The top 25 occupations in Nebraska ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Nebraska cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Nebraska-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $443,000 | $575,900 | $731,000 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $364,500 | $473,800 | $601,400 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $333,600 | $433,700 | $550,500 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $235,000 | $305,500 | $387,700 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $200,400 | $260,500 | $330,600 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $181,700 | $236,300 | $299,900 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $172,700 | $224,400 | $284,900 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $171,800 | $223,400 | $283,500 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $157,200 | $204,400 | $259,400 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $153,600 | $199,600 | $253,400 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $148,100 | $192,500 | $244,300 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $144,400 | $187,700 | $238,300 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $141,700 | $184,200 | $233,700 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $141,700 | $184,200 | $233,700 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $140,300 | $182,400 | $231,500 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $138,900 | $180,600 | $229,200 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $137,900 | $179,300 | $227,600 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $136,600 | $177,600 | $225,400 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $136,600 | $177,600 | $225,400 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $135,300 | $175,900 | $223,200 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $133,800 | $174,000 | $220,800 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $132,400 | $172,100 | $218,400 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $131,100 | $170,400 | $216,300 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $129,800 | $168,700 | $214,200 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $129,800 | $168,700 | $214,200 |
In Nebraska, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $443,000 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $731,000.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Nebraska'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 Nebraska 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.