Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024 reference period
52 Highest Paying Jobs in Oregon (2026)
The highest-paying job in Oregon is Computer and Information Systems Manager with a state-aggregated median salary of $178,210 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data weighted across the state's 1 BLS-tracked metro. Across all 52 occupations the average median is $111,362, with 35 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Oregon's average cost-of-living index is 130, so the average median equates to $85,663 of buying power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Oregon
Ranked by state-aggregated median (50th percentile) salary, employment-weighted across Oregon's single tracked metro.
State median $178,210 · 0 jobs · top metro: Portland ($178,210)
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Oregon earn $178,210 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $178,210 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $169,520 · 2,420 jobs · top metro: Portland ($169,520)
Pharmacists in Oregon earn $169,520 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $169,520 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $169,510 · 650 jobs · top metro: Portland ($169,510)
Software Quality Assurance Analysts in Oregon earn $169,510 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $169,510 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $165,000 · 4,440 jobs · top metro: Portland ($165,000)
Marketing Managers in Oregon earn $165,000 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $165,000 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $161,420 · 5,600 jobs · top metro: Portland ($161,420)
Lawyers in Oregon earn $161,420 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $161,420 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $159,540 · 5,090 jobs · top metro: Portland ($159,540)
Financial Managers in Oregon earn $159,540 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $159,540 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $156,450 · 980 jobs · top metro: Portland ($156,450)
Physician Assistants in Oregon earn $156,450 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $156,450 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $151,890 · 1,310 jobs · top metro: Portland ($151,890)
Nurse Practitioners in Oregon earn $151,890 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $151,890 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $149,010 · 16,620 jobs · top metro: Portland ($149,010)
Software Developers in Oregon earn $149,010 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $149,010 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $144,990 · 1,940 jobs · top metro: Portland ($144,990)
Human Resources Managers in Oregon earn $144,990 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Portland) pays $144,990 median, materially above the state aggregate.
Full Ranking: All 52 Tracked Occupations
| Rank | Role | Category | State Median | Top Metro | Top Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $178,210 | Portland | $178,210 | 0 |
| 2 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $169,520 | Portland | $169,520 | 2,420 |
| 3 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $169,510 | Portland | $169,510 | 650 |
| 4 | Marketing Manager | Management | $165,000 | Portland | $165,000 | 4,440 |
| 5 | Lawyer | Legal | $161,420 | Portland | $161,420 | 5,600 |
| 6 | Financial Manager | Finance | $159,540 | Portland | $159,540 | 5,090 |
| 7 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $156,450 | Portland | $156,450 | 980 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $151,890 | Portland | $151,890 | 1,310 |
| 9 | Software Developer | Technology | $149,010 | Portland | $149,010 | 16,620 |
| 10 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $144,990 | Portland | $144,990 | 1,940 |
| 11 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $144,420 | Portland | $144,420 | 3,290 |
| 12 | Sales Manager | Management | $135,340 | Portland | $135,340 | 4,350 |
| 13 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $130,810 | Portland | $130,810 | 900 |
| 14 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $129,550 | Portland | $129,550 | 2,160 |
| 15 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $127,980 | Portland | $127,980 | 24,930 |
| 16 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $126,640 | Portland | $126,640 | 990 |
| 17 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $126,530 | Portland | $126,530 | 5,440 |
| 18 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $122,300 | Portland | $122,300 | 3,760 |
| 19 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $118,950 | Portland | $118,950 | 2,170 |
| 20 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $117,020 | Portland | $117,020 | 2,750 |
| 21 | Data Scientist | Technology | $114,390 | Portland | $114,390 | 2,090 |
| 22 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $114,130 | Portland | $114,130 | 3,050 |
| 23 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $110,350 | Portland | $110,350 | 25,260 |
| 24 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $107,430 | Portland | $107,430 | 2,480 |
| 25 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $106,920 | Portland | $106,920 | 1,280 |
| 26 | Management Analyst | Management | $105,380 | Portland | $105,380 | 6,260 |
| 27 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $104,430 | Portland | $104,430 | 1,800 |
| 28 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $104,360 | Portland | $104,360 | 3,520 |
| 29 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $103,350 | Portland | $103,350 | 2,560 |
| 30 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $103,010 | Portland | $103,010 | 2,650 |
| 31 | Network Architect | Technology | $102,650 | Portland | $102,650 | 2,410 |
| 32 | Electrician | Trades | $102,070 | Portland | $102,070 | 7,290 |
| 33 | Web Developer | Technology | $101,650 | Portland | $101,650 | 930 |
| 34 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $100,990 | Portland | $100,990 | 1,710 |
| 35 | Plumber | Trades | $100,110 | Portland | $100,110 | 4,920 |
| 36 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $96,060 | Portland | $96,060 | 650 |
| 37 | Architect | Engineering | $95,530 | Portland | $95,530 | 1,790 |
| 38 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $87,950 | Portland | $87,950 | 9,700 |
| 39 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $86,770 | Portland | $86,770 | 5,940 |
| 40 | Writer/Author | Creative | $84,520 | Portland | $84,520 | 580 |
| 41 | Accountant | Finance | $84,030 | Portland | $84,030 | 10,750 |
| 42 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $80,270 | Portland | $80,270 | 8,080 |
| 43 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $78,170 | Portland | $78,170 | 2,020 |
| 44 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $77,250 | Portland | $77,250 | 1,100 |
| 45 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $75,840 | Portland | $75,840 | 2,960 |
| 46 | Loan Officer | Finance | $75,020 | Portland | $75,020 | 2,540 |
| 47 | Paralegal | Legal | $74,470 | Portland | $74,470 | 3,350 |
| 48 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $73,790 | Portland | $73,790 | 280 |
| 49 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $68,710 | Portland | $68,710 | 2,330 |
| 50 | Carpenter | Trades | $65,810 | Portland | $65,810 | 10,290 |
| 51 | Welder | Trades | $60,940 | Portland | $60,940 | 3,010 |
| 52 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $59,390 | Portland | $59,390 | 4,060 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Oregon
Oregon's economy reflects Portland's sportswear (Nike, Columbia), semiconductors (Intel), and growing tech sector. Above-average COL but no sales tax; pay tilts toward technology and design roles.
$Oregon tracks $1 BLS-published metros covering approximately $227,430 workers across the $52 occupations on this page. State-aggregated medians are employment-weighted across metros, which is the right way to read "state pay" when BLS publishes by metro. The Computer and Information Systems Manager top spot reflects Portland pulling the upper end of the distribution; smaller metros in Oregon typically pay 10–25% less for the same role.
Metro-by-Metro Detail
For salary data specific to one metro within Oregon, see:
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Oregon is Computer and Information Systems Manager with a state median salary of $178,210. The top-paying metro for this role is Portland at $178,210 median. The role employs roughly 0 workers across Oregon.
35 of the 52 BLS-tracked occupations in Oregon have a state-aggregated median salary of $100,000 or higher. That places this state in the upper tier nationally for high-paying occupations.
Across 52 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Oregon is $111,362. The figure is employment-weighted across 1 metros, so larger occupations and larger metros contribute proportionally more. Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national-average baseline, it equates to $85,663.
BLS OEWS publishes wage data by Metropolitan Statistical Area. For Oregon, this page aggregates Portland. Some non-MSA areas (small towns, rural counties) are excluded from OEWS metro tables but covered in BLS state-level summaries; we use metro-level data to preserve the percentile granularity.
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. State aggregates are computed by employment-weighting metro-level percentile wages across the BLS-tracked metros in Oregon.
State aggregates are employment-weighted across the BLS-tracked metros in Oregon, using OEWS 2024 data.