Federal government, lobbying, defense, professional services. The complete 2026 Washington 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 | $586,500 | $445,800 | $762,500 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $536,900 | $408,000 | $698,000 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $378,200 | $287,400 | $491,600 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $324,700 | $246,800 | $422,200 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $292,400 | $222,300 | $380,200 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $277,800 | $211,200 | $361,200 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $276,500 | $210,200 | $359,500 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $253,000 | $192,300 | $328,900 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $247,100 | $187,800 | $321,200 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $238,300 | $181,100 | $309,800 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $232,400 | $176,600 | $302,100 |
| 13 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $229,900 | $174,700 | $298,900 |
| 14 | Controller | Finance | $228,000 | $173,200 | $296,300 |
| 15 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $224,700 | $170,800 | $292,100 |
| 16 | Product Manager | Technology | $223,600 | $169,900 | $290,600 |
| 17 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $221,900 | $168,600 | $288,500 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $219,800 | $167,100 | $285,800 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $219,800 | $167,100 | $285,800 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $217,700 | $165,400 | $283,000 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $215,400 | $163,700 | $280,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $213,000 | $161,900 | $276,900 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $210,900 | $160,300 | $274,200 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $208,900 | $158,700 | $271,500 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $208,900 | $158,700 | $271,500 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $205,000 | $155,800 | $266,500 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $203,000 | $154,300 | $263,900 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $200,700 | $152,500 | $260,900 |
| 29 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $197,600 | $150,200 | $256,800 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $196,100 | $149,000 | $254,900 |
| 31 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $196,100 | $149,000 | $254,900 |
| 32 | Software Engineer | Technology | $194,200 | $147,600 | $252,400 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $194,200 | $147,600 | $252,400 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $192,000 | $145,900 | $249,600 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $191,200 | $145,300 | $248,600 |
| 36 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $188,800 | $143,500 | $245,500 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $188,300 | $143,100 | $244,800 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $183,900 | $139,700 | $239,000 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $181,200 | $137,700 | $235,600 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $175,300 | $133,200 | $227,800 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $173,600 | $131,900 | $225,600 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $166,700 | $126,700 | $216,700 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $166,300 | $126,400 | $216,300 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $164,700 | $125,200 | $214,200 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $163,500 | $124,300 | $212,600 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $163,500 | $124,300 | $212,600 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $160,400 | $121,900 | $208,500 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $160,400 | $121,900 | $208,500 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $158,900 | $120,700 | $206,500 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $157,400 | $119,700 | $204,700 |
| 51 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $156,000 | $118,500 | $202,700 |
| 52 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $154,400 | $117,400 | $200,800 |
| 53 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $153,000 | $116,300 | $198,900 |
| 54 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $151,900 | $115,500 | $197,500 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $151,500 | $115,100 | $196,900 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $151,500 | $115,100 | $196,900 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $150,000 | $114,000 | $195,000 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $148,200 | $112,600 | $192,600 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $147,000 | $111,700 | $191,100 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $145,600 | $110,600 | $189,200 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $144,100 | $109,600 | $187,400 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $141,100 | $107,200 | $183,400 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $135,800 | $103,200 | $176,600 |
| 64 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $132,700 | $100,900 | $172,600 |
| 65 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $132,000 | $100,300 | $171,600 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $129,400 | $98,400 | $168,300 |
| 67 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $126,000 | $95,700 | $163,800 |
| 68 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $125,700 | $95,500 | $163,400 |
| 69 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $120,400 | $91,500 | $156,500 |
| 70 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $120,300 | $91,500 | $156,400 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $115,900 | $88,000 | $150,600 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $113,600 | $86,300 | $147,600 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $111,100 | $84,500 | $144,500 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $110,100 | $83,700 | $143,100 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $105,000 | $79,800 | $136,400 |
| 76 | High School Teacher | Education | $103,000 | $78,300 | $133,900 |
| 77 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $103,000 | $78,300 | $133,900 |
| 78 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $101,900 | $77,400 | $132,400 |
| 79 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $100,000 | $76,000 | $130,000 |
| 80 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $100,000 | $76,000 | $130,000 |
| 81 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $100,000 | $76,000 | $130,000 |
| 82 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $99,900 | $76,000 | $129,900 |
| 83 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $97,100 | $73,800 | $126,200 |
| 84 | School Counselor | Education | $96,900 | $73,700 | $126,000 |
| 85 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $95,700 | $72,700 | $124,400 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $94,800 | $72,000 | $123,200 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $93,900 | $71,400 | $122,000 |
| 88 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $92,600 | $70,400 | $120,400 |
| 89 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $92,600 | $70,400 | $120,400 |
| 90 | Paralegal | Legal | $91,400 | $69,500 | $118,800 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $91,200 | $69,300 | $118,600 |
| 92 | Social Worker | Public Service | $90,900 | $69,000 | $118,100 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $89,500 | $68,000 | $116,400 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $85,300 | $64,800 | $110,900 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $80,300 | $61,000 | $104,300 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $80,300 | $61,000 | $104,300 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $70,600 | $53,700 | $91,800 |
| 98 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $67,900 | $51,600 | $88,300 |
| 99 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $67,500 | $51,300 | $87,800 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $60,000 | $45,600 | $78,000 |
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