Top 100 highest-paying jobs in West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in West Kentucky 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 West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area are those of family medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $215,210. The second highest-paying jobs are those of marketing manager, with an average salary of $183,640.

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

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$215,210	$110,630	180
2	Marketing Managers	$183,640	$57,630	130
3	Chief Executives	$136,330	$70,360	170
4	General Dentists	$136,120	$61,520	110
5	Materials Engineers	$133,910	$79,710	60
6	Pharmacists	$133,270	$100,170	390
7	Optometrists	$120,120	$40,570	30
8	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$110,400	$81,960	80
9	Nurse Practitioners	$101,550	$76,040	290
10	Physician Assistants	$101,290	$61,900	90
11	Human Resources Managers	$99,270	$61,190	90
12	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$99,240	$64,050	80
13	Software Developers	$99,000	$59,850	150
14	All Other Managers	$97,380	$46,920	160
15	Industrial Production Managers	$95,350	$60,850	350
16	Financial Managers	$95,180	$52,600	360
17	Purchasing Managers	$94,730	$59,200	30
18	Mining and Geological Engineers	$94,610	$52,850	50
19	Chemical Engineers	$92,850	$82,570	50
20	Power Plant Operators	$91,370	$37,980	170
21	Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers	$85,430	$48,690	50
22	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$83,970	$75,340	40
23	Sales Managers	$83,670	$47,340	370
24	Data Scientists	$83,630	$44,020	40
25	Other Therapists	$83,260	$44,360	50
26	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$83,080	$69,380	410
27	Lawyers	$82,540	$52,260	310
28	Environmental Engineers	$82,510	$58,860	30
29	Medical and Health Services Managers	$82,280	$58,840	600
30	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$82,240	$32,410	70
31	Occupational Therapists	$82,230	$55,130	130
32	Physical Therapists	$82,200	$31,830	250
33	Chemists	$82,070	$55,000	60
34	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$81,750	$37,440	40
35	Veterinarians	$81,470	$39,000	90
36	Construction Managers	$80,980	$54,790	60
37	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$79,440	$48,220	70
38	Computer Network Architects	$78,840	$53,190	30
39	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$78,490	$47,590	340
40	Management Analysts	$78,260	$39,210	60
41	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$77,380	$61,630	40
42	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	$77,110	$48,800	890
43	Civil Engineers	$77,090	$50,210	220
44	Industrial Engineers	$76,510	$38,480	290
45	Computer Systems Analysts	$75,930	$48,510	90
46	Electrical Engineers	$75,430	$58,300	90
47	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$74,440	$46,490	190
48	Mechanical Engineers	$73,690	$52,000	170
49	Occupational Health and Safety Technicians	$73,550	$39,850	70
50	Personal Financial Advisors	$72,950	$51,440	110
51	Project Management Specialists	$72,600	$47,600	440
52	Facilities Managers	$72,090	$42,350	70
53	Financial Analysts	$71,880	$49,410	50
54	Elevator Installers and Repairers	$71,390	$32,900	40
55	Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	$71,360	$37,460	680
56	Speech-Language Pathologists	$71,020	$57,290	200
57	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$68,280	$44,440	70
58	Computer Occupations, All Other	$67,230	$36,500	130
59	Engineers, All Other	$67,190	$46,350	60
60	General and Operations Managers	$66,880	$32,280	3,900
61	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$66,860	$51,710	90
62	Credit Analysts	$66,320	$45,380	60
63	Postsecondary Education Teachers	$66,040	$34,810	50
64	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$65,870	$40,870	240
65	Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers	$65,760	$53,720	40
66	School Psychologists	$65,320	$53,030	40
67	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$65,250	$37,620	710
68	Instructional Coordinators	$65,050	$44,860	130
69	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$64,950	$48,630	40
70	Registered Nurses	$64,920	$52,120	3,500
71	Postsecondary Art, Drama, and Music Teachers	$64,910	$35,880	70
72	Gas Plant Operators	$64,810	$37,380	40
73	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$64,620	$42,650	140
74	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$63,980	$40,750	30
75	Dental Hygienists	$63,510	$34,350	210
76	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$63,380	$36,420	60
77	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$63,170	$50,960	40
78	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$62,940	$42,690	70
79	Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$62,690	$50,950	0
80	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$62,580	$35,760	300
81	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$62,390	$39,640	50
82	Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers	$62,180	$45,100	40
83	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$62,050	$43,200	160
84	Loan Officers	$61,850	$46,090	250
85	Structural Iron and Steel Workers	$61,820	$38,050	150
86	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$61,640	$35,130	50
87	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$61,540	$44,120	170
88	Administrative Services Managers	$61,510	$28,850	120
89	Accountants and Auditors	$61,470	$39,340	750
90	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$61,470	$48,270	30
91	Electrical and Electronics Drafters	$61,100	$46,320	60
92	Millwrights	$60,790	$36,630	40
93	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$59,950	$46,870	750
94	Social and Community Service Managers	$59,800	$38,100	70
95	Radiologic Technologists	$59,710	$42,490	310
96	Mechanical Drafters	$59,510	$39,080	70
97	Physical Therapist Assistants	$59,330	$30,860	230
98	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$58,950	$35,250	1,190
99	Logisticians	$58,930	$37,420	150
100	Computer Network Support Specialists	$58,850	$36,400	90

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$139,650
2	Chief Executives	$139,200
3	Materials Engineers	$130,650
4	Pharmacists	$126,410
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$125,290
6	General Dentists	$103,250
7	Marketing Managers	$100,210
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$99,460
9	Nurse Practitioners	$99,230
10	Electrical Engineers	$99,040

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$205,850
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$199,890
3	General Pediatricians	$175,460
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$126,850
5	Pharmacists	$124,410
6	Chief Executives	$121,950
7	Engineers, All Other	$114,980
8	All Other Personal Service Managers, Entertainment Managers, Except Gambling; and Managers	$110,350
9	Industrial Production Managers	$104,850
10	Sales Managers	$100,740

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$200,070
2	General Pediatricians	$175,180
3	Nurse Anesthetists	$172,610
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$133,120
5	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$131,730
6	Pharmacists	$121,940
7	Optometrists	$120,120
8	Ship Engineers	$116,030
9	Chief Executives	$110,150
10	Environmental Engineers	$108,100

Also see The most popular jobs in West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

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