SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $106,280
- Median hourly wage: $51.10
- Total employment: 2,860 people (6.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in New Orleans
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 New Orleans. 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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Kardasov Films // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Marine engineers and naval architects
- Median annual wage: $106,500
- Median hourly wage: $51.20
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $108,030
- Median hourly wage: $51.94
- Total employment: 610 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $108,100
- Median hourly wage: $51.97
- Total employment: 830 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $108,280
- Median hourly wage: $52.06
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Lucky Business // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Sociology teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $108,470
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $108,620
- Median hourly wage: $52.22
- Total employment: 230 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sebastian Duda // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
- Median annual wage: $109,450
- Median hourly wage: $52.62
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $109,800
- Median hourly wage: $52.79
- Total employment: 140 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
10 / 50#40. Software developers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $112,450
- Median hourly wage: $54.06
- Total employment: 740 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Engineers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $112,450
- Median hourly wage: $54.06
- Total employment: 1,600 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $113,030
- Median hourly wage: $54.34
- Total employment: 380 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $114,810
- Median hourly wage: $55.20
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $115,030
- Median hourly wage: $55.30
- Total employment: 140 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $115,480
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $119,690
- Median hourly wage: $57.54
- Total employment: 550 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $120,580
- Median hourly wage: $57.97
- Total employment: 120 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $123,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.49
- Total employment: 190 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Worawee Meepian // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers
- Median annual wage: $124,090
- Median hourly wage: $59.66
- Total employment: 70 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Engineering teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $124,660
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Computer science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $125,240
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $126,480
- Median hourly wage: $60.81
- Total employment: 730 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $126,710
- Median hourly wage: $60.92
- Total employment: Not available
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $127,670
- Median hourly wage: $61.38
- Total employment: 1,040 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $127,860
- Median hourly wage: $61.47
- Total employment: 1,940 people (4.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $128,250
- Median hourly wage: $61.66
- Total employment: 1,230 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,100
- Median hourly wage: $62.07
- Total employment: Not available
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $129,470
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $129,910
- Median hourly wage: $62.46
- Total employment: 140 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,330
- Median hourly wage: $62.66
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $131,220
- Median hourly wage: $63.09
- Total employment: 3,470 people (7.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $132,800
- Median hourly wage: $63.85
- Total employment: 400 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $133,070
- Median hourly wage: $63.97
- Total employment: 190 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BELL KA PANG // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $133,410
- Median hourly wage: $64.14
- Total employment: 130 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $135,340
- Median hourly wage: $65.07
- Total employment: 660 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,010
- Median hourly wage: $66.83
- Total employment: 530 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $139,130
- Median hourly wage: $66.89
- Total employment: 770 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $142,890
- Median hourly wage: $68.70
- Total employment: 40 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Another77 // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $143,400
- Median hourly wage: $68.94
- Total employment: 360 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $153,990
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 250 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $163,280
- Median hourly wage: $78.50
- Total employment: 460 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $163,880
- Median hourly wage: $78.79
- Total employment: 110 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $164,920
- Median hourly wage: $79.29
- Total employment: 110 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $208,050
- Median hourly wage: $100.03
- Total employment: 310 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $230,180
- Median hourly wage: $110.66
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 210 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 1,200 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Djols // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 200 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. General internal medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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