The top 25 occupations in Virginia ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Virginia cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Virginia-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $575,400 | $748,100 | $949,500 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $473,400 | $615,400 | $781,100 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $433,400 | $563,400 | $715,000 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $305,200 | $396,800 | $503,600 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $260,300 | $338,300 | $429,400 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $236,000 | $306,900 | $389,500 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $224,200 | $291,500 | $370,000 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $223,200 | $290,200 | $368,300 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $204,200 | $265,500 | $336,900 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $199,500 | $259,300 | $329,100 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $192,300 | $250,000 | $317,300 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $187,600 | $243,900 | $309,500 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $184,000 | $239,200 | $303,600 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $184,000 | $239,200 | $303,600 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $182,200 | $236,900 | $300,700 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $180,500 | $234,600 | $297,800 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $179,200 | $232,900 | $295,600 |
| #18 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $179,000 | $232,700 | $295,400 |
| #19 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $177,400 | $230,700 | $292,800 |
| #20 | Sales Engineer Sales | $177,400 | $230,700 | $292,800 |
| #21 | Data Scientist Technology | $175,700 | $228,400 | $289,900 |
| #22 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $173,800 | $226,000 | $286,800 |
| #23 | Cybersecurity Analyst Technology | $172,100 | $223,800 | $284,000 |
| #24 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $171,900 | $223,500 | $283,700 |
| #25 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $170,200 | $221,300 | $280,900 |
In Virginia, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $575,400 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $949,500.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Virginia'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 Virginia 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.