Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC are those of chief executive, with an average annual salary of $236,740. The second highest-paying jobs are those of general pediatrician, with an average salary of $221,260.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Chief Executives	$236,740	$136,010	40
2	General Pediatricians	$221,260	$116,750	30
3	Family Medicine Physicians	$219,680	$141,630	70
4	Nurse Anesthetists	$213,190	$170,200	120
5	General Dentists	$164,790	$103,070	120
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$133,060	$87,390	150
7	Pharmacists	$128,720	$94,570	330
8	Information Security Analysts	$128,370	$66,420	50
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$127,870	$81,060	240
10	Financial Managers	$127,770	$75,760	360
11	Marketing Managers	$124,800	$76,380	150
12	Sales Managers	$115,530	$58,440	270
13	Purchasing Managers	$114,840	$76,890	110
14	Software Developers	$113,850	$63,880	510
15	Physician Assistants	$110,940	$89,150	190
16	Computer Programmers	$107,100	$51,980	50
17	Nurse Practitioners	$106,130	$79,450	280
18	Veterinarians	$103,010	$68,230	70
19	Training and Development Managers	$101,990	$70,910	40
20	Medical and Health Services Managers	$101,640	$66,880	350
21	Electrical Engineers	$100,940	$60,900	170
22	Industrial Production Managers	$99,810	$61,100	490
23	Human Resources Managers	$99,750	$72,490	130
24	Engineers, All Other	$97,990	$59,660	50
25	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$97,260	$50,630	60
26	Computer Network Architects	$97,020	$67,230	100
27	Database Administrators	$96,340	$44,280	30
28	Database Architects	$96,150	$68,900	40
29	All Other Managers	$94,500	$59,370	320
30	General and Operations Managers	$92,070	$41,880	2,350
31	Data Scientists	$89,610	$53,790	50
32	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$87,060	$50,760	220
33	Physical Therapists	$86,460	$67,910	150
34	Facilities Managers	$85,690	$59,290	70
35	Personal Financial Advisors	$83,140	$37,520	150
36	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$82,800	$63,510	40
37	Administrative Services Managers	$81,990	$55,010	110
38	Civil Engineers	$81,810	$61,170	70
39	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$81,570	$48,630	40
40	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$81,310	$40,470	100
41	Mechanical Engineers	$81,070	$55,580	210
42	Computer Occupations, All Other	$80,790	$40,190	70
43	Computer Systems Analysts	$80,550	$49,100	220
44	Lawyers	$79,930	$66,150	240
45	Construction Managers	$79,720	$44,940	420
46	Dental Hygienists	$79,120	$76,240	210
47	Project Management Specialists	$78,990	$45,340	340
48	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$78,740	$49,010	200
49	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$78,690	$59,160	60
50	Industrial Engineers	$78,060	$47,370	490
51	Financial Analysts	$77,660	$51,450	80
52	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$76,620	$48,180	210
53	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$76,140	$60,130	230
54	Occupational Therapists	$76,130	$43,100	130
55	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$73,720	$56,140	30
56	Speech-Language Pathologists	$73,240	$51,990	130
57	Management Analysts	$70,910	$44,260	170
58	Accountants and Auditors	$68,840	$46,740	980
59	Postal Service Clerks	$68,310	$50,270	70
60	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$67,790	$44,400	90
61	Other Engineering Technicians	$66,350	$50,910	70
62	Registered Nurses	$65,830	$52,440	3,030
63	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$64,670	$44,440	530
64	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$64,500	$47,150	140
65	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$64,360	$57,330	60
66	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$64,210	$29,950	40
67	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$64,070	$53,380	90
68	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$63,660	$41,180	60
69	Computer Network Support Specialists	$63,630	$39,880	100
70	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$62,580	$43,780	90
71	Power Plant Operators	$62,510	$49,260	60
72	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$62,470	$42,950	120
73	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$62,140	$39,150	80
74	Respiratory Therapists	$62,020	$51,040	100
75	Loan Officers	$61,510	$32,650	160
76	Social and Community Service Managers	$61,100	$36,740	110
77	Food Service Managers	$60,930	$44,110	210
78	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$60,860	$46,650	660
79	Physical Therapist Assistants	$60,760	$45,930	120
80	Mechanical Drafters	$60,440	$36,380	60
81	Chemists	$60,420	$39,490	70
82	Technical Writers	$60,180	$35,270	30
83	Cost Estimators	$59,950	$38,060	170
84	Other Business Operations Specialists	$59,910	$33,960	550
85	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$59,690	$36,890	1,740
86	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$59,680	$34,840	440
87	Public Relations Specialists	$59,340	$30,930	110
88	Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents	$59,340	$47,340	40
89	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$59,080	$47,720	40
90	Real Estate Sales Agents	$59,070	$39,270	100
91	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$59,030	$39,520	50
92	Writers and Authors	$58,920	$32,460	40
93	Commercial and Industrial Designers	$58,860	$41,790	60
94	Radiologic Technologists	$58,540	$42,630	340
95	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$58,160	$38,600	90
96	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$58,130	$45,930	210
97	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$57,410	$38,750	640
98	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$57,360	$38,500	140
99	Mechanical Engineering Technicians	$56,880	$46,790	60
100	Logisticians	$56,780	$38,950	210

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$167,850
2	General Dentists	$164,010
3	Pharmacists	$128,190
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,140
5	Financial Managers	$125,460
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$124,000
7	Marketing Managers	$119,830
8	Purchasing Managers	$102,580
9	Physician Assistants	$101,050
10	Nurse Practitioners	$100,590

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$201,520
2	General Dentists	$157,820
3	Chief Executives	$152,510
4	Pharmacists	$141,090
5	Sales Managers	$140,860
6	Marketing Managers	$137,300
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$129,480
8	Physician Assistants	$121,410
9	Computer Network Architects	$120,820
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$120,610

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$204,510
2	Chief Executives	$157,140
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$142,120
4	Marketing Managers	$140,750
5	Pharmacists	$140,440
6	Sales Managers	$131,620
7	Computer Network Architects	$124,120
8	Physician Assistants	$116,790
9	Veterinarians	$115,290
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$110,020

Also see The most popular jobs in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.

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