rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $140,160
- Median hourly wage: $67.39
- Total employment: 360 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Sacramento
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 Sacramento. 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. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $141,030
- Median hourly wage: $67.80
- Total employment: 7,410 people (6.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $143,260
- Median hourly wage: $68.88
- Total employment: 270 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $143,480
- Median hourly wage: $68.98
- Total employment: 130 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $145,860
- Median hourly wage: $70.13
- Total employment: 120 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $148,870
- Median hourly wage: $71.57
- Total employment: 270 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $149,730
- Median hourly wage: $71.99
- Total employment: 4,110 people (3.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $150,510
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 2,090 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $150,800
- Median hourly wage: $72.50
- Total employment: 5,050 people (4.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $153,630
- Median hourly wage: $73.86
- Total employment: 760 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $154,150
- Median hourly wage: $74.11
- Total employment: 190 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $154,450
- Median hourly wage: $74.25
- Total employment: 490 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $155,390
- Median hourly wage: $74.71
- Total employment: 1,220 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $155,670
- Median hourly wage: $74.84
- Total employment: 1,620 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $156,260
- Median hourly wage: $75.13
- Total employment: 180 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SofikoS // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $157,640
- Median hourly wage: $75.79
- Total employment: 590 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $158,230
- Median hourly wage: $76.07
- Total employment: 900 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $158,420
- Median hourly wage: $76.16
- Total employment: 850 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Taty77 // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
- Median annual wage: $158,760
- Median hourly wage: $76.33
- Total employment: 200 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $159,800
- Median hourly wage: $76.83
- Total employment: 3,710 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $160,490
- Median hourly wage: $77.16
- Total employment: 3,990 people (3.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $160,630
- Median hourly wage: $77.23
- Total employment: 70 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $161,710
- Median hourly wage: $77.74
- Total employment: 4,230 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $161,820
- Median hourly wage: $77.80
- Total employment: 650 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $161,850
- Median hourly wage: $77.81
- Total employment: 150 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $163,310
- Median hourly wage: $78.51
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Postsecondary teachers, all other
- Median annual wage: $164,180
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 2,200 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Diego Cervo // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $164,500
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $164,520
- Median hourly wage: $79.10
- Total employment: 1,200 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
My Ocean Production // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Nuclear medicine technologists
- Median annual wage: $167,020
- Median hourly wage: $80.30
- Total employment: 120 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $167,080
- Median hourly wage: $80.33
- Total employment: 650 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Radiation therapists
- Median annual wage: $168,410
- Median hourly wage: $80.97
- Total employment: 100 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $169,210
- Median hourly wage: $81.35
- Total employment: 23,400 people (21.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $171,120
- Median hourly wage: $82.27
- Total employment: 6,730 people (6.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $173,510
- Median hourly wage: $83.42
- Total employment: 2,320 people (2.18 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: $189,270
- Median hourly wage: $90.99
- Total employment: 1,680 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Burben // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Air traffic controllers
- Median annual wage: $192,500
- Median hourly wage: $92.55
- Total employment: 240 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $195,730
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 70 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Dentists, all other specialists
- Median annual wage: $201,960
- Median hourly wage: $97.09
- Total employment: 30 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $204,320
- Median hourly wage: $98.23
- Total employment: 760 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $208,850
- Median hourly wage: $100.41
- Total employment: 270 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elnur // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $230,530
- Median hourly wage: $110.83
- Total employment: 90 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#1. Anesthesiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 240 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
44 / 50#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 160 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
45 / 50#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 1,620 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. General internal medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 630 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 610 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Pediatricians, general (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.
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