jobs in Charleston, WV.

Also see The most popular jobs in West Virginia, The top paying jobs in West Virginia.