Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
64 Highest Paying Jobs in Austin, TX (2026)
The highest-paying job in Austin, TX, Texas is Family Medicine Physician with a median salary of $263,070 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. Across all 64 tracked occupations the average median is $109,984, with 42 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Austin, TX has a cost-of-living index of 103 (national average = 100), so a $109,984 nominal salary equals $106,781 in average-cost-metro buying power.
The 64 occupations below are ranked by median wage in Austin, TX, TX, from BLS OEWS data. Austin, TX's cost-of-living index runs 103.0 (national baseline = 100), which shapes the headline-wage interpretation. Top-paying occupations in any U.S. metro typically cluster around physicians, dentists, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals. The specific top of the list varies with local industry concentration: tech-heavy metros boost software-engineering ranks, finance-heavy metros boost banking ranks.
Each role on the ranking links to the per-role-and-city page with full percentile distribution (p10 to p90), employment count, and cost-adjusted wage. For workers comparing offers within Austin, TX, the percentile data is the most decision-relevant.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Austin, TX
Ranked by median (50th percentile) salary. The COL-Adjusted column rebases each nominal salary to Austin, TX's cost-of-living index of 103 so you can compare buying power against an average-cost U.S. metro.
Median $263,070 · 10th–90th $161,800–$317,500 · 250 jobs in metro
Family Medicine Physicians in Austin, TX earn $263,070 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $317,500.
Median $188,190 · 10th–90th $129,650–$337,660 · 820 jobs in metro
Dentists in Austin, TX earn $188,190 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $337,660.
Median $176,990 · 10th–90th $115,580–$291,790 · 11,050 jobs in metro
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Austin, TX earn $176,990 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $291,790.
Median $175,680 · 10th–90th $93,590–$211,680 · 0 jobs in metro
Pediatricians in Austin, TX earn $175,680 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $211,680.
Median $167,180 · 10th–90th $100,630–$318,720 · 7,210 jobs in metro
Financial Managers in Austin, TX earn $167,180 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $318,720.
Median $164,920 · 10th–90th $92,150–$274,700 · 7,170 jobs in metro
Marketing Managers in Austin, TX earn $164,920 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $274,700.
Median $153,330 · 10th–90th $83,990–$361,090 · 7,540 jobs in metro
Lawyers in Austin, TX earn $153,330 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $361,090.
Median $151,760 · 10th–90th $74,990–$290,670 · 9,880 jobs in metro
Sales Managers in Austin, TX earn $151,760 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $290,670.
Median $151,290 · 10th–90th $90,810–$172,490 · 1,800 jobs in metro
Pharmacists in Austin, TX earn $151,290 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $172,490.
Median $145,360 · 10th–90th $81,960–$212,900 · 4,070 jobs in metro
Electrical Engineers in Austin, TX earn $145,360 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $212,900.
Full Ranking (64 Occupations)
| Rank | Role | Category | Median | 10th–90th | COL-Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $263,070 | $161,800–$317,500 | $255,408 | 250 |
| 2 | Dentist | Healthcare | $188,190 | $129,650–$337,660 | $182,709 | 820 |
| 3 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $176,990 | $115,580–$291,790 | $171,835 | 11,050 |
| 4 | Pediatrician | Healthcare | $175,680 | $93,590–$211,680 | $170,563 | 0 |
| 5 | Financial Manager | Finance | $167,180 | $100,630–$318,720 | $162,311 | 7,210 |
| 6 | Marketing Manager | Management | $164,920 | $92,150–$274,700 | $160,117 | 7,170 |
| 7 | Lawyer | Legal | $153,330 | $83,990–$361,090 | $148,864 | 7,540 |
| 8 | Sales Manager | Management | $151,760 | $74,990–$290,670 | $147,340 | 9,880 |
| 9 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $151,290 | $90,810–$172,490 | $146,883 | 1,800 |
| 10 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $145,360 | $81,960–$212,900 | $141,126 | 4,070 |
| 11 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $140,670 | $85,840–$254,960 | $136,573 | 2,730 |
| 12 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $134,550 | $111,830–$170,450 | $130,631 | 680 |
| 13 | Software Developer | Technology | $134,120 | $96,110–$209,890 | $130,214 | 31,960 |
| 14 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $134,100 | $79,500–$186,680 | $130,194 | 2,390 |
| 15 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $133,710 | $70,920–$188,670 | $129,816 | 1,700 |
| 16 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $133,250 | $85,340–$211,770 | $129,369 | 700 |
| 17 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $130,460 | $56,310–$182,410 | $126,660 | 350 |
| 18 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $129,470 | $57,040–$199,380 | $125,699 | 10,100 |
| 19 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $128,050 | $114,440–$166,490 | $124,320 | 2,700 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $127,360 | $74,640–$186,010 | $123,650 | 3,730 |
| 21 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $127,360 | $80,250–$213,760 | $123,650 | 300 |
| 22 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $126,110 | $64,210–$269,090 | $122,437 | 5,160 |
| 23 | Database Architect | Technology | $123,830 | $62,550–$162,800 | $120,223 | 1,110 |
| 24 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $122,050 | $80,040–$131,000 | $118,495 | 1,600 |
| 25 | Web Developer | Technology | $119,950 | $63,160–$180,440 | $116,456 | 1,080 |
| 26 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $117,850 | $48,890–$296,440 | $114,417 | 42,190 |
| 27 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $109,610 | $75,870–$172,820 | $106,417 | 1,070 |
| 28 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $106,690 | $68,080–$173,210 | $103,583 | 1,790 |
| 29 | Management Analyst | Management | $106,600 | $65,930–$190,090 | $103,495 | 6,540 |
| 30 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $106,290 | $77,120–$126,250 | $103,194 | 2,860 |
| 31 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $105,480 | $58,120–$120,420 | $102,408 | 1,270 |
