Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $119,510
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,900 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Providence
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 Providence. 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. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $119,990
- Median hourly wage: $57.69
- Total employment: 1,160 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $120,290
- Median hourly wage: $57.83
- Total employment: 780 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Burben // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Air traffic controllers
- Median annual wage: $121,680
- Median hourly wage: $58.50
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,870
- Median hourly wage: $59.07
- Total employment: 530 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $123,300
- Median hourly wage: $59.28
- Total employment: 510 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $125,150
- Median hourly wage: $60.17
- Total employment: 600 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $126,860
- Median hourly wage: $60.99
- Total employment: 400 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $126,900
- Median hourly wage: $61.01
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $127,880
- Median hourly wage: $61.48
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#39. Electronics engineers, except computer (tie)
- Median annual wage: $128,420
- Median hourly wage: $61.74
- Total employment: 1,010 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Pharmacists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $128,420
- Median hourly wage: $61.74
- Total employment: 1,740 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $128,490
- Median hourly wage: $61.77
- Total employment: 2,530 people (3.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $129,730
- Median hourly wage: $62.37
- Total employment: Not available
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $129,990
- Median hourly wage: $62.50
- Total employment: 310 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $130,640
- Median hourly wage: $62.81
- Total employment: 1,490 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Economics teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $131,980
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 120 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $132,010
- Median hourly wage: $63.47
- Total employment: 5,880 people (8.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $134,990
- Median hourly wage: $64.90
- Total employment: 1,520 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $135,910
- Median hourly wage: $65.34
- Total employment: 700 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $139,140
- Median hourly wage: $66.89
- Total employment: 270 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $140,450
- Median hourly wage: $67.52
- Total employment: 330 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $140,830
- Median hourly wage: $67.71
- Total employment: 170 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $141,460
- Median hourly wage: $68.01
- Total employment: 220 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $147,240
- Median hourly wage: $70.79
- Total employment: 940 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $147,370
- Median hourly wage: $70.85
- Total employment: 180 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $148,240
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $151,860
- Median hourly wage: $73.01
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elnur // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $154,070
- Median hourly wage: $74.07
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $159,530
- Median hourly wage: $76.70
- Total employment: 3,090 people (4.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $159,690
- Median hourly wage: $76.77
- Total employment: 590 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $164,570
- Median hourly wage: $79.12
- Total employment: 580 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $165,030
- Median hourly wage: $79.34
- Total employment: 1,400 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $169,060
- Median hourly wage: $81.28
- Total employment: 1,310 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $170,960
- Median hourly wage: $82.19
- Total employment: 100 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $172,730
- Median hourly wage: $83.04
- Total employment: 50 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $209,330
- Median hourly wage: $100.64
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $210,230
- Median hourly wage: $101.07
- Total employment: 330 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $221,720
- Median hourly wage: $106.60
- Total employment: 370 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $229,340
- Median hourly wage: $110.26
- Total employment: 1,400 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $230,350
- Median hourly wage: $110.74
- Total employment: 380 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
42 / 50#1. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
43 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 150 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
44 / 50#1. Nurse anesthetists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Komsan Loonprom // Shutterstock
45 / 50#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 120 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Anesthesiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Djols // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 310 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Dermatologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 310 people (0.44 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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