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1 / 50#50. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $73,880
- Median hourly wage: $35.52
- Total employment: 220 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Joplin
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 Joplin. 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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2 / 50#49. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $74,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $75,800
- Median hourly wage: $36.44
- Total employment: 70 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
4 / 50#46. Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary (tie)
- Median annual wage: $75,950
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Network and computer systems administrators (tie)
- Median annual wage: $75,950
- Median hourly wage: $36.52
- Total employment: 100 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $76,170
- Median hourly wage: $36.62
- Total employment: 390 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $76,240
- Median hourly wage: $36.66
- Total employment: 320 people (3.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $76,970
- Median hourly wage: $37.01
- Total employment: 140 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $77,390
- Median hourly wage: $37.21
- Total employment: 60 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Instructional coordinators
- Median annual wage: $78,670
- Median hourly wage: $37.82
- Total employment: 50 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.64
- Total employment: 240 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $80,670
- Median hourly wage: $38.78
- Total employment: 80 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $80,730
- Median hourly wage: $38.81
- Total employment: 100 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $81,000
- Median hourly wage: $38.94
- Total employment: 80 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $81,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.97
- Total employment: 70 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Biological science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $81,190
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $82,780
- Median hourly wage: $39.80
- Total employment: 50 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $83,500
- Median hourly wage: $40.15
- Total employment: 170 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $90,390
- Median hourly wage: $43.46
- Total employment: 90 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $92,040
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 220 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $92,720
- Median hourly wage: $44.58
- Total employment: 170 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $93,950
- Median hourly wage: $45.17
- Total employment: 90 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $94,660
- Median hourly wage: $45.51
- Total employment: 100 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $95,090
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $95,380
- Median hourly wage: $45.86
- Total employment: 50 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $95,660
- Median hourly wage: $45.99
- Total employment: 250 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $95,880
- Median hourly wage: $46.10
- Total employment: 50 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $95,910
- Median hourly wage: $46.11
- Total employment: 50 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $97,530
- Median hourly wage: $46.89
- Total employment: 190 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $97,840
- Median hourly wage: $47.04
- Total employment: 160 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $99,510
- Median hourly wage: $47.84
- Total employment: 80 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $99,620
- Median hourly wage: $47.89
- Total employment: 220 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $99,930
- Median hourly wage: $48.05
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $101,310
- Median hourly wage: $48.71
- Total employment: 100 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Business teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $101,920
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 180 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $103,850
- Median hourly wage: $49.93
- Total employment: 90 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,620
- Median hourly wage: $50.30
- Total employment: 60 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $104,680
- Median hourly wage: $50.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $112,620
- Median hourly wage: $54.14
- Total employment: 130 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $121,790
- Median hourly wage: $58.55
- Total employment: 280 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $124,260
- Median hourly wage: $59.74
- Total employment: 160 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $125,460
- Median hourly wage: $60.32
- Total employment: 130 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $131,120
- Median hourly wage: $63.04
- Total employment: 180 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $136,060
- Median hourly wage: $65.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $145,090
- Median hourly wage: $69.76
- Total employment: 100 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $152,550
- Median hourly wage: $73.34
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Postsecondary teachers, all other
- Median annual wage: $176,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 250 people (2.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $193,500
- Median hourly wage: $93.03
- Total employment: Not available
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $195,680
- Median hourly wage: $94.08
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 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.
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