A complete 2026 pay reference for Texas: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $550,000 | $418,000 | $715,000 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $452,500 | $343,900 | $588,200 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $414,200 | $314,800 | $538,400 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $291,700 | $221,700 | $379,200 |
| 5 | Investment Banker | Finance | $250,700 | $190,500 | $325,900 |
| 6 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $248,700 | $189,000 | $323,400 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $214,300 | $162,900 | $278,600 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $213,300 | $162,100 | $277,300 |
| 9 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $196,300 | $149,200 | $255,100 |
| 10 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $195,200 | $148,300 | $253,700 |
| 11 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $190,600 | $144,900 | $247,800 |
| 12 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $190,200 | $144,600 | $247,300 |
| 13 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $183,800 | $139,700 | $239,000 |
| 14 | IT Manager | Technology | $179,300 | $136,300 | $233,100 |
| 15 | Controller | Finance | $175,900 | $133,600 | $228,600 |
| 16 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $175,900 | $133,600 | $228,600 |
| 17 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $174,200 | $132,400 | $226,400 |
| 18 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $172,800 | $131,300 | $224,600 |
| 19 | Product Manager | Technology | $172,500 | $131,100 | $224,200 |
| 20 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $169,600 | $128,900 | $220,400 |
| 21 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $168,000 | $127,700 | $218,500 |
| 22 | Data Scientist | Technology | $167,900 | $127,600 | $218,300 |
| 23 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $166,100 | $126,300 | $216,000 |
| 24 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $164,300 | $124,900 | $213,600 |
| 25 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $162,700 | $123,700 | $211,500 |
| 26 | Data Engineer | Technology | $161,100 | $122,500 | $209,500 |
| 27 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $161,100 | $122,500 | $209,500 |
| 28 | Software Engineer | Technology | $159,500 | $121,200 | $207,300 |
| 29 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $156,600 | $119,000 | $203,600 |
| 30 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $154,800 | $117,600 | $201,200 |
| 31 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $152,400 | $115,800 | $198,100 |
| 32 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $151,200 | $114,900 | $196,600 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $149,800 | $113,800 | $194,700 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $148,100 | $112,500 | $192,500 |
| 35 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $147,700 | $112,300 | $192,000 |
| 36 | Backend Developer | Technology | $147,500 | $112,100 | $191,800 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $145,300 | $110,400 | $188,800 |
| 38 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $145,200 | $110,400 | $188,800 |
| 39 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $141,800 | $107,800 | $184,400 |
| 40 | General Manager | Business & Management | $139,800 | $106,200 | $181,700 |
| 41 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $136,600 | $103,800 | $177,600 |
| 42 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $133,900 | $101,800 | $174,100 |
| 43 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $131,800 | $100,100 | $171,300 |
| 44 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $128,600 | $97,700 | $167,200 |
| 45 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $127,100 | $96,600 | $165,200 |
| 46 | College Professor | Education | $126,200 | $95,900 | $164,000 |
| 47 | School Principal | Education | $126,200 | $95,900 | $164,000 |
| 48 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $123,700 | $94,000 | $160,900 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $122,500 | $93,100 | $159,300 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $121,500 | $92,300 | $157,900 |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $121,500 | $92,300 | $157,900 |
| 52 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $121,200 | $92,100 | $157,600 |
| 53 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $120,300 | $91,400 | $156,400 |
| 54 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $120,300 | $91,400 | $156,400 |
| 55 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $119,100 | $90,500 | $154,900 |
| 56 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $119,000 | $90,500 | $154,700 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $115,700 | $88,000 | $150,500 |
| 58 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $114,400 | $86,900 | $148,700 |
| 59 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $114,300 | $86,900 | $148,600 |
| 60 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $113,400 | $86,200 | $147,400 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $111,200 | $84,500 | $144,600 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $108,800 | $82,700 | $141,500 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $104,800 | $79,600 | $136,200 |
| 64 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $102,400 | $77,800 | $133,100 |
| 65 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $101,800 | $77,400 | $132,400 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $99,900 | $75,900 | $129,800 |
| 67 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $99,500 | $75,600 | $129,300 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $99,000 | $75,200 | $128,700 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $94,900 | $72,100 | $123,300 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $92,900 | $70,600 | $120,700 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $91,000 | $69,200 | $118,300 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $87,600 | $66,600 | $113,900 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $85,700 | $65,200 | $111,400 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $84,900 | $64,500 | $110,400 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $81,000 | $61,500 | $105,300 |
| 76 | High School Teacher | Education | $79,400 | $60,400 | $103,300 |
| 77 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $79,400 | $60,400 | $103,300 |
| 78 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $78,600 | $59,700 | $102,200 |
| 79 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $77,200 | $58,600 | $100,300 |
| 80 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $77,200 | $58,600 | $100,300 |
| 81 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $77,200 | $58,600 | $100,300 |
| 82 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $77,100 | $58,600 | $100,200 |
| 83 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $74,900 | $56,900 | $97,400 |
| 84 | School Counselor | Education | $74,800 | $56,800 | $97,200 |
| 85 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $73,800 | $56,100 | $96,000 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $73,100 | $55,600 | $95,100 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $72,400 | $55,000 | $94,200 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $71,700 | $54,500 | $93,200 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $71,400 | $54,300 | $92,900 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $71,400 | $54,300 | $92,900 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $70,300 | $53,500 | $91,500 |
| 92 | Social Worker | Public Service | $70,100 | $53,300 | $91,100 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $69,100 | $52,500 | $89,800 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $65,800 | $50,000 | $85,600 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $63,100 | $47,900 | $82,000 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $61,900 | $47,100 | $80,500 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $54,500 | $41,400 | $70,800 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $53,200 | $40,400 | $69,200 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $52,400 | $39,800 | $68,100 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $46,300 | $35,200 | $60,200 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in Texas (with growth outlook)
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