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1 / 50#50. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $69,980
- Median hourly wage: $33.65
- Total employment: 150 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Fort Smith
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 Fort Smith. 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. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $71,150
- Median hourly wage: $34.21
- Total employment: 90 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $71,520
- Median hourly wage: $34.39
- Total employment: 100 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $72,580
- Median hourly wage: $34.90
- Total employment: 130 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $73,270
- Median hourly wage: $35.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $74,040
- Median hourly wage: $35.60
- Total employment: 70 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $74,450
- Median hourly wage: $35.79
- Total employment: 50 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $74,490
- Median hourly wage: $35.81
- Total employment: 160 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Toa55 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Occupational therapy assistants
- Median annual wage: $74,610
- Median hourly wage: $35.87
- Total employment: 30 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $76,190
- Median hourly wage: $36.63
- Total employment: 160 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $76,230
- Median hourly wage: $36.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $76,500
- Median hourly wage: $36.78
- Total employment: 200 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $76,770
- Median hourly wage: $36.91
- Total employment: 150 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $76,870
- Median hourly wage: $36.96
- Total employment: 50 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $77,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.02
- Total employment: 2,110 people (21.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $77,090
- Median hourly wage: $37.06
- Total employment: 40 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $78,320
- Median hourly wage: $37.66
- Total employment: 80 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $78,790
- Median hourly wage: $37.88
- Total employment: 130 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $80,570
- Median hourly wage: $38.73
- Total employment: 150 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $81,420
- Median hourly wage: $39.15
- Total employment: 60 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $81,460
- Median hourly wage: $39.16
- Total employment: 70 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $81,710
- Median hourly wage: $39.29
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $83,550
- Median hourly wage: $40.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $85,230
- Median hourly wage: $40.98
- Total employment: 370 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $85,540
- Median hourly wage: $41.12
- Total employment: 130 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $87,440
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 200 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $88,070
- Median hourly wage: $42.34
- Total employment: 130 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $89,990
- Median hourly wage: $43.26
- Total employment: 100 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,810
- Median hourly wage: $44.62
- Total employment: 60 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $94,440
- Median hourly wage: $45.40
- Total employment: 180 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $95,440
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 70 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $95,920
- Median hourly wage: $46.12
- Total employment: 110 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $96,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.25
- Total employment: 340 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $96,840
- Median hourly wage: $46.56
- Total employment: 140 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $99,610
- Median hourly wage: $47.89
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $101,140
- Median hourly wage: $48.62
- Total employment: 50 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $102,280
- Median hourly wage: $49.18
- Total employment: 240 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $102,460
- Median hourly wage: $49.26
- Total employment: 200 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $102,500
- Median hourly wage: $49.28
- Total employment: 90 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $103,270
- Median hourly wage: $49.65
- Total employment: 210 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,330
- Median hourly wage: $50.16
- Total employment: 130 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $105,140
- Median hourly wage: $50.55
- Total employment: 400 people (4.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $105,480
- Median hourly wage: $50.71
- Total employment: 160 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $106,860
- Median hourly wage: $51.38
- Total employment: 60 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $111,910
- Median hourly wage: $53.80
- Total employment: 270 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $115,580
- Median hourly wage: $55.57
- Total employment: 50 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $116,710
- Median hourly wage: $56.11
- Total employment: 130 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $124,680
- Median hourly wage: $59.94
- Total employment: 40 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $131,380
- Median hourly wage: $63.16
- Total employment: 200 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $158,140
- Median hourly wage: $76.03
- Total employment: 80 people (0.85 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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