Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA, 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 Modesto, CA are those of all other surgeons, with an average annual salary of $213,070. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $197,860.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Modesto, CA 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 Modesto, CA in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	All Other Surgeons	$213,070	$213,070	60
2	Chief Executives	$197,860	$85,040	260
3	Family Medicine Physicians	$175,160	$112,470	130
4	General Dentists	$165,210	$63,660	200
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$161,600	$106,560	140
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$159,230	$102,590	180
7	Physician Assistants	$154,980	$76,630	170
8	Pharmacists	$154,830	$126,560	420
9	Nurse Practitioners	$152,100	$94,220	250
10	Marketing Managers	$142,200	$76,760	150
11	Other Education Administrators	$139,350	$65,060	110
12	Lawyers	$136,610	$67,120	350
13	Public Relations Managers	$135,790	$79,060	30
14	Registered Nurses	$134,250	$95,320	4,780
15	All Other Managers	$134,000	$69,060	400
16	Financial Managers	$132,820	$76,710	590
17	Medical and Health Services Managers	$132,720	$76,030	690
18	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$131,700	$94,950	70
19	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$130,430	$100,610	400
20	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$130,370	$95,780	70
21	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$127,670	$87,010	90
22	Human Resources Managers	$127,560	$75,900	170
23	Information Security Analysts	$127,280	$85,820	30
24	Physical Therapists	$126,230	$77,890	390
25	School Psychologists	$124,950	$78,540	170
26	Purchasing Managers	$124,930	$93,790	50
27	Optometrists	$124,730	$79,630	90
28	Veterinarians	$121,940	$62,330	120
29	Electrical Engineers	$120,830	$65,000	60
30	Instructional Coordinators	$116,560	$59,260	270
31	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$112,700	$124,340	70
32	Database Administrators	$111,440	$79,310	30
33	Software Developers	$108,590	$72,150	280
34	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$108,030	$71,760	130
35	Dental Hygienists	$107,470	$100,930	300
36	Computer Systems Analysts	$107,110	$67,800	190
37	Occupational Therapists	$107,050	$82,040	150
38	Training and Development Managers	$107,010	$40,900	30
39	Civil Engineers	$106,550	$73,950	250
40	Speech-Language Pathologists	$106,280	$80,710	270
41	Construction Managers	$106,270	$67,040	380
42	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$106,030	$61,670	60
43	Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors	$105,580	$72,580	80
44	Industrial Production Managers	$105,370	$71,120	270
45	Millwrights	$105,130	$58,920	50
46	Radiologic Technologists	$103,900	$54,340	230
47	All Other Special Education Teachers	$101,790	$58,270	210
48	Respiratory Therapists	$101,470	$65,730	220
49	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$100,980	$58,810	280
50	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$100,910	$46,660	80
51	Urban and Regional Planners	$100,710	$66,900	90
52	Industrial Engineers	$99,870	$69,720	140
53	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$99,330	$78,660	40
54	General and Operations Managers	$99,260	$54,050	2,350
55	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$98,750	$75,990	200
56	Administrative Services Managers	$98,660	$54,830	350
57	Facilities Managers	$98,540	$61,020	170
58	Surveyors	$98,520	$66,570	70
59	Credit Analysts	$97,430	$57,930	50
60	Computer Programmers	$97,300	$48,930	50
61	Engineers, All Other	$97,270	$59,540	60
62	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$97,230	$61,110	50
63	Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers	$97,130	$43,680	50
64	Project Management Specialists	$96,870	$54,380	520
65	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$96,280	$59,120	350
66	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$96,060	$62,380	180
67	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$96,000	$77,230	140
68	Labor Relations Specialists	$95,970	$66,760	60
69	Commercial Pilots	$95,870	$65,430	40
70	Computer Network Architects	$95,550	$64,650	60
71	Financial Analysts	$95,350	$58,360	100
72	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$95,100	$54,160	50
73	Logisticians	$94,710	$52,020	180
74	Computer Occupations, All Other	$92,740	$49,750	390
75	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$92,000	$58,450	800
76	Healthcare Social Workers	$91,960	$61,130	180
77	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$89,540	$66,310	80
78	Sales Managers	$87,540	$48,470	930
79	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$87,540	$66,540	120
80	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$87,470	$51,260	30
81	Personal Financial Advisors	$87,220	$52,030	160
82	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	$86,010	$47,920	70
83	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$83,540	$56,200	580
84	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$82,650	$54,650	730
85	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$82,360	$69,590	30
86	Mechanical Engineers	$81,630	$63,150	110
87	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$81,620	$61,550	1,640
88	Web Developers	$81,580	$52,530	30
89	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$81,540	$64,380	170
90	Budget Analysts	$81,460	$56,650	40
91	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$81,080	$42,840	60
92	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$81,070	$58,940	720
93	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$80,930	$45,330	30
94	Kindergarten and Elementary School Special Education Teachers	$80,850	$57,900	230
95	Food Scientists and Technologists	$80,710	$60,590	110
96	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$80,670	$51,800	70
97	Accountants and Auditors	$80,530	$56,410	1,000
98	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$79,910	$38,510	60
99	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$79,750	$50,980	110
100	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$79,680	$58,320	2,470

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Pediatricians	$173,810
2	Chief Executives	$172,570
3	General Dentists	$164,070
4	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$163,020
5	Pharmacists	$157,380
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$155,240
7	Physician Assistants	$152,480
8	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$150,430
9	Marketing Managers	$135,920
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$132,090

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$179,110
2	General Dentists	$158,970
3	Pharmacists	$156,840
4	Optometrists	$152,570
5	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$150,870
6	Marketing Managers	$145,980
7	Medical and Health Services Managers	$142,650
8	Physician Assistants	$141,070
9	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$139,580
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$139,380

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Modesto, CA – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Marketing Managers	$156,050
2	Pharmacists	$151,550
3	Chief Executives	$151,320
4	General Dentists	$145,580
5	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$142,890
6	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$138,730
7	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$135,590
8	Nurse Practitioners	$131,850
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$128,160
10	Physician Assistants	$127,970

Also see The most popular jobs in Modesto, CA.

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