A complete 2026 pay reference for Washington: 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 | $662,000 | $503,100 | $860,600 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $544,600 | $413,900 | $708,000 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $498,500 | $378,900 | $648,100 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $351,100 | $266,900 | $456,500 |
| 5 | AI Engineer | Technology | $300,200 | $228,200 | $390,300 |
| 6 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $299,400 | $227,500 | $389,200 |
| 7 | Investment Banker | Finance | $271,600 | $206,400 | $353,000 |
| 8 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $267,400 | $203,300 | $347,700 |
| 9 | Dentist | Healthcare | $258,000 | $196,100 | $335,400 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $255,900 | $194,500 | $332,700 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $246,800 | $187,600 | $320,800 |
| 12 | Product Manager | Technology | $226,800 | $172,300 | $294,800 |
| 13 | Data Scientist | Technology | $220,800 | $167,800 | $287,000 |
| 14 | IT Manager | Technology | $219,100 | $166,500 | $284,900 |
| 15 | Data Engineer | Technology | $211,800 | $161,000 | $275,400 |
| 16 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $211,800 | $161,000 | $275,400 |
| 17 | Controller | Finance | $211,700 | $160,900 | $275,200 |
| 18 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $211,700 | $160,900 | $275,200 |
| 19 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $209,600 | $159,300 | $272,500 |
| 20 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $207,300 | $157,500 | $269,400 |
| 21 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $206,100 | $156,600 | $267,900 |
| 22 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $205,900 | $156,500 | $267,600 |
| 23 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $204,100 | $155,100 | $265,400 |
| 24 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $197,800 | $150,300 | $257,100 |
| 25 | Software Engineer | Technology | $196,900 | $149,700 | $256,000 |
| 26 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $195,800 | $148,800 | $254,600 |
| 27 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $194,200 | $147,600 | $252,400 |
| 28 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $192,300 | $146,100 | $250,000 |
| 29 | Backend Developer | Technology | $191,200 | $145,300 | $248,600 |
| 30 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $190,300 | $144,600 | $247,400 |
| 31 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $186,300 | $141,600 | $242,200 |
| 32 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $183,900 | $139,700 | $239,000 |
| 33 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $182,100 | $138,400 | $236,700 |
| 34 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $182,100 | $138,400 | $236,700 |
| 35 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $181,500 | $138,000 | $236,000 |
| 36 | Actuary | Finance | $178,300 | $135,500 | $231,700 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $174,900 | $132,900 | $227,300 |
| 38 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $172,200 | $130,800 | $223,800 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $168,300 | $127,900 | $218,700 |
| 40 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $167,400 | $127,200 | $217,600 |
| 41 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $162,700 | $123,700 | $211,600 |
| 42 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $154,500 | $117,400 | $200,800 |
| 43 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $153,000 | $116,300 | $198,900 |
| 44 | College Professor | Education | $151,900 | $115,400 | $197,400 |
| 45 | School Principal | Education | $151,900 | $115,400 | $197,400 |
| 46 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $148,900 | $113,200 | $193,600 |
| 47 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $147,500 | $112,100 | $191,800 |
| 48 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $146,200 | $111,100 | $190,000 |
| 49 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $146,200 | $111,100 | $190,100 |
| 50 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $145,300 | $110,400 | $188,800 |
| 51 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $144,800 | $110,100 | $188,300 |
| 52 | Data Analyst | Technology | $144,700 | $110,000 | $188,100 |
| 53 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $140,700 | $106,900 | $182,900 |
| 54 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $139,800 | $106,200 | $181,700 |
| 55 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $139,800 | $106,200 | $181,700 |
| 56 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $139,200 | $105,800 | $181,000 |
| 57 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $137,600 | $104,600 | $178,900 |
| 58 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $136,500 | $103,700 | $177,400 |
| 59 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $135,300 | $102,800 | $175,800 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $135,200 | $102,700 | $175,700 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $133,800 | $101,700 | $174,000 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $126,000 | $95,700 | $163,800 |
| 63 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $122,500 | $93,100 | $159,300 |
| 64 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $121,300 | $92,200 | $157,700 |
| 65 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $119,800 | $91,000 | $155,700 |
| 66 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $117,600 | $89,400 | $152,800 |
| 67 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $117,000 | $88,900 | $152,100 |
| 68 | Animator | Creative & Media | $115,600 | $87,800 | $150,200 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $114,200 | $86,800 | $148,500 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $111,800 | $85,000 | $145,300 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $107,600 | $81,800 | $139,800 |
| 72 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $103,200 | $78,400 | $134,200 |
| 73 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $102,200 | $77,700 | $132,900 |
| 74 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $99,000 | $75,200 | $128,600 |
| 75 | Police Officer | Public Service | $99,000 | $75,200 | $128,700 |
| 76 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $95,600 | $72,700 | $124,300 |
| 77 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $94,600 | $71,900 | $123,000 |
| 78 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $92,900 | $70,600 | $120,700 |
| 79 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $92,900 | $70,600 | $120,700 |
| 80 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $92,900 | $70,600 | $120,700 |
| 81 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $92,800 | $70,500 | $120,600 |
| 82 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $90,100 | $68,500 | $117,200 |
| 83 | School Counselor | Education | $90,000 | $68,400 | $117,000 |
| 84 | High School Teacher | Education | $89,700 | $68,200 | $116,600 |
| 85 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $88,900 | $67,500 | $115,500 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $88,000 | $66,900 | $114,400 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $87,200 | $66,300 | $113,300 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $86,300 | $65,600 | $112,200 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $86,000 | $65,400 | $111,800 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $86,000 | $65,400 | $111,800 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $84,700 | $64,400 | $110,100 |
| 92 | Social Worker | Public Service | $84,400 | $64,100 | $109,700 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $83,100 | $63,200 | $108,100 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $79,200 | $60,200 | $103,000 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $74,500 | $56,600 | $96,900 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $67,600 | $51,400 | $87,900 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $65,600 | $49,800 | $85,200 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $64,100 | $48,700 | $83,300 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $58,200 | $44,200 | $75,700 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $51,400 | $39,100 | $66,800 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in Washington (with growth outlook)
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