Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR, 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 Salem, OR are those of general dentist, with an average annual salary of $208,970. The second highest-paying jobs are those of family medicine physician, with an average salary of $203,990.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Salem, OR 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 Salem, OR in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Dentists	$208,970	$83,390	180
2	Family Medicine Physicians	$203,990	$157,680	140
3	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$201,930	$161,300	0
4	Chief Executives	$176,130	$104,070	190
5	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$154,690	$135,720	110
6	Pharmacists	$142,090	$125,950	310
7	Lawyers	$138,670	$76,740	810
8	Nurse Practitioners	$136,000	$103,640	160
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$130,860	$80,560	310
10	Medical and Health Services Managers	$130,580	$74,240	540
11	Physician Assistants	$128,610	$100,530	140
12	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$127,920	$82,020	110
13	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$127,890	$79,300	440
14	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,620	$83,700	120
15	Financial Managers	$121,320	$68,430	540
16	Optometrists	$119,210	$95,030	70
17	Electrical Engineers	$118,200	$72,950	50
18	Computer Network Architects	$117,870	$95,350	130
19	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$113,080	$89,770	160
20	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$111,670	$58,020	100
21	Human Resources Managers	$110,340	$77,290	180
22	Natural Sciences Managers	$110,340	$82,890	90
23	Information Security Analysts	$108,820	$78,330	120
24	Database Administrators	$107,710	$55,050	60
25	Software Developers	$106,440	$72,200	830
26	Administrative Services Managers	$105,190	$63,700	850
27	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$105,040	$84,940	80
28	All Other Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners	$104,630	$39,940	40
29	Database Architects	$103,800	$85,900	40
30	Marketing Managers	$103,790	$51,290	200
31	Civil Engineers	$102,610	$66,190	350
32	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$101,510	$70,700	80
33	Economists	$100,710	$75,670	50
34	Occupational Therapists	$100,710	$70,740	100
35	Sales Managers	$99,960	$55,250	340
36	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$99,830	$78,770	70
37	Registered Nurses	$99,630	$65,460	3,850
38	Construction Managers	$98,360	$63,440	280
39	Veterinarians	$97,820	$59,610	140
40	Computer Systems Analysts	$97,700	$72,530	570
41	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$97,700	$64,500	430
42	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$97,490	$60,040	140
43	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	$96,930	$50,390	70
44	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$96,920	$47,060	120
45	Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors	$96,750	$57,310	60
46	Commercial Pilots	$96,620	$47,860	140
47	Dental Hygienists	$96,360	$85,320	290
48	Speech-Language Pathologists	$96,240	$56,730	200
49	Instructional Coordinators	$95,950	$58,930	280
50	Public Relations Managers	$95,720	$47,670	80
51	First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$95,470	$82,580	50
52	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$95,470	$55,210	60
53	Purchasing Managers	$95,000	$61,970	50
54	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$93,420	$62,870	200
55	Urban and Regional Planners	$91,440	$59,170	90
56	Industrial Production Managers	$91,000	$64,170	200
57	Transportation Inspectors	$90,840	$51,710	30
58	Physical Therapists	$90,830	$75,440	220
59	Data Scientists	$90,220	$57,710	80
60	Mechanical Engineers	$88,420	$60,420	160
61	School Psychologists	$87,980	$61,020	90
62	Management Analysts	$87,170	$62,480	2,870
63	Budget Analysts	$87,170	$62,480	300
64	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	$87,170	$66,350	70
65	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$87,110	$72,030	50
66	Computer Programmers	$87,090	$65,710	100
67	Social and Community Service Managers	$86,630	$49,160	440
68	Operations Research Analysts	$85,850	$49,940	60
69	Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$85,610	$58,840	80
70	Financial Analysts	$85,160	$50,030	80
71	Other Teachers and Instructors	$85,110	$36,550	130
72	Surveyors	$84,430	$48,300	60
73	Tapers	$84,160	$46,270	90
74	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$84,080	$49,920	140
75	Engineers, All Other	$84,060	$44,760	70
76	All Other Managers	$83,970	$51,600	470
77	Soil and Plant Scientists	$83,830	$56,970	140
78	Project Management Specialists	$83,250	$53,890	1,430
79	Statisticians	$83,200	$62,480	170
80	Hydrologists	$83,200	$62,480	60
81	Electricians	$82,260	$47,950	690
82	Construction and Building Inspectors	$81,910	$59,510	120
83	Facilities Managers	$81,860	$59,410	150
84	Conservation Scientists	$81,730	$64,090	70
85	Kindergarten and Elementary School Special Education Teachers	$81,630	$58,910	190
86	General and Operations Managers	$81,570	$41,440	4,540
87	Labor Relations Specialists	$81,210	$61,570	90
88	Insurance Underwriters	$80,870	$58,120	70
89	Personal Financial Advisors	$80,850	$40,540	170
90	Financial Examiners	$80,820	$62,460	60
91	All Other Special Education Teachers	$80,350	$49,140	140
92	Industrial Engineers	$80,240	$61,060	90
93	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$80,160	$49,980	1,250
94	Food Scientists and Technologists	$80,150	$62,430	40
95	Writers and Authors	$80,000	$43,230	30
96	Radiologic Technologists	$80,000	$65,570	190
97	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$79,730	$57,850	610
98	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$79,670	$56,980	110
99	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$79,500	$45,970	30
100	Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers	$79,270	$54,230	180

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$167,930
2	General Dentists	$154,510
3	General Pediatricians	$154,440
4	Lawyers	$132,620
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$131,130
6	Pharmacists	$130,890
7	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$129,500
8	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$129,010
9	Nurse Practitioners	$128,360
10	Physician Assistants	$127,240

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$172,460
2	Chief Executives	$160,220
3	Pharmacists	$140,630
4	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$136,730
5	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$132,860
6	Lawyers	$129,330
7	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$124,500
8	Nurse Practitioners	$122,950
9	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$122,030
10	Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers	$120,940

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Salem, OR – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$189,220
2	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$152,650
3	Chief Executives	$148,780
4	Pharmacists	$140,330
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$120,000
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$119,500
7	Lawyers	$116,190
8	Nurse Practitioners	$115,310
9	Medical and Health Services Managers	$111,660
10	Optometrists	$110,870

Also see The most popular jobs in Salem, OR.

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