Top 100 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia are those of all other physicians, with an average annual salary of $234,170. The second highest-paying jobs are those of nurse anesthetists, with an average salary of $214,360.

All of the shown salary and employment information for West Virginia 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 West Virginia in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	All Other Physicians	$234,170	$60,330	2,320
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$214,360	$178,060	320
3	Anesthesiologists	$212,410	$59,940	230
4	Other Specialists Dentists	$211,810	$57,710	40
5	Family Medicine Physicians	$206,640	$58,620	110
6	Nurse Midwives	$179,860	$102,450	40
7	Chief Executives	$165,750	$75,320	1,500
8	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$155,210	$96,570	590
9	General Pediatricians	$140,640	$59,170	120
10	Sales Engineers	$134,120	$123,150	160
11	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$133,920	$82,410	960
12	General Dentists	$129,480	$46,050	510
13	Purchasing Managers	$128,860	$85,540	190
14	Database Architects	$128,860	$62,170	100
15	Pharmacists	$128,030	$47,350	2,360
16	All Other Managers	$120,750	$65,300	2,250
17	Natural Sciences Managers	$116,380	$76,950	160
18	Computer Hardware Engineers	$113,300	$68,040	100
19	Physician Assistants	$109,100	$85,160	530
20	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$106,280	$69,440	730
21	Optometrists	$105,940	$31,990	150
22	Sales Managers	$105,890	$54,880	1,070
23	Industrial Production Managers	$105,590	$67,950	810
24	Nurse Practitioners	$104,290	$83,850	1,640
25	Veterinarians	$104,250	$73,440	330
26	Lawyers	$103,690	$50,150	2,400
27	Other Physical Scientists	$103,170	$71,740	80
28	Human Resources Managers	$102,720	$68,230	630
29	Medical and Health Services Managers	$101,770	$56,330	1,980
30	Electrical Engineers	$100,850	$65,620	590
31	Training and Development Managers	$99,990	$46,490	60
32	Commercial Pilots	$98,740	$46,630	70
33	Mining and Geological Engineers	$98,480	$73,290	290
34	Real Estate Brokers	$98,470	$32,610	120
35	Postsecondary Engineering Teachers	$98,260	$49,110	310
36	Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers	$98,030	$36,700	2,220
37	Computer Occupations, All Other	$97,510	$42,440	2,500
38	Financial Managers	$97,050	$51,310	2,360
39	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$96,520	$63,710	100
40	Petroleum Engineers	$95,960	$61,980	380
41	Materials Engineers	$95,860	$49,000	60
42	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	$95,860	$51,650	100
43	Facilities Managers	$95,220	$47,840	540
44	All Other Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners	$94,930	$66,210	160
45	Engineers, All Other	$94,370	$61,040	540
46	Chemical Engineers	$93,900	$62,280	40
47	Physical Therapists	$93,380	$65,100	1,170
48	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$92,920	$82,170	170
49	Industrial Engineers	$92,730	$61,720	1,120
50	Power Distributors and Dispatchers	$92,210	$69,020	190
51	Other Artists and Related Workers	$89,940	$36,110	40
52	Mechanical Engineers	$89,150	$66,210	460
53	Marketing Managers	$88,870	$49,340	280
54	Software Developers	$88,190	$53,240	1,750
55	Public Relations Managers	$87,980	$58,880	90
56	Information Security Analysts	$86,340	$37,370	210
57	Power Plant Operators	$86,330	$47,830	290
58	Computer Network Architects	$85,680	$47,770	240
59	Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers	$85,400	$40,880	100
60	Construction Managers	$85,330	$53,500	630
61	Environmental Engineers	$84,670	$60,020	650
62	Orthotists and Prosthetists	$84,500	$58,360	50
63	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$83,820	$47,420	440
64	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$82,700	$75,250	170
65	Civil Engineers	$82,650	$44,200	1,360
66	Other Mining Machine Operators	$82,590	$46,340	300
67	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$82,310	$50,270	1,300
68	Social Scientists and Related Workers	$81,660	$67,500	190
69	Postsecondary Economics Teachers	$80,960	$47,850	50
70	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$80,600	$46,730	380
71	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$80,450	$37,580	970
72	Occupational Therapists	$79,620	$48,660	460
73	Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers	$79,570	$36,360	170
74	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$79,470	$52,100	630
75	Postsecondary Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers	$79,390	$49,210	40
76	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$79,350	$41,990	750
77	Chemists	$79,130	$49,870	300
78	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$78,830	$43,290	160
79	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$78,670	$32,060	140
80	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$78,270	$34,050	140
81	Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers	$78,170	$46,440	210
82	Gas Plant Operators	$78,090	$51,610	130
83	Management Analysts	$78,040	$41,600	1,980
84	Air Traffic Controllers	$78,040	$59,910	130
85	Other Education Administrators	$77,670	$48,030	220
86	Other Engineering Technicians	$77,660	$46,220	280
87	Chiropractors	$77,380	$42,630	80
88	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$77,340	$45,190	1,660
89	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$77,330	$38,850	400
90	Computer Systems Analysts	$77,320	$44,570	730
91	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$77,260	$40,000	240
92	Project Management Specialists	$76,950	$45,440	1,530
93	Postsecondary Chemistry Teachers	$76,890	$47,690	90
94	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$76,080	$41,530	310
95	Geoscientists (Except Hydrologists and Geographers)	$76,070	$44,700	150
96	Postsecondary Political Science Teachers	$75,620	$41,030	60
97	Radiation Therapists	$75,520	$63,650	60
98	Financial Analysts	$75,190	$49,700	380
99	Other Biological Scientists	$75,030	$44,720	210
100	Other Social Workers	$75,030	$37,000	370

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$207,510
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$195,550
3	Nurse Midwives	$167,310
4	Chief Executives	$151,880
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$134,280
6	Other Specialists Dentists	$134,150
7	General Pediatricians	$132,860
8	Pharmacists	$127,080
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$125,010
10	All Other Managers	$124,430

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$191,240
2	Other Specialists Dentists	$185,840
3	Chief Executives	$139,330
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$134,090
5	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$129,570
6	Pharmacists	$128,840
7	Nurse Midwives	$128,170
8	Purchasing Managers	$127,940
9	Optometrists	$126,210
10	Family Medicine Physicians	$123,930

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Virginia – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$188,910
2	Psychiatrists	$161,210
3	Chief Executives	$147,080
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$134,040
5	Pharmacists	$127,280
6	Other Specialists Dentists	$124,510
7	Family Medicine Physicians	$124,290
8	Optometrists	$122,580
9	Advertising and Promotions Managers	$121,790
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$121,280

Also see The most popular jobs in West Virginia.