Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Western Montana nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Western Montana 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 Western Montana nonmetropolitan area are those of general internal medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $233,490. The second highest-paying jobs are those of family medicine physician, with an average salary of $212,030.

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

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$233,490	$162,490	30
2	Family Medicine Physicians	$212,030	$165,980	150
3	General Dentists	$141,950	$81,620	80
4	Physician Assistants	$133,600	$105,150	160
5	Nurse Practitioners	$129,910	$99,900	90
6	Pharmacists	$126,460	$107,840	270
7	Chief Executives	$122,670	$59,190	50
8	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$117,090	$82,600	40
9	Financial Managers	$112,510	$65,200	110
10	Software Developers	$111,040	$59,570	400
11	Computer Network Architects	$106,070	$69,040	60
12	Commercial Pilots	$105,340	$62,200	70
13	Natural Sciences Managers	$103,790	$61,340	50
14	Power Plant Operators	$102,920	$49,190	30
15	Construction Managers	$101,310	$66,560	140
16	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$101,040	$58,550	70
17	Lawyers	$100,060	$57,200	310
18	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$99,250	$80,860	160
19	Medical and Health Services Managers	$98,350	$63,410	390
20	Personal Financial Advisors	$98,140	$47,020	110
21	Administrative Services Managers	$97,850	$65,810	30
22	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$95,220	$55,580	70
23	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$94,090	$47,030	80
24	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$88,780	$61,350	150
25	Occupational Therapists	$85,840	$64,260	80
26	Human Resources Managers	$85,820	$49,940	50
27	Management Analysts	$84,650	$37,430	30
28	Electrical Engineers	$84,400	$61,590	110
29	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$83,150	$62,510	40
30	Dental Hygienists	$82,140	$80,430	210
31	Computer Systems Analysts	$81,800	$51,650	50
32	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$81,740	$47,890	70
33	General and Operations Managers	$81,530	$45,620	1,410
34	Physical Therapists	$81,500	$68,680	230
35	Speech-Language Pathologists	$81,180	$53,540	80
36	Mechanical Engineers	$79,600	$59,760	110
37	Paralegals and Legal Assistants	$79,520	$39,270	180
38	Other Biological Scientists	$79,440	$50,950	120
39	Civil Engineers	$79,430	$60,080	120
40	Veterinarians	$77,380	$59,330	120
41	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$76,700	$38,020	150
42	Registered Nurses	$76,170	$61,310	1,480
43	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$74,460	$56,850	30
44	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$72,740	$38,340	240
45	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$72,210	$51,900	970
46	Architects (Except Landscape and Naval)	$72,160	$33,670	40
47	Accountants and Auditors	$71,260	$42,090	570
48	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$70,490	$59,190	60
49	All Other Managers	$69,450	$39,290	140
50	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$69,170	$51,470	100
51	Credit Analysts	$67,600	$44,020	50
52	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$67,140	$41,070	110
53	Training and Development Specialists	$66,350	$30,630	110
54	Surveyors	$66,130	$19,450	90
55	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$65,830	$47,870	60
56	Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	$65,640	$40,540	110
57	Other Engineering Technicians	$65,550	$45,930	60
58	Respiratory Therapists	$65,250	$49,920	60
59	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$64,810	$42,100	220
60	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	$64,110	$49,200	100
61	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$63,810	$50,280	40
62	Compliance Officers	$63,800	$39,640	130
63	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$63,650	$47,090	110
64	Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$63,070	$45,920	80
65	Secondary School Special Education Teachers	$62,920	$32,280	50
66	Radiologic Technologists	$62,790	$49,950	110
67	School Psychologists	$62,710	$49,770	40
68	Real Estate Sales Agents	$62,630	$35,140	340
69	Project Management Specialists	$62,520	$42,890	260
70	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$62,440	$37,540	430
71	First-Line Supervisors of Fire Fighting and Prevention Workers	$62,400	$38,510	30
72	Kindergarten and Elementary School Special Education Teachers	$61,960	$40,120	160
73	Loan Officers	$61,620	$44,760	260
74	Chiropractors	$61,500	$30,290	70
75	Lodging Managers	$61,030	$34,270	50
76	Other Business Operations Specialists	$60,900	$34,400	450
77	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$60,870	$38,840	90
78	Medical Equipment Repairers	$60,710	$33,280	50
79	Social and Community Service Managers	$60,630	$36,580	90
80	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$60,360	$46,790	370
81	Industrial Engineers	$59,840	$52,040	90
82	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$59,360	$46,110	80
83	Clergy	$59,320	$41,980	90
84	Cost Estimators	$59,250	$30,950	180
85	First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	$59,010	$21,280	90
86	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$58,590	$46,240	180
87	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$57,990	$45,460	40
88	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$57,990	$46,030	260
89	Physical Therapist Assistants	$57,480	$47,410	50
90	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$56,710	$40,630	590
91	First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	$56,680	$40,490	40
92	Postal Service Clerks	$56,600	$39,770	90
93	Conservation Scientists	$56,530	$29,390	60
94	Healthcare Social Workers	$56,460	$35,690	100
95	Interior Designers	$55,990	$36,550	40
96	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$55,870	$43,550	70
97	Instructional Coordinators	$54,720	$29,410	50
98	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$54,490	$38,720	330
99	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$53,530	$36,870	120
100	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$53,260	$38,480	750

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Western Montana nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$165,920
2	Personal Financial Advisors	$133,120
3	Physician Assistants	$128,190
4	Pharmacists	$128,190
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,960
6	Nurse Practitioners	$126,680
7	Construction Managers	$125,340
8	Chief Executives	$122,670
9	Sales Managers	$119,680
10	Microbiologists	$110,550

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Western Montana nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Pharmacists	$123,350
2	General Dentists	$118,990
3	Physician Assistants	$118,550
4	Nurse Practitioners	$114,370
5	Industrial Production Managers	$107,610
6	Construction Managers	$104,620
7	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$101,390
8	Microbiologists	$100,750
9	Chief Executives	$100,010
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$99,060

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Western Montana nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$127,270
2	Pharmacists	$120,370
3	Nurse Practitioners	$109,210
4	All Other Acupuncturists and Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners	$106,250
5	Physician Assistants	$105,900
6	Human Resources Managers	$102,570
7	Industrial Production Managers	$102,390
8	Construction Managers	$96,420
9	Natural Sciences Managers	$95,990
10	Microbiologists	$94,920

Also see The most popular jobs in Western Montana nonmetropolitan area.

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