The top 25 occupations in Michigan ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Michigan cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Michigan-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $488,900 | $635,500 | $806,600 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $402,200 | $522,800 | $663,600 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $368,200 | $478,600 | $607,500 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $259,300 | $337,100 | $427,900 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $221,100 | $287,400 | $364,800 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $200,500 | $260,700 | $330,900 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $190,500 | $247,700 | $314,300 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $189,600 | $246,500 | $312,900 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $173,500 | $225,500 | $286,200 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $169,400 | $220,300 | $279,600 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $163,400 | $212,400 | $269,600 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $159,400 | $207,200 | $262,900 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $156,300 | $203,200 | $257,900 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $156,300 | $203,200 | $257,900 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $154,800 | $201,200 | $255,400 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $153,300 | $199,300 | $253,000 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $152,200 | $197,900 | $251,100 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $150,700 | $196,000 | $248,700 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $150,700 | $196,000 | $248,700 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $149,300 | $194,100 | $246,300 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $147,700 | $192,000 | $243,700 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $146,100 | $189,900 | $241,000 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $144,600 | $188,000 | $238,600 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $143,200 | $186,200 | $236,300 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $143,200 | $186,200 | $236,300 |
In Michigan, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $488,900 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $806,600.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Michigan's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Michigan typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.