Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Alabama 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 Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area are those of pharmacists, with an average annual salary of $128,750. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $124,240.

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

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Pharmacists	$128,750	$101,500	160
2	Chief Executives	$124,240	$47,410	50
3	Power Plant Operators	$111,630	$55,110	70
4	Industrial Production Managers	$106,150	$67,180	120
5	Chemical Engineers	$104,960	$77,200	50
6	Electrical Engineers	$102,910	$78,690	50
7	Nurse Practitioners	$99,360	$81,300	110
8	Financial Managers	$99,110	$66,820	100
9	Human Resources Managers	$99,080	$59,890	30
10	Industrial Engineers	$98,420	$67,000	170
11	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$98,100	$57,460	30
12	Physical Therapists	$96,660	$60,890	50
13	Lawyers	$95,370	$40,000	90
14	Sales Managers	$94,560	$54,330	50
15	General and Operations Managers	$89,770	$38,440	1,020
16	Civil Engineers	$83,930	$54,930	100
17	Mechanical Engineers	$82,180	$57,760	30
18	Construction Managers	$81,400	$57,610	150
19	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$81,030	$61,780	180
20	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$80,350	$37,090	180
21	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$80,320	$49,340	80
22	Other Education Administrators	$79,560	$46,710	100
23	Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	$75,860	$43,080	350
24	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$75,360	$70,700	170
25	Medical and Health Services Managers	$75,340	$52,120	260
26	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$75,000	$44,630	60
27	Loan Officers	$72,820	$38,610	120
28	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$69,740	$31,200	430
29	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$69,220	$38,380	780
30	All Other Managers	$67,720	$30,330	140
31	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$67,520	$38,210	80
32	Management Analysts	$65,670	$44,720	40
33	First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$65,350	$34,210	40
34	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$64,280	$48,820	40
35	Logisticians	$64,260	$39,210	50
36	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$64,170	$28,100	70
37	First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	$64,140	$49,400	130
38	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$64,100	$36,920	1,010
39	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$63,670	$51,070	80
40	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$63,650	$43,100	80
41	Other Business Operations Specialists	$63,460	$44,720	40
42	Training and Development Specialists	$62,770	$33,410	40
43	Foresters	$62,720	$46,430	50
44	Chemical Technicians	$62,400	$33,280	70
45	Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers	$61,930	$46,610	30
46	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$61,800	$27,280	810
47	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$61,660	$37,380	360
48	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$61,590	$45,600	40
49	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$61,180	$33,770	220
50	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$60,440	$37,440	50
51	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$60,440	$36,740	60
52	Registered Nurses	$60,410	$47,920	1,100
53	Software Developers	$59,760	$35,700	30
54	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$59,280	$30,540	110
55	Accountants and Auditors	$58,880	$40,580	460
56	Speech-Language Pathologists	$58,460	$47,940	50
57	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$58,020	$24,910	400
58	Physical Therapist Assistants	$56,990	$25,040	80
59	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$56,690	$46,440	130
60	Social and Community Service Managers	$56,350	$35,240	80
61	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$56,110	$33,870	160
62	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$55,370	$28,440	230
63	Postal Service Clerks	$54,480	$39,770	120
64	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$53,870	$30,250	240
65	Property, Real Estate Managers	$53,800	$36,750	30
66	Human Resources Specialists	$53,420	$34,850	170
67	First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers	$51,510	$28,080	70
68	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$50,500	$29,120	340
69	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$49,860	$39,640	260
70	First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers	$49,520	$34,620	130
71	Millwrights	$49,470	$37,170	220
72	Dental Hygienists	$49,370	$38,480	100
73	Respiratory Therapists	$49,310	$41,420	60
74	Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Insulation Workers	$49,270	$23,430	60
75	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$49,100	$45,390	500
76	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$49,050	$42,470	650
77	Healthcare Social Workers	$49,010	$38,510	120
78	Radiologic Technologists	$48,700	$38,170	90
79	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$48,380	$28,780	40
80	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$48,130	$34,530	140
81	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$48,050	$34,520	930
82	Pipelayers	$47,840	$29,650	110
83	Food Service Managers	$47,610	$33,860	130
84	Compliance Officers	$47,590	$25,330	70
85	Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	$47,580	$22,160	170
86	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	$47,170	$31,430	260
87	Machinists	$47,160	$28,930	120
88	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	$47,040	$29,510	40
89	Automotive Body and Related Repairers	$46,860	$21,510	50
90	Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Directors	$46,730	$38,920	40
91	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$46,720	$30,330	610
92	Insurance Sales Agents	$46,640	$29,490	180
93	Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	$46,620	$37,220	40
94	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	$46,430	$19,830	80
95	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$46,220	$27,520	40
96	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$46,090	$28,860	140
97	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$45,820	$29,750	160
98	Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	$45,570	$30,590	60
99	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$44,830	$29,420	110
100	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$44,600	$35,110	60

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,960
2	Pharmacists	$125,760
3	Chemical Engineers	$118,880
4	Electrical Engineers	$111,380
5	Industrial Production Managers	$102,420
6	Nurse Practitioners	$100,590
7	Human Resources Managers	$100,460
8	Financial Managers	$98,060
9	Industrial Engineers	$95,300
10	Sales Managers	$94,730

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$163,850
2	Pharmacists	$131,210
3	Electrical Engineers	$117,340
4	Chemical Engineers	$109,650
5	Industrial Production Managers	$99,800
6	Sales Managers	$96,250
7	General and Operations Managers	$94,720
8	Nurse Practitioners	$94,170
9	Industrial Engineers	$94,030
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$92,120

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$181,230
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$164,850
3	Pharmacists	$135,080
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$129,320
5	Chief Executives	$120,680
6	Chemical Engineers	$106,690
7	Electrical Engineers	$106,300
8	Industrial Production Managers	$106,200
9	Sales Managers	$106,050
10	Physical Therapists	$97,770

Also see The most popular jobs in Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area.

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