The top 25 occupations in Montana ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Montana cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Montana-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $437,900 | $569,300 | $722,600 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $360,300 | $468,400 | $594,500 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $329,800 | $428,800 | $544,200 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $232,300 | $302,000 | $383,300 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $198,100 | $257,500 | $326,800 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $179,600 | $233,500 | $296,400 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $170,700 | $221,900 | $281,600 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $169,900 | $220,800 | $280,300 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $155,400 | $202,000 | $256,400 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $151,800 | $197,300 | $250,500 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $146,400 | $190,300 | $241,500 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $142,800 | $185,600 | $235,600 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $140,000 | $182,000 | $231,100 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $140,000 | $182,000 | $231,100 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $138,700 | $180,300 | $228,800 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $137,300 | $178,500 | $226,600 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $136,300 | $177,200 | $225,000 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $135,000 | $175,500 | $222,800 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $135,000 | $175,500 | $222,800 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $133,700 | $173,800 | $220,600 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $132,300 | $172,000 | $218,300 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $130,800 | $170,100 | $215,900 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $129,600 | $168,400 | $213,800 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $128,300 | $166,800 | $211,700 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $128,300 | $166,800 | $211,700 |
In Montana, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $437,900 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $722,600.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Montana'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 Montana 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.