The top 25 occupations in Ohio ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Ohio cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Ohio-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $473,600 | $615,700 | $781,400 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $389,600 | $506,500 | $642,900 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $356,700 | $463,600 | $588,500 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $251,200 | $326,600 | $414,500 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $214,200 | $278,400 | $353,400 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $194,300 | $252,500 | $320,500 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $184,600 | $239,900 | $304,500 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $183,700 | $238,800 | $303,100 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $168,100 | $218,500 | $277,300 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $164,100 | $213,400 | $270,800 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $158,300 | $205,800 | $261,200 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $154,400 | $200,700 | $254,700 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $151,400 | $196,900 | $249,900 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $151,400 | $196,900 | $249,900 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $150,000 | $195,000 | $247,400 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $148,500 | $193,100 | $245,100 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $147,400 | $191,700 | $243,300 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $146,000 | $189,800 | $240,900 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $146,000 | $189,800 | $240,900 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $144,600 | $188,000 | $238,600 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $143,100 | $186,000 | $236,100 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $141,500 | $183,900 | $233,500 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $140,100 | $182,100 | $231,200 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $138,700 | $180,400 | $228,900 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $138,700 | $180,400 | $228,900 |
In Ohio, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $473,600 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $781,400.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Ohio'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 Ohio 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.