fizkes // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $94,060
- Median hourly wage: $45.22
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Chico
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 Chico. 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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Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $94,200
- Median hourly wage: $45.29
- Total employment: 140 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $94,580
- Median hourly wage: $45.47
- Total employment: 170 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $95,800
- Median hourly wage: $46.06
- Total employment: 120 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $95,890
- Median hourly wage: $46.10
- Total employment: 230 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $96,510
- Median hourly wage: $46.40
- Total employment: 50 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $98,470
- Median hourly wage: $47.34
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Instructional coordinators
- Median annual wage: $98,480
- Median hourly wage: $47.35
- Total employment: 100 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $98,920
- Median hourly wage: $47.56
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $99,120
- Median hourly wage: $47.66
- Total employment: 1,200 people (15.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $100,720
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 310 people (3.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $100,820
- Median hourly wage: $48.47
- Total employment: 70 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,400
- Median hourly wage: $48.75
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $109,010
- Median hourly wage: $52.41
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Healthcare social workers
- Median annual wage: $110,030
- Median hourly wage: $52.90
- Total employment: 90 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Skycolors // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $112,080
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $113,550
- Median hourly wage: $54.59
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $115,870
- Median hourly wage: $55.71
- Total employment: 100 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $117,250
- Median hourly wage: $56.37
- Total employment: 110 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $117,890
- Median hourly wage: $56.68
- Total employment: 210 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $118,990
- Median hourly wage: $57.21
- Total employment: 110 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $120,100
- Median hourly wage: $57.74
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $122,020
- Median hourly wage: $58.66
- Total employment: 100 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,370
- Median hourly wage: $58.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $123,580
- Median hourly wage: $59.41
- Total employment: 170 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $124,350
- Median hourly wage: $59.78
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $124,430
- Median hourly wage: $59.82
- Total employment: 250 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $126,140
- Median hourly wage: $60.64
- Total employment: 70 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $126,490
- Median hourly wage: $60.81
- Total employment: 150 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $128,980
- Median hourly wage: $62.01
- Total employment: 80 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $131,370
- Median hourly wage: $63.16
- Total employment: 160 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $131,540
- Median hourly wage: $63.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $132,530
- Median hourly wage: $63.72
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $133,170
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 210 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $134,950
- Median hourly wage: $64.88
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $135,610
- Median hourly wage: $65.20
- Total employment: 130 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $135,630
- Median hourly wage: $65.21
- Total employment: 80 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $136,870
- Median hourly wage: $65.80
- Total employment: 50 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $139,450
- Median hourly wage: $67.04
- Total employment: 350 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $141,720
- Median hourly wage: $68.14
- Total employment: 2,490 people (31.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $148,370
- Median hourly wage: $71.33
- Total employment: 80 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $151,940
- Median hourly wage: $73.05
- Total employment: 80 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $156,030
- Median hourly wage: $75.02
- Total employment: 70 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $159,400
- Median hourly wage: $76.64
- Total employment: 130 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $166,850
- Median hourly wage: $80.22
- Total employment: 80 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $166,930
- Median hourly wage: $80.26
- Total employment: 120 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $171,200
- Median hourly wage: $82.31
- Total employment: 160 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $175,290
- Median hourly wage: $84.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $224,840
- Median hourly wage: $108.10
- Total employment: 70 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 130 people (1.71 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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