Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwest Missouri 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 Missouri nonmetropolitan area are those of general dentist, with an average annual salary of $159,880. The second highest-paying jobs are those of pharmacists, with an average salary of $138,110.

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

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Dentists	$159,880	$94,110	30
2	Pharmacists	$138,110	$100,270	170
3	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$125,270	$73,750	70
4	Chief Executives	$113,400	$49,080	120
5	Nurse Practitioners	$103,220	$80,450	110
6	Financial Managers	$98,940	$53,970	100
7	Physical Therapists	$98,730	$62,600	50
8	Human Resources Managers	$97,990	$45,260	30
9	Computer Systems Analysts	$94,600	$50,030	40
10	Medical and Health Services Managers	$93,610	$56,560	120
11	Computer Occupations, All Other	$91,980	$49,860	90
12	Marketing Managers	$91,250	$61,990	40
13	Industrial Production Managers	$90,570	$48,880	140
14	Construction Managers	$87,530	$74,960	40
15	Veterinarians	$87,300	$30,010	50
16	Software Developers	$86,080	$46,080	180
17	Sales Managers	$84,170	$40,000	140
18	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$84,100	$46,300	150
19	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$81,950	$61,590	30
20	Industrial Engineers	$81,730	$48,530	100
21	Lawyers	$80,180	$38,580	90
22	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$79,370	$59,800	200
23	Management Analysts	$78,800	$48,510	60
24	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$78,230	$45,710	50
25	Other Media and Communication Workers	$76,790	$24,550	40
26	Dental Hygienists	$76,360	$63,430	50
27	Facilities Managers	$74,980	$41,380	50
28	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$74,880	$42,340	40
29	Project Management Specialists	$74,220	$45,250	180
30	Loan Officers	$73,180	$46,350	110
31	Mechanical Engineers	$71,990	$59,240	30
32	Administrative Services Managers	$69,580	$43,350	60
33	Speech-Language Pathologists	$66,700	$38,000	80
34	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$66,300	$36,300	60
35	All Other Managers	$64,980	$42,490	50
36	General and Operations Managers	$63,120	$29,980	1,880
37	Respiratory Therapists	$62,800	$50,790	90
38	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$62,640	$35,580	30
39	Radiologic Technologists	$61,960	$43,990	80
40	Other Business Operations Specialists	$60,630	$42,200	110
41	Data Scientists	$60,600	$44,950	50
42	Compliance Officers	$60,200	$38,990	80
43	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$59,760	$37,130	100
44	Chefs and Head Cooks	$59,760	$31,360	80
45	Registered Nurses	$59,580	$49,640	1,170
46	Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling	$59,140	$35,720	70
47	Food Service Managers	$59,070	$37,460	90
48	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$58,590	$35,460	390
49	Physical Therapist Assistants	$57,310	$41,910	40
50	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$56,940	$36,540	260
51	Postal Service Clerks	$55,540	$39,770	80
52	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$55,460	$42,360	160
53	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$54,710	$35,980	510
54	Instructional Coordinators	$54,700	$40,390	40
55	Tile and Marble Setters	$54,430	$29,220	40
56	Cost Estimators	$54,080	$33,930	120
57	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$52,400	$31,440	30
58	Chiropractors	$52,330	$30,720	30
59	Fundraisers	$52,000	$36,740	30
60	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$51,850	$36,880	160
61	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$51,500	$35,640	270
62	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$51,000	$36,560	80
63	Social and Community Service Managers	$50,520	$42,600	40
64	Accountants and Auditors	$50,490	$31,510	500
65	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$50,280	$35,840	60
66	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$50,180	$32,530	90
67	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$49,920	$39,640	200
68	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$49,130	$38,190	60
69	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$48,450	$31,200	170
70	Computer User Support Specialists	$48,400	$28,960	160
71	Computer Network Support Specialists	$48,280	$37,760	40
72	Real Estate Sales Agents	$48,180	$26,010	70
73	Electricians	$48,020	$34,510	160
74	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$47,890	$23,760	150
75	Human Resources Specialists	$47,840	$32,140	260
76	Mechanical Drafters	$47,800	$29,690	60
77	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$47,630	$29,220	520
78	Producers and Directors	$47,590	$23,190	80
79	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$47,580	$37,730	410
80	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$47,410	$29,230	350
81	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$47,380	$30,160	160
82	First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers	$47,120	$31,640	90
83	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	$47,090	$30,730	200
84	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$47,080	$34,600	50
85	Painters, Construction and Maintenance	$46,910	$31,910	60
86	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	$46,780	$36,240	290
87	Middle School Special Education Teachers	$46,680	$37,400	60
88	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$46,630	$35,530	140
89	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$46,590	$36,810	1,090
90	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$46,520	$35,470	890
91	Carpenters	$46,350	$29,830	360
92	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$46,330	$33,420	190
93	Firefighters	$46,120	$23,190	140
94	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$46,070	$31,860	890
95	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$46,030	$24,620	180
96	Training and Development Specialists	$46,020	$32,590	120
97	Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	$46,020	$34,160	80
98	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$45,970	$40,340	40
99	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	$45,700	$35,050	100
100	Conservation Scientists	$45,360	$27,280	30

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Personal Financial Advisors	$126,600
2	Pharmacists	$126,440
3	Software Developers	$100,340
4	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$100,220
5	Chief Executives	$99,830
6	Financial Managers	$98,130
7	Nurse Practitioners	$97,670
8	Industrial Production Managers	$94,730
9	Sales Managers	$92,910
10	Physical Therapists	$91,110

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Pharmacists	$133,200
2	Sales Managers	$120,670
3	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$115,400
4	Financial Managers	$101,700
5	Industrial Production Managers	$101,190
6	Engineers, All Other	$100,680
7	Nurse Practitioners	$98,690
8	Medical and Health Services Managers	$97,420
9	Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$94,750
10	Administrative Services and Facilities Managers	$90,110

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$189,840
2	Pharmacists	$132,360
3	Sales Managers	$116,970
4	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$113,710
5	Engineers, All Other	$100,220
6	Financial Managers	$99,840
7	Medical and Health Services Managers	$99,750
8	Industrial Production Managers	$97,780
9	Nurse Practitioners	$96,740
10	Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$92,510

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

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