Wall Street, media, fashion — most expensive labor market in the US. The complete 2026 New York City pay reference for 100 occupations.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for full detail.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $712,900 | $541,800 | $926,800 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $580,700 | $441,300 | $754,900 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $544,600 | $413,900 | $707,900 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $374,400 | $284,500 | $486,700 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $329,300 | $250,300 | $428,200 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $302,900 | $230,200 | $393,800 |
| 7 | AI Engineer | Technology | $277,300 | $210,800 | $360,500 |
| 8 | Dentist | Healthcare | $275,100 | $209,000 | $357,600 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $253,000 | $192,300 | $328,900 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $245,300 | $186,500 | $318,900 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $236,600 | $179,800 | $307,600 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $229,700 | $174,600 | $298,700 |
| 13 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $227,700 | $173,000 | $296,000 |
| 14 | Controller | Finance | $226,300 | $172,000 | $294,200 |
| 15 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $226,300 | $172,000 | $294,200 |
| 16 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $224,100 | $170,400 | $291,400 |
| 17 | Product Manager | Technology | $222,000 | $168,700 | $288,600 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $217,600 | $165,400 | $282,900 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $216,700 | $164,700 | $281,700 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $216,100 | $164,300 | $281,000 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $215,400 | $163,700 | $280,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $210,900 | $160,300 | $274,100 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $209,400 | $159,100 | $272,200 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $207,400 | $157,600 | $269,600 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $206,500 | $156,900 | $268,400 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $203,500 | $154,700 | $264,600 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $200,700 | $152,500 | $260,900 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $194,900 | $148,100 | $253,400 |
| 29 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $194,100 | $147,500 | $252,300 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $193,800 | $147,300 | $252,000 |
| 31 | Software Engineer | Technology | $192,800 | $146,500 | $250,600 |
| 32 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $191,900 | $145,900 | $249,500 |
| 33 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $191,400 | $145,400 | $248,800 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $189,200 | $143,800 | $246,000 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $189,000 | $143,700 | $245,700 |
| 36 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $186,100 | $141,500 | $242,000 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $182,900 | $139,000 | $237,800 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $181,800 | $138,100 | $236,300 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $177,300 | $134,800 | $230,500 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $173,500 | $131,900 | $225,600 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $171,100 | $130,000 | $222,400 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $164,800 | $125,200 | $214,200 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $164,700 | $125,200 | $214,100 |
| 44 | School Principal | Education | $164,000 | $124,600 | $213,200 |
| 45 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $161,900 | $123,100 | $210,500 |
| 46 | College Professor | Education | $160,000 | $121,600 | $208,000 |
| 47 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $159,300 | $121,100 | $207,100 |
| 48 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $157,500 | $119,700 | $204,700 |
| 49 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $157,000 | $119,300 | $204,100 |
| 50 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $156,300 | $118,800 | $203,200 |
| 51 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $155,900 | $118,500 | $202,600 |
| 52 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $154,400 | $117,300 | $200,700 |
| 53 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $153,300 | $116,500 | $199,300 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $152,700 | $116,000 | $198,500 |
| 55 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $150,000 | $114,000 | $195,000 |
| 56 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $148,000 | $112,500 | $192,400 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $147,900 | $112,400 | $192,300 |
| 58 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $147,600 | $112,200 | $191,900 |
| 59 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $146,700 | $111,500 | $190,700 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $144,100 | $109,500 | $187,300 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $141,100 | $107,200 | $183,400 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $139,100 | $105,700 | $180,800 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $134,500 | $102,200 | $174,800 |
| 64 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $130,100 | $98,900 | $169,100 |
| 65 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $128,900 | $98,000 | $167,600 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $128,500 | $97,700 | $167,100 |
| 67 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $127,100 | $96,600 | $165,300 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $125,100 | $95,100 | $162,600 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $121,200 | $92,100 | $157,600 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $119,200 | $90,600 | $154,900 |
| 71 | Police Officer | Public Service | $113,900 | $86,600 | $148,100 |
| 72 | Sales Representative | Sales | $112,900 | $85,800 | $146,700 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $110,000 | $83,600 | $143,000 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $108,500 | $82,500 | $141,100 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $105,000 | $79,800 | $136,400 |
| 76 | High School Teacher | Education | $103,700 | $78,800 | $134,800 |
| 77 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $103,700 | $78,800 | $134,800 |
| 78 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $102,200 | $77,600 | $132,800 |
| 79 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $100,700 | $76,500 | $130,800 |
| 80 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $100,700 | $76,600 | $131,000 |
| 81 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $99,300 | $75,500 | $129,100 |
| 82 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $98,900 | $75,100 | $128,500 |
| 83 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $98,500 | $74,800 | $128,000 |
| 84 | School Counselor | Education | $96,600 | $73,400 | $125,600 |
| 85 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $95,500 | $72,600 | $124,100 |
| 86 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $93,600 | $71,200 | $121,700 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $92,500 | $70,300 | $120,300 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $92,300 | $70,200 | $120,000 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $91,700 | $69,700 | $119,200 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $90,600 | $68,900 | $117,800 |
| 91 | Social Worker | Public Service | $90,200 | $68,600 | $117,300 |
| 92 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $89,900 | $68,300 | $116,900 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $88,900 | $67,600 | $115,500 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $84,100 | $63,900 | $109,300 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $79,500 | $60,400 | $103,300 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $78,000 | $59,300 | $101,400 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $71,100 | $54,000 | $92,400 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $67,500 | $51,300 | $87,800 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $67,200 | $51,100 | $87,400 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $58,100 | $44,200 | $75,500 |
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