Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA, 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 Lafayette, LA are those of all other physicians, with an average annual salary of $226,120. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $213,550.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Lafayette, LA 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 Lafayette, LA in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	All Other Physicians	$226,120	$137,490	390
2	Chief Executives	$213,550	$62,170	30
3	Nurse Anesthetists	$183,780	$164,970	130
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$164,280	$115,480	140
5	Other Physical Scientists	$156,000	$61,990	30
6	Nurse Practitioners	$129,290	$101,510	440
7	Industrial Production Managers	$127,800	$60,110	180
8	Optometrists	$125,990	$83,500	30
9	Pharmacists	$123,700	$75,180	530
10	Petroleum Engineers	$121,880	$67,090	70
11	Industrial Engineers	$120,260	$54,270	140
12	Physician Assistants	$120,000	$81,330	160
13	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$119,490	$66,650	130
14	Sales Managers	$102,960	$59,960	310
15	Financial Managers	$102,220	$65,460	700
16	General and Operations Managers	$101,870	$51,260	4,630
17	General Dentists	$101,410	$64,840	110
18	Lawyers	$99,320	$55,300	740
19	Commercial Pilots	$99,110	$65,980	210
20	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$98,180	$60,450	180
21	Veterinarians	$96,670	$72,960	90
22	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$96,620	$59,200	70
23	Physical Therapists	$96,010	$54,830	290
24	Purchasing Managers	$95,080	$73,400	40
25	Construction Managers	$94,950	$63,270	330
26	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	$94,370	$44,410	300
27	Medical and Health Services Managers	$94,040	$55,720	490
28	Management Analysts	$93,800	$58,140	150
29	Administrative Services Managers	$93,390	$49,380	160
30	Civil Engineers	$92,580	$58,800	140
31	Occupational Therapists	$92,570	$54,930	180
32	Human Resources Managers	$87,860	$63,950	150
33	Software Developers	$86,150	$62,680	330
34	Computer Systems Analysts	$85,230	$60,490	190
35	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$84,340	$54,740	100
36	All Other Managers	$84,250	$46,350	2,240
37	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$83,100	$44,380	170
38	Marketing Managers	$83,010	$54,160	80
39	Engineers, All Other	$83,000	$50,950	880
40	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$81,540	$42,830	90
41	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	$81,440	$50,720	130
42	Information Security Analysts	$81,210	$52,310	50
43	Electrical Engineers	$80,800	$61,400	70
44	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$80,270	$67,200	110
45	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$79,440	$43,810	110
46	Dental Hygienists	$79,410	$43,680	200
47	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$79,120	$39,280	120
48	Computer Programmers	$78,540	$52,140	120
49	Other Education Administrators	$77,580	$56,990	30
50	Funeral Home Managers	$76,620	$44,190	30
51	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$75,340	$37,420	90
52	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	$75,000	$57,920	240
53	Project Management Specialists	$74,900	$43,690	360
54	Loan Officers	$74,300	$27,110	340
55	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$73,150	$60,520	360
56	Registered Nurses	$71,250	$54,350	4,200
57	Conservation Scientists	$70,010	$48,510	60
58	Social and Community Service Managers	$66,930	$37,920	130
59	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$66,220	$40,590	130
60	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$66,130	$39,520	300
61	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$65,910	$38,360	70
62	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$65,860	$39,100	160
63	Financial Analysts	$65,810	$39,970	80
64	Other Biological Scientists	$65,670	$50,060	60
65	Compliance Officers	$65,440	$33,430	310
66	Geoscientists (Except Hydrologists and Geographers)	$64,460	$48,160	40
67	Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$64,330	$31,330	80
68	Mechanical Engineers	$64,200	$50,070	110
69	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$63,490	$36,050	840
70	First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$63,440	$43,830	50
71	Accountants and Auditors	$63,000	$36,850	1,440
72	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	$62,940	$27,170	50
73	Other Postsecondary Teachers	$62,870	$38,360	150
74	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$62,830	$38,020	210
75	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$62,620	$45,950	1,220
76	Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	$62,580	$52,020	0
77	Boilermakers	$62,570	$51,640	70
78	Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers	$62,560	$50,750	180
79	Other Therapists	$62,440	$47,770	60
80	Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas	$62,440	$40,320	130
81	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$62,310	$40,200	100
82	Personal Financial Advisors	$62,200	$45,720	190
83	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$62,020	$38,180	850
84	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$61,870	$29,130	90
85	Chemists	$61,750	$36,550	50
86	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$61,570	$44,800	60
87	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$61,430	$39,950	660
88	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$61,310	$35,090	2,470
89	Instructional Coordinators	$61,210	$39,170	350
90	Other Business Operations Specialists	$61,160	$30,330	1,900
91	Cost Estimators	$61,120	$45,430	300
92	Respiratory Therapists	$61,080	$51,090	240
93	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$60,830	$41,460	40
94	Computer Network Support Specialists	$60,630	$40,010	150
95	Surveyors	$60,330	$31,020	170
96	First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	$60,250	$29,050	40
97	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$59,260	$33,140	170
98	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$59,030	$27,020	790
99	Crane and Tower Operators	$58,890	$40,260	240
100	Physical Therapist Assistants	$58,730	$24,510	170

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$168,090
2	Chief Executives	$167,040
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$151,730
4	Nurse Practitioners	$128,270
5	Pharmacists	$121,230
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$117,710
7	Sales Engineers	$102,780
8	Ship Engineers	$102,280
9	Physician Assistants	$99,000
10	Veterinarians	$98,900

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$195,550
2	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$169,160
3	Nurse Anesthetists	$160,960
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$142,600
5	Nurse Practitioners	$121,380
6	Pharmacists	$119,390
7	Industrial Production Managers	$113,520
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$110,820
9	Geoscientists (Except Hydrologists and Geographers)	$108,750
10	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$108,410

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Lafayette, LA – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$201,830
2	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$146,840
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$146,640
4	Personal Financial Advisors	$130,570
5	Nurse Anesthetists	$128,400
6	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$127,210
7	General Dentists	$123,530
8	Pharmacists	$116,310
9	Geoscientists (Except Hydrologists and Geographers)	$106,760
10	Management Analysts	$106,720

Also see The most popular jobs in Lafayette, LA.

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