Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024 reference period
52 Highest Paying Jobs in Pennsylvania (2026)
The highest-paying job in Pennsylvania is Computer and Information Systems Manager with a state-aggregated median salary of $170,330 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 $102,739, with 29 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Pennsylvania's average cost-of-living index is 118, so the average median equates to $87,067 of buying power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Pennsylvania
Ranked by state-aggregated median (50th percentile) salary, employment-weighted across Pennsylvania's single tracked metro.
State median $170,330 · 12,820 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($170,330)
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Pennsylvania earn $170,330 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $170,330 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $164,340 · 18,270 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($164,340)
Financial Managers in Pennsylvania earn $164,340 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $164,340 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $161,340 · 7,270 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($161,340)
Marketing Managers in Pennsylvania earn $161,340 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $161,340 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $148,030 · 18,270 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($148,030)
Lawyers in Pennsylvania earn $148,030 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $148,030 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $144,910 · 9,020 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($144,910)
Sales Managers in Pennsylvania earn $144,910 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $144,910 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $144,450 · 4,220 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($144,450)
Human Resources Managers in Pennsylvania earn $144,450 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $144,450 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $137,960 · 7,070 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($137,960)
Pharmacists in Pennsylvania earn $137,960 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $137,960 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $131,590 · 5,780 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($131,590)
Nurse Practitioners in Pennsylvania earn $131,590 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $131,590 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $130,670 · 26,150 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($130,670)
Software Developers in Pennsylvania earn $130,670 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $130,670 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $130,240 · 3,000 jobs · top metro: Philadelphia ($130,240)
Physician Assistants in Pennsylvania earn $130,240 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Philadelphia) pays $130,240 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 | $170,330 | Philadelphia | $170,330 | 12,820 |
| 2 | Financial Manager | Finance | $164,340 | Philadelphia | $164,340 | 18,270 |
| 3 | Marketing Manager | Management | $161,340 | Philadelphia | $161,340 | 7,270 |
| 4 | Lawyer | Legal | $148,030 | Philadelphia | $148,030 | 18,270 |
| 5 | Sales Manager | Management | $144,910 | Philadelphia | $144,910 | 9,020 |
| 6 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $144,450 | Philadelphia | $144,450 | 4,220 |
| 7 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $137,960 | Philadelphia | $137,960 | 7,070 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $131,590 | Philadelphia | $131,590 | 5,780 |
| 9 | Software Developer | Technology | $130,670 | Philadelphia | $130,670 | 26,150 |
| 10 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $130,240 | Philadelphia | $130,240 | 3,000 |
| 11 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $129,360 | Philadelphia | $129,360 | 3,060 |
| 12 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $125,350 | Philadelphia | $125,350 | 3,720 |
| 13 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $124,680 | Philadelphia | $124,680 | 330 |
| 14 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $124,270 | Philadelphia | $124,270 | 2,440 |
| 15 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $119,250 | Philadelphia | $119,250 | 12,620 |
| 16 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $114,720 | Philadelphia | $114,720 | 8,610 |
| 17 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $111,490 | Philadelphia | $111,490 | 68,020 |
| 18 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $109,390 | Philadelphia | $109,390 | 7,370 |
| 19 | Data Scientist | Technology | $107,030 | Philadelphia | $107,030 | 5,640 |
| 20 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $104,420 | Philadelphia | $104,420 | 2,010 |
| 21 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $103,860 | Philadelphia | $103,860 | 5,480 |
| 22 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $103,640 | Philadelphia | $103,640 | 3,280 |
| 23 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $102,180 | Philadelphia | $102,180 | 5,010 |
| 24 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $101,760 | Philadelphia | $101,760 | 8,380 |
| 25 | Management Analyst | Management | $101,150 | Philadelphia | $101,150 | 12,810 |
| 26 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $101,040 | Philadelphia | $101,040 | 5,900 |
| 27 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $100,970 | Philadelphia | $100,970 | 4,300 |
| 28 | Architect | Engineering | $100,370 | Philadelphia | $100,370 | 2,360 |
| 29 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $100,080 | Philadelphia | $100,080 | 3,570 |
| 30 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $99,820 | Philadelphia | $99,820 | 2,280 |
| 31 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $99,210 | Philadelphia | $99,210 | 74,840 |
| 32 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $99,170 | Philadelphia | $99,170 | 9,950 |
| 33 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $96,630 | Philadelphia | $96,630 | 6,270 |
| 34 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $95,230 | Philadelphia | $95,230 | 1,200 |
| 35 | Network Architect | Technology | $94,610 | Philadelphia | $94,610 | 4,260 |
| 36 | Web Developer | Technology | $85,580 | Philadelphia | $85,580 | 1,480 |
| 37 | Accountant | Finance | $84,080 | Philadelphia | $84,080 | 29,180 |
| 38 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $79,120 | Philadelphia | $79,120 | 2,080 |
| 39 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $78,440 | Philadelphia | $78,440 | 25,520 |
| 40 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $76,950 | Philadelphia | $76,950 | 17,200 |
| 41 | Loan Officer | Finance | $76,910 | Philadelphia | $76,910 | 4,830 |
| 42 | Writer/Author | Creative | $75,890 | Philadelphia | $75,890 | 720 |
| 43 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $74,480 | Philadelphia | $74,480 | 22,660 |
| 44 | Electrician | Trades | $74,040 | Philadelphia | $74,040 | 9,900 |
| 45 | Plumber | Trades | $72,580 | Philadelphia | $72,580 | 7,570 |
| 46 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $65,940 | Philadelphia | $65,940 | 5,310 |
| 47 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $64,380 | Philadelphia | $64,380 | 4,810 |
| 48 | Paralegal | Legal | $63,010 | Philadelphia | $63,010 | 10,970 |
| 49 | Carpenter | Trades | $62,350 | Philadelphia | $62,350 | 13,430 |
| 50 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $61,190 | Philadelphia | $61,190 | 3,720 |
| 51 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $57,830 | Philadelphia | $57,830 | 12,450 |
| 52 | Welder | Trades | $56,110 | Philadelphia | $56,110 | 4,030 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's economy combines pharmaceuticals (Philadelphia), finance, healthcare, and higher-education research. Cost of living near the national average; pay distribution is moderate with selective specialist premiums.
$Pennsylvania tracks $1 BLS-published metros covering approximately $551,440 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 Philadelphia pulling the upper end of the distribution; smaller metros in Pennsylvania typically pay 10–25% less for the same role.
Metro-by-Metro Detail
For salary data specific to one metro within Pennsylvania, see:
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Pennsylvania is Computer and Information Systems Manager with a state median salary of $170,330. The top-paying metro for this role is Philadelphia at $170,330 median. The role employs roughly 12,820 workers across Pennsylvania.
29 of the 52 BLS-tracked occupations in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania is $102,739. 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 $87,067.
BLS OEWS publishes wage data by Metropolitan Statistical Area. For Pennsylvania, this page aggregates Philadelphia. 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 Pennsylvania.
State aggregates are employment-weighted across the BLS-tracked metros in Pennsylvania, using OEWS 2024 data.