Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area, 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 Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area are those of nurse anesthetists, with an average annual salary of $213,840. The second highest-paying jobs are those of general dentist, with an average salary of $165,910.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 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 Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$213,840	$158,030	100
2	General Dentists	$165,910	$82,910	140
3	Pharmacists	$131,660	$109,730	410
4	Nurse Practitioners	$127,440	$89,380	290
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,040	$97,570	110
6	Optometrists	$126,820	$96,910	50
7	Marketing Managers	$126,390	$71,430	210
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$125,970	$79,390	210
9	Physician Assistants	$125,960	$101,240	190
10	Chief Executives	$122,770	$60,990	410
11	Commercial Pilots	$109,970	$60,090	80
12	Financial Managers	$106,390	$68,010	560
13	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$102,520	$66,930	310
14	Human Resources Managers	$102,010	$73,620	120
15	Sales Managers	$101,470	$57,110	320
16	All Other Managers	$99,250	$58,350	180
17	Veterinarians	$98,580	$54,000	130
18	Software Developers	$98,060	$63,000	530
19	Medical and Health Services Managers	$97,450	$67,350	650
20	Information Security Analysts	$96,970	$69,280	30
21	Construction Managers	$95,680	$63,590	290
22	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$95,560	$64,450	70
23	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$95,490	$66,130	260
24	Lawyers	$95,260	$60,170	360
25	Power Plant Operators	$95,140	$72,000	70
26	Administrative Services Managers	$95,050	$61,810	190
27	Gaming Managers	$93,600	$50,930	30
28	Industrial Production Managers	$91,400	$60,020	290
29	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$90,730	$56,680	90
30	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$90,650	$45,100	60
31	Civil Engineers	$89,190	$64,880	230
32	Financial Examiners	$87,490	$60,740	60
33	Purchasing Managers	$87,090	$63,130	30
34	Computer Programmers	$86,950	$47,760	40
35	Physical Therapists	$84,300	$76,310	330
36	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$84,000	$76,710	100
37	Massage Therapists	$83,200	$30,020	90
38	Chemists	$82,300	$48,700	40
39	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$82,240	$54,440	200
40	Hydrologists	$82,160	$60,720	30
41	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$81,960	$51,880	40
42	Electrical Engineers	$81,550	$62,900	210
43	Dental Hygienists	$81,510	$78,520	370
44	Computer Systems Analysts	$81,450	$58,150	160
45	Facilities Managers	$81,250	$55,660	150
46	School Psychologists	$81,230	$54,670	30
47	Speech-Language Pathologists	$79,940	$58,660	170
48	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$79,420	$70,670	40
49	Logisticians	$79,350	$50,130	40
50	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	$79,090	$57,750	30
51	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$78,970	$69,220	60
52	Computer Occupations, All Other	$78,910	$46,240	140
53	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$78,630	$35,490	190
54	Registered Nurses	$78,450	$63,530	4,090
55	Industrial Engineers	$78,060	$50,610	470
56	Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Directors	$77,280	$47,360	110
57	Occupational Therapists	$77,220	$51,020	190
58	Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars	$77,170	$62,630	60
59	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$76,510	$66,630	40
60	Millwrights	$76,500	$49,730	90
61	Project Management Specialists	$76,460	$56,370	410
62	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$76,440	$52,670	810
63	Labor Relations Specialists	$76,140	$48,330	40
64	Postsecondary Psychology Teachers	$76,120	$49,740	30
65	Other Education Administrators	$75,860	$61,040	60
66	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$75,840	$47,960	40
67	Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers	$75,820	$47,950	50
68	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$75,560	$49,950	50
69	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$75,210	$48,310	220
70	Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers	$75,140	$47,640	40
71	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	$75,130	$53,040	160
72	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$74,680	$61,310	50
73	Management Analysts	$74,460	$46,030	270
74	Respiratory Therapists	$74,260	$62,080	70
75	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$74,230	$49,020	60
76	Instructional Coordinators	$73,930	$47,730	170
77	Personal Financial Advisors	$73,820	$46,540	180
78	Loan Officers	$73,700	$42,750	500
79	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$73,540	$50,050	130
80	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$71,530	$46,720	30
81	Mechanical Engineers	$70,920	$57,370	450
82	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$70,610	$44,040	110
83	Environmental Engineers	$70,530	$67,770	60
84	Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors	$70,150	$48,590	30
85	Financial Analysts	$70,120	$51,480	80
86	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	$69,910	$53,040	140
87	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$69,510	$36,840	50
88	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	$69,430	$45,410	30
89	Civil Engineering Technicians	$69,180	$51,400	220
90	Conservation Scientists	$68,410	$46,490	110
91	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$68,370	$48,800	680
92	Computer Network Support Specialists	$68,330	$49,140	360
93	Lodging Managers	$68,170	$39,590	90
94	Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners	$68,030	$55,910	30
95	Compliance Officers	$66,900	$44,260	250
96	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$66,830	$46,070	70
97	Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers	$66,480	$46,460	30
98	Commercial and Industrial Designers	$66,340	$53,400	40
99	Other Biological Scientists	$66,210	$33,220	40
100	Other Engineering Technicians	$66,010	$48,300	40

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$204,420
2	Pharmacists	$128,070
3	General Dentists	$127,880
4	Chief Executives	$127,170
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$126,500
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$124,300
7	Physician Assistants	$121,080
8	Nurse Practitioners	$121,010
9	Marketing Managers	$119,610
10	Optometrists	$109,320

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$162,750
2	General Dentists	$157,250
3	Marketing Managers	$140,840
4	Chief Executives	$134,240
5	Pharmacists	$133,470
6	Physician Assistants	$127,090
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$125,080
8	Training and Development Managers	$123,380
9	Nurse Practitioners	$116,960
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$111,560

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$206,500
2	Optometrists	$200,060
3	General Dentists	$168,560
4	Chief Executives	$142,680
5	Pharmacists	$134,930
6	Physician Assistants	$122,720
7	Marketing Managers	$121,160
8	Nurse Practitioners	$117,640
9	Training and Development Managers	$114,610
10	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$110,140

Also see The most popular jobs in Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area.

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