| 32 | Audiologist | Healthcare | $104,820 | $81,270–$139,820 | $101,767 | 110 |
| 33 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $104,590 | $72,540–$169,420 | $101,544 | 6,930 |
| 34 | Network Architect | Technology | $104,520 | $65,600–$162,440 | $101,476 | 5,030 |
| 35 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $103,630 | $82,330–$135,320 | $100,612 | 2,470 |
| 36 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $103,610 | $62,790–$169,370 | $100,592 | 3,440 |
| 37 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $103,070 | $59,900–$162,320 | $100,068 | 3,340 |
| 38 | Statistician | Technology | $102,070 | $48,400–$165,980 | $99,097 | 150 |
| 39 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $101,730 | $51,260–$309,700 | $98,767 | 740 |
| 40 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $101,530 | $66,710–$189,180 | $98,573 | 3,530 |
| 41 | Computer Programmer | Technology | $100,700 | $59,360–$175,140 | $97,767 | 0 |
| 42 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $100,470 | $65,380–$162,770 | $97,544 | 4,940 |
| 43 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $97,890 | $73,440–$127,510 | $95,039 | 18,920 |
| 44 | Architect | Engineering | $96,600 | $62,160–$150,230 | $93,786 | 1,120 |
| 45 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $95,990 | $52,550–$410,600 | $93,194 | 2,010 |
| 46 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $88,190 | $63,800–$137,380 | $85,621 | 1,600 |
| 47 | Web Designer | Technology | $84,960 | $56,930–$168,710 | $82,485 | 800 |
| 48 | Accountant | Finance | $83,120 | $57,660–$130,130 | $80,699 | 12,480 |
| 49 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $81,830 | $58,600–$159,950 | $79,447 | 380 |
| 50 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $80,460 | $44,990–$152,160 | $78,117 | 8,270 |
| 51 | Writer/Author | Creative | $75,380 | $50,640–$161,380 | $73,184 | 420 |
| 52 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $69,470 | $44,320–$113,270 | $67,447 | 4,170 |
| 53 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $65,060 | $40,690–$101,690 | $63,165 | 1,880 |
| 54 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $64,360 | $47,640–$105,590 | $62,485 | 1,520 |
| 55 | Paralegal | Legal | $64,140 | $44,200–$100,460 | $62,272 | 4,390 |
| 56 | Plumber | Trades | $62,810 | $40,810–$80,920 | $60,981 | 5,260 |
| 57 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $62,320 | $52,970–$76,720 | $60,505 | 8,160 |
| 58 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $61,270 | $51,650–$64,410 | $59,485 | 8,450 |
| 59 | Electrician | Trades | $60,390 | $39,260–$78,820 | $58,631 | 7,340 |
| 60 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $59,570 | $36,680–$94,110 | $57,835 | 1,860 |
| 61 | Loan Officer | Finance | $59,210 | $22,330–$140,600 | $57,485 | 1,890 |
| 62 | Welder | Trades | $59,040 | $39,420–$76,060 | $57,320 | 2,210 |
| 63 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $50,610 | $33,350–$94,150 | $49,136 | 5,210 |
| 64 | Carpenter | Trades | $50,260 | $39,600–$70,200 | $48,796 | 2,540 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Austin, TX
Austin, TX has rapidly become a secondary tech hub — Apple, Tesla, Oracle, and Dell anchor the upper percentiles for technology occupations, while the relatively low cost of living means COL-adjusted pay often exceeds higher-nominal-salary metros like New York or Boston.
An average median salary above $90K places this metro in the top tier of U.S. cities for nominal pay. Most of that premium accrues to the upper percentiles of skilled and managerial occupations; entry-level and service-sector pay is closer to national norms.
Austin, TX's cost-of-living index of 103 is close to the U.S. average. Nominal salaries here translate roughly one-for-one into purchasing power; the COL-Adjusted column will be very close to the median column for every row.
How to Use This Ranking
For salary negotiation, the median is a starting anchor — not the ceiling. A Family Medicine Physician with five-plus years of experience in Austin, TX should be benchmarking against the 75th percentile ($290,285) or 90th percentile ($317,500), not the $263,070 median. Use the salary percentile calculator to place any specific salary into the BLS distribution for any role-and-city pair.
For cross-city comparisons, ignore the nominal Median column and look at COL-Adjusted. A $263K Family Medicine Physician salary in Austin, TX (COL 103) translates to $255K of buying power in an average-cost metro — that is the apples-to-apples figure when weighing a relocation. Read the methodology behind these adjustments in our methodology page.
For job hunting, focus on the top-10 ranking above and on the role-by-role detail pages — each links through to a Family Medicine Physician in Austin, TX page with full percentile breakdowns, year-over-year change, and prevailing-wage references for H-1B / PERM applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Austin, TX is Family Medicine Physician with a median salary of $263,070 and a 90th-percentile reading of $317,500. The role employs roughly 250 workers in this metro according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 OEWS data.
42 of the 64 BLS-tracked occupations in Austin, TX have a median salary of $100,000 or higher. That is well above what most U.S. metros offer. See the full list ranked by median salary above.
Across 64 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Austin, TX is $109,984. The cost-of-living index is 103, so adjusted to a national-average baseline, the average is $106,781 in equivalent purchasing power.
Austin, TX has a cost-of-living index of 103, near the national average. Nominal pay translates roughly to face value, making it a strong choice for many careers — particularly the Family Medicine Physician, Dentist, Computer and Information Systems Manager occupations at the top of the ranking.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers across all industries. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile wages by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The same data is used by the Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Related Pages
Rankings based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025 reference period. COL adjustments use a composite cost-of-living index calibrated to U.S. average = 100.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.