DGLimages // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Mental health and substance abuse social workers
- Median annual wage: $63,750
- Median hourly wage: $30.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Jonesboro
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 Jonesboro. 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. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $64,720
- Median hourly wage: $31.11
- Total employment: 160 people (2.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $65,400
- Median hourly wage: $31.44
- Total employment: 220 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Healthcare social workers
- Median annual wage: $67,390
- Median hourly wage: $32.40
- Total employment: 90 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $67,590
- Median hourly wage: $32.49
- Total employment: 60 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Instructional coordinators
- Median annual wage: $68,780
- Median hourly wage: $33.07
- Total employment: 50 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Physical therapist assistants
- Median annual wage: $70,760
- Median hourly wage: $34.02
- Total employment: 210 people (3.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peakstock // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $71,030
- Median hourly wage: $34.15
- Total employment: 40 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $72,010
- Median hourly wage: $34.62
- Total employment: 100 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $72,460
- Median hourly wage: $34.84
- Total employment: 70 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $74,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.83
- Total employment: 150 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $74,550
- Median hourly wage: $35.84
- Total employment: 50 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $74,740
- Median hourly wage: $35.93
- Total employment: 100 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,450
- Median hourly wage: $37.24
- Total employment: 210 people (3.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,030
- Median hourly wage: $37.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $78,730
- Median hourly wage: $37.85
- Total employment: 1,890 people (31.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $79,010
- Median hourly wage: $37.98
- Total employment: 40 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $79,660
- Median hourly wage: $38.30
- Total employment: 30 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $79,750
- Median hourly wage: $38.34
- Total employment: 70 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.64
- Total employment: 40 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Occupational therapy assistants
- Median annual wage: $81,010
- Median hourly wage: $38.95
- Total employment: 90 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $81,840
- Median hourly wage: $39.35
- Total employment: 90 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $82,160
- Median hourly wage: $39.50
- Total employment: 150 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $84,470
- Median hourly wage: $40.61
- Total employment: 70 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $86,050
- Median hourly wage: $41.37
- Total employment: 70 people (1.15 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: $87,940
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $88,710
- Median hourly wage: $42.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $88,810
- Median hourly wage: $42.70
- Total employment: 50 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $90,650
- Median hourly wage: $43.58
- Total employment: 40 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $92,580
- Median hourly wage: $44.51
- Total employment: 30 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $93,100
- Median hourly wage: $44.76
- Total employment: 190 people (3.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $93,240
- Median hourly wage: $44.83
- Total employment: 240 people (4.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $93,450
- Median hourly wage: $44.93
- Total employment: 30 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $93,820
- Median hourly wage: $45.11
- Total employment: 30 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $93,950
- Median hourly wage: $45.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $96,210
- Median hourly wage: $46.26
- Total employment: 50 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,320
- Median hourly wage: $47.27
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $99,990
- Median hourly wage: $48.07
- Total employment: 390 people (6.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $100,130
- Median hourly wage: $48.14
- Total employment: 60 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $102,000
- Median hourly wage: $49.04
- Total employment: 240 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $104,330
- Median hourly wage: $50.16
- Total employment: 110 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $104,470
- Median hourly wage: $50.23
- Total employment: 150 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $106,420
- Median hourly wage: $51.16
- Total employment: 40 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $109,300
- Median hourly wage: $52.55
- Total employment: 40 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $114,250
- Median hourly wage: $54.93
- Total employment: 260 people (4.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $117,070
- Median hourly wage: $56.28
- Total employment: 110 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $126,200
- Median hourly wage: $60.67
- Total employment: 90 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $137,400
- Median hourly wage: $66.06
- Total employment: 190 people (3.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $163,700
- Median hourly wage: $78.70
- Total employment: 50 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 140 people (2.26 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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