Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma 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 Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area are those of petroleum engineer, with an average annual salary of $160,210. The second highest-paying jobs are those of architectural and engineering manager, with an average salary of $155,180.

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

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Petroleum Engineers	$160,210	$102,640	130
2	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$155,180	$89,050	50
3	Family Medicine Physicians	$151,680	$18,360	50
4	Commercial Pilots	$136,530	$78,510	50
5	Physician Assistants	$128,800	$102,930	40
6	General Dentists	$126,540	$64,780	40
7	Nurse Practitioners	$121,170	$71,460	80
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$116,860	$61,930	60
9	Pharmacists	$105,420	$52,140	160
10	Financial Managers	$103,450	$58,990	180
11	Construction Managers	$101,180	$56,130	50
12	Industrial Production Managers	$99,250	$68,240	40
13	Human Resources Managers	$98,440	$52,000	30
14	Industrial Engineers	$98,010	$61,360	40
15	Training and Development Specialists	$95,520	$39,350	150
16	Mechanical Engineers	$95,460	$56,190	50
17	Project Management Specialists	$95,160	$48,410	200
18	Physical Therapists	$93,910	$62,190	90
19	Chief Executives	$93,850	$38,840	150
20	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$93,820	$70,230	30
21	Computer Network Architects	$91,790	$57,960	50
22	Administrative Services Managers	$89,490	$59,090	170
23	Sales Managers	$89,330	$53,460	60
24	Software Developers	$84,700	$46,570	110
25	Lawyers	$84,150	$51,720	70
26	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$83,450	$78,190	30
27	Dental Hygienists	$82,440	$61,160	70
28	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$82,300	$46,530	100
29	Medical and Health Services Managers	$82,150	$58,100	190
30	Logisticians	$80,610	$49,480	60
31	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$80,570	$48,870	60
32	Chemical Technicians	$80,070	$43,680	40
33	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$79,890	$62,870	210
34	Computer Systems Analysts	$79,830	$53,490	90
35	Civil Engineers	$79,790	$54,720	60
36	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$79,280	$32,830	50
37	Self-Enrichment Education Teachers	$78,540	$26,850	100
38	Computer Occupations, All Other	$78,440	$48,630	50
39	Veterinarians	$78,340	$48,130	40
40	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$77,500	$40,190	40
41	Other Business Operations Specialists	$77,230	$47,720	220
42	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$77,120	$58,270	80
43	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	$76,540	$61,350	150
44	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$74,590	$62,360	60
45	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$74,530	$39,600	410
46	Accountants and Auditors	$74,150	$41,840	540
47	Data Scientists	$73,890	$64,190	30
48	Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers	$73,830	$31,350	40
49	Management Analysts	$70,750	$42,530	80
50	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$69,990	$40,160	360
51	Conservation Scientists	$68,410	$44,720	30
52	General and Operations Managers	$67,670	$31,060	1,610
53	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$67,620	$39,190	430
54	Sheet Metal Workers	$67,100	$42,950	40
55	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$66,860	$35,220	70
56	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$66,450	$46,560	200
57	Other Education Administrators	$66,020	$46,520	60
58	Respiratory Therapists	$65,890	$50,790	60
59	Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$65,770	$53,230	300
60	Registered Nurses	$65,050	$51,380	860
61	Speech-Language Pathologists	$64,980	$42,990	50
62	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$64,220	$36,850	30
63	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$62,880	$48,460	60
64	Computer Network Support Specialists	$62,680	$42,190	60
65	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$62,200	$39,730	210
66	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$62,130	$35,290	30
67	Loan Officers	$62,060	$37,340	240
68	All Other Managers	$61,910	$30,550	40
69	Instructional Coordinators	$61,720	$35,500	50
70	Physical Therapist Assistants	$60,880	$46,540	50
71	Other Teachers and Instructors	$60,200	$22,810	60
72	Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas, and Mining	$60,120	$33,390	450
73	Child, Family, and School Social Workers	$59,550	$36,220	240
74	Home Appliance Repairers	$58,790	$35,130	30
75	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$58,470	$43,620	160
76	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$58,310	$33,550	240
77	Human Resources Specialists	$57,260	$35,030	220
78	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$56,520	$39,130	40
79	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$56,470	$34,420	60
80	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$55,990	$35,990	150
81	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$55,390	$37,310	80
82	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$54,860	$24,410	260
83	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$54,600	$43,330	80
84	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$54,300	$28,030	140
85	Postal Service Clerks	$52,370	$39,770	100
86	Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers	$52,020	$27,040	80
87	Compliance Officers	$51,870	$36,940	160
88	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$51,790	$45,760	40
89	Food Service Managers	$50,950	$28,620	50
90	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$50,790	$32,750	110
91	Surveyors	$50,750	$30,990	30
92	Radiologic Technologists	$50,560	$35,010	120
93	Construction and Building Inspectors	$50,130	$30,040	40
94	Cost Estimators	$49,920	$31,110	50
95	Maintenance Workers, Machinery	$49,790	$31,700	160
96	Electricians	$49,630	$30,170	280
97	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	$49,590	$25,090	80
98	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$49,420	$39,640	260
99	Urban and Regional Planners	$49,110	$40,400	30
100	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$49,090	$39,960	60

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Petroleum Engineers	$164,250
2	General Dentists	$128,660
3	Commercial Pilots	$126,600
4	Nurse Practitioners	$126,270
5	Pharmacists	$100,000
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$99,200
7	Physical Therapists	$98,870
8	Financial Managers	$97,970
9	Industrial Production Managers	$97,440
10	Sales Managers	$97,410

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$204,660
2	Family Medicine Physicians	$204,370
3	General Dentists	$168,200
4	Physician Assistants	$126,080
5	Industrial Production Managers	$125,370
6	Nurse Practitioners	$124,570
7	Chief Executives	$110,530
8	Construction Managers	$110,200
9	Personal Financial Advisors	$108,770
10	Mechanical Engineers	$101,160

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$201,380
2	General Dentists	$172,700
3	Physician Assistants	$133,980
4	Nurse Practitioners	$128,270
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$123,880
6	Industrial Production Managers	$117,770
7	Engineers, All Other	$108,470
8	Electrical Engineers	$106,810
9	Pharmacists	$97,520
10	All Other Personal Service Managers, Entertainment Managers, Except Gambling; and Managers	$89,560

Also see The most popular jobs in Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area.

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