Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $120,840
- Median hourly wage: $58.10
- Total employment: 920 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Albany
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 Albany. 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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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $122,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 790 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $123,440
- Median hourly wage: $59.35
- Total employment: 310 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $123,590
- Median hourly wage: $59.42
- Total employment: 3,370 people (7.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $123,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.50
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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sabthai // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators
- Median annual wage: $124,590
- Median hourly wage: $59.90
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Economics teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $124,640
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,980
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $125,170
- Median hourly wage: $60.18
- Total employment: 820 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $125,740
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $125,880
- Median hourly wage: $60.52
- Total employment: 510 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
H_Ko // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $126,950
- Median hourly wage: $61.04
- Total employment: 210 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleksii Didok // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Judicial law clerks
- Median annual wage: $127,780
- Median hourly wage: $61.43
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $127,990
- Median hourly wage: $61.54
- Total employment: 490 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $128,060
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 280 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PanuShot // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $128,790
- Median hourly wage: $61.92
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $129,490
- Median hourly wage: $62.26
- Total employment: 780 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,520
- Median hourly wage: $62.27
- Total employment: 200 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,280
- Median hourly wage: $62.64
- Total employment: 160 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $130,690
- Median hourly wage: $62.83
- Total employment: 90 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $131,450
- Median hourly wage: $63.20
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $131,730
- Median hourly wage: $63.33
- Total employment: 420 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $131,900
- Median hourly wage: $63.42
- Total employment: 660 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $132,190
- Median hourly wage: $63.55
- Total employment: 260 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $132,730
- Median hourly wage: $63.81
- Total employment: 700 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $133,360
- Median hourly wage: $64.12
- Total employment: 1,120 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,480
- Median hourly wage: $66.58
- Total employment: 990 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,200
- Median hourly wage: $66.92
- Total employment: 480 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $141,990
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 370 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $142,010
- Median hourly wage: $68.27
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $146,910
- Median hourly wage: $70.63
- Total employment: 2,430 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $149,000
- Median hourly wage: $71.64
- Total employment: 290 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $149,650
- Median hourly wage: $71.95
- Total employment: 1,950 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $156,070
- Median hourly wage: $75.04
- Total employment: 930 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $160,190
- Median hourly wage: $77.01
- Total employment: 320 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $161,120
- Median hourly wage: $77.46
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $164,290
- Median hourly wage: $78.98
- Total employment: Not available
luchschenF // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $166,400
- Median hourly wage: $80.00
- Total employment: 80 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sebastian Duda // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
- Median annual wage: $168,530
- Median hourly wage: $81.02
- Total employment: 190 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $170,100
- Median hourly wage: $81.78
- Total employment: 130 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $172,840
- Median hourly wage: $83.10
- Total employment: 620 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $176,500
- Median hourly wage: $84.86
- Total employment: 630 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elnur // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $177,990
- Median hourly wage: $85.57
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $191,140
- Median hourly wage: $91.89
- Total employment: 410 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $214,000
- Median hourly wage: $102.88
- Total employment: 190 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $219,910
- Median hourly wage: $105.73
- Total employment: 120 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric
- Median annual wage: $224,340
- Median hourly wage: $107.86
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 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: 500 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Nurse anesthetists (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)
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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