The top 25 occupations in Rhode Island ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Rhode Island cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Rhode Island-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $539,800 | $701,700 | $890,600 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $444,100 | $577,300 | $732,700 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $406,500 | $528,500 | $670,700 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $286,300 | $372,200 | $472,400 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $244,100 | $317,400 | $402,800 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $221,400 | $287,800 | $365,300 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $210,400 | $273,500 | $347,100 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $209,400 | $272,200 | $345,500 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $191,500 | $249,000 | $316,100 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $187,100 | $243,200 | $308,700 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $180,400 | $234,500 | $297,700 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $176,000 | $228,700 | $290,300 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $172,600 | $224,400 | $284,800 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $172,600 | $224,400 | $284,800 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $170,900 | $222,200 | $282,000 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $169,300 | $220,100 | $279,300 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $168,100 | $218,500 | $277,300 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $166,400 | $216,400 | $274,600 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $166,400 | $216,400 | $274,600 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $164,800 | $214,300 | $272,000 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $163,100 | $212,000 | $269,000 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $161,300 | $209,700 | $266,100 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $159,700 | $207,600 | $263,500 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $158,100 | $205,600 | $260,900 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $158,100 | $205,600 | $260,900 |
In Rhode Island, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $539,800 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $890,600.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island 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.