Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,800
- Median hourly wage: $48.46
- Total employment: 1,730 people (3.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Birmingham
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 Birmingham. 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.
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,950
- Median hourly wage: $48.54
- Total employment: 580 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $101,020
- Median hourly wage: $48.57
- Total employment: 410 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,250
- Median hourly wage: $48.68
- Total employment: 260 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $101,640
- Median hourly wage: $48.87
- Total employment: 600 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Chemistry teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $102,430
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Taty77 // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,280
- Median hourly wage: $49.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $103,640
- Median hourly wage: $49.83
- Total employment: 270 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,280
- Median hourly wage: $50.13
- Total employment: 110 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Credit analysts
- Median annual wage: $105,510
- Median hourly wage: $50.72
- Total employment: 190 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $106,040
- Median hourly wage: $50.98
- Total employment: 620 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $106,130
- Median hourly wage: $51.03
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Biological science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $106,290
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 370 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $106,890
- Median hourly wage: $51.39
- Total employment: 3,800 people (7.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
15 / 50#35. Facilities managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $106,960
- Median hourly wage: $51.42
- Total employment: 220 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Managers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $106,960
- Median hourly wage: $51.42
- Total employment: 560 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $107,550
- Median hourly wage: $51.71
- Total employment: 1,280 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $108,240
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 250 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,360
- Median hourly wage: $52.58
- Total employment: 740 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $112,080
- Median hourly wage: $53.89
- Total employment: 60 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $112,480
- Median hourly wage: $54.08
- Total employment: 180 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $113,180
- Median hourly wage: $54.42
- Total employment: 280 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $114,660
- Median hourly wage: $55.13
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $114,760
- Median hourly wage: $55.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $117,820
- Median hourly wage: $56.65
- Total employment: 8,610 people (16.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $120,040
- Median hourly wage: $57.71
- Total employment: Not available
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $120,950
- Median hourly wage: $58.15
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $121,870
- Median hourly wage: $58.59
- Total employment: 550 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $123,340
- Median hourly wage: $59.30
- Total employment: 660 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $127,850
- Median hourly wage: $61.47
- Total employment: 820 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $132,700
- Median hourly wage: $63.80
- Total employment: 70 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $133,790
- Median hourly wage: $64.32
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $134,020
- Median hourly wage: $64.43
- Total employment: 110 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $135,100
- Median hourly wage: $64.95
- Total employment: 1,960 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $135,960
- Median hourly wage: $65.36
- Total employment: 1,750 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $137,050
- Median hourly wage: $65.89
- Total employment: 110 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $143,230
- Median hourly wage: $68.86
- Total employment: 190 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $151,750
- Median hourly wage: $72.96
- Total employment: 2,370 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $152,240
- Median hourly wage: $73.19
- Total employment: 2,240 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $155,180
- Median hourly wage: $74.61
- Total employment: 650 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $157,790
- Median hourly wage: $75.86
- Total employment: 550 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elnur // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $161,420
- Median hourly wage: $77.61
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $171,680
- Median hourly wage: $82.54
- Total employment: 230 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $204,950
- Median hourly wage: $98.53
- Total employment: Not available
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $231,480
- Median hourly wage: $111.29
- Total employment: 1,340 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $236,160
- Median hourly wage: $113.54
- Total employment: Not available
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Dermatologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
48 / 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
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 140 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photoroyalty // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Surgeons, all other (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.
