The top 25 occupations in New Jersey ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with New Jersey cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full New Jersey-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $641,600 | $834,100 | $1,058,700 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $527,900 | $686,200 | $871,000 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $483,200 | $628,200 | $797,300 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $340,300 | $442,400 | $561,600 |
| #5 | Investment Banker Finance | $292,400 | $380,200 | $482,500 |
| #6 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $290,200 | $377,300 | $478,800 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $250,000 | $325,100 | $412,600 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $248,900 | $323,500 | $410,600 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $227,700 | $296,000 | $375,700 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $222,400 | $289,100 | $367,000 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $214,500 | $278,800 | $353,800 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $209,200 | $271,900 | $345,100 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $205,200 | $266,700 | $338,500 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $205,200 | $266,700 | $338,500 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $203,200 | $264,100 | $335,300 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $201,200 | $261,600 | $332,000 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $199,800 | $259,700 | $329,600 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $197,800 | $257,200 | $326,400 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $197,800 | $257,200 | $326,400 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $195,900 | $254,700 | $323,300 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $193,800 | $252,000 | $319,800 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $191,700 | $249,200 | $316,300 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $189,800 | $246,800 | $313,200 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $188,000 | $244,400 | $310,200 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $188,000 | $244,400 | $310,200 |
In New Jersey, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $641,600 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $1,058,700.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for New Jersey'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 New Jersey 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.