Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Pensacola. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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#50. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $86,750
- Median hourly wage: $41.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#49. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $88,190
- Median hourly wage: $42.40
- Total employment: 330 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#48. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $91,470
- Median hourly wage: $43.98
- Total employment: 110 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#47. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $91,520
- Median hourly wage: $44.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#46. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $93,300
- Median hourly wage: $44.86
- Total employment: 220 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#45. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $94,230
- Median hourly wage: $45.30
- Total employment: 140 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#44. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $94,570
- Median hourly wage: $45.47
- Total employment: 1,000 people (5.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#43. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $94,850
- Median hourly wage: $45.60
- Total employment: 220 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#42. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $95,450
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 690 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#41. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $96,720
- Median hourly wage: $46.50
- Total employment: 330 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#40. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $97,050
- Median hourly wage: $46.66
- Total employment: 4,550 people (24.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#39. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $97,730
- Median hourly wage: $46.98
- Total employment: 150 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#38. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $97,910
- Median hourly wage: $47.07
- Total employment: 410 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#37. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $98,170
- Median hourly wage: $47.20
- Total employment: 110 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#36. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $98,550
- Median hourly wage: $47.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#35. Radiation therapists
- Median annual wage: $98,570
- Median hourly wage: $47.39
- Total employment: 60 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#34. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,830
- Median hourly wage: $47.51
- Total employment: 400 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#33. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $100,500
- Median hourly wage: $48.32
- Total employment: 60 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#32. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,810
- Median hourly wage: $48.46
- Total employment: 150 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#31. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $101,080
- Median hourly wage: $48.60
- Total employment: 730 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#30. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,440
- Median hourly wage: $48.77
- Total employment: 520 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#29. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $102,140
- Median hourly wage: $49.10
- Total employment: 40 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#28. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,320
- Median hourly wage: $49.67
- Total employment: 820 people (4.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#27. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $103,520
- Median hourly wage: $49.77
- Total employment: 770 people (4.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#26. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $103,750
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#25. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $106,890
- Median hourly wage: $51.39
- Total employment: 50 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#24. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $108,110
- Median hourly wage: $51.98
- Total employment: 480 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#23. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $108,990
- Median hourly wage: $52.40
- Total employment: 70 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#22. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,110
- Median hourly wage: $52.46
- Total employment: 180 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#21. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $110,870
- Median hourly wage: $53.30
- Total employment: 40 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#20. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $112,070
- Median hourly wage: $53.88
- Total employment: 120 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#19. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $113,730
- Median hourly wage: $54.68
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#18. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $115,130
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#17. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $118,090
- Median hourly wage: $56.77
- Total employment: 160 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#16. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $122,370
- Median hourly wage: $58.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#15. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $122,530
- Median hourly wage: $58.91
- Total employment: 220 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#14. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $122,620
- Median hourly wage: $58.95
- Total employment: 790 people (4.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
#13. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $124,760
- Median hourly wage: $59.98
- Total employment: 440 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#12. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $124,850
- Median hourly wage: $60.02
- Total employment: 870 people (4.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#11. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $126,260
- Median hourly wage: $60.70
- Total employment: 40 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#10. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $127,630
- Median hourly wage: $61.36
- Total employment: 210 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#9. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $128,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 140 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#8. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $140,380
- Median hourly wage: $67.49
- Total employment: 410 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#7. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $143,320
- Median hourly wage: $68.90
- Total employment: 320 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#6. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $145,750
- Median hourly wage: $70.07
- Total employment: 100 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#5. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $154,660
- Median hourly wage: $74.35
- Total employment: 520 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#4. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $158,860
- Median hourly wage: $76.38
- Total employment: 180 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#3. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $179,590
- Median hourly wage: $86.34
- Total employment: 70 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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#1. General internal medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
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#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 350 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
