VH-studio // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. School psychologists
- Median annual wage: $110,760
- Median hourly wage: $53.25
- Total employment: 240 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Stockton
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 Stockton. 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. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $111,630
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $112,690
- Median hourly wage: $54.18
- Total employment: 80 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $113,220
- Median hourly wage: $54.43
- Total employment: 100 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $113,460
- Median hourly wage: $54.55
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $114,420
- Median hourly wage: $55.01
- Total employment: 60 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $115,260
- Median hourly wage: $55.41
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $116,260
- Median hourly wage: $55.89
- Total employment: 170 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $116,590
- Median hourly wage: $56.05
- Total employment: 330 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $117,620
- Median hourly wage: $56.55
- Total employment: 410 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $118,500
- Median hourly wage: $56.97
- Total employment: 140 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $118,600
- Median hourly wage: $57.02
- Total employment: 80 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $118,780
- Median hourly wage: $57.10
- Total employment: 100 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $119,660
- Median hourly wage: $57.53
- Total employment: 440 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peakstock // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $119,760
- Median hourly wage: $57.58
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $121,100
- Median hourly wage: $58.22
- Total employment: 320 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $122,980
- Median hourly wage: $59.13
- Total employment: 500 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $123,030
- Median hourly wage: $59.15
- Total employment: 50 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $123,090
- Median hourly wage: $59.18
- Total employment: 150 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $123,940
- Median hourly wage: $59.59
- Total employment: 230 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $124,550
- Median hourly wage: $59.88
- Total employment: 350 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $124,720
- Median hourly wage: $59.96
- Total employment: 130 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $126,180
- Median hourly wage: $60.66
- Total employment: 280 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $127,030
- Median hourly wage: $61.07
- Total employment: 150 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $128,440
- Median hourly wage: $61.75
- Total employment: 580 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Aodaodaodaod // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Sociologists
- Median annual wage: $128,600
- Median hourly wage: $61.83
- Total employment: 30 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $128,930
- Median hourly wage: $61.99
- Total employment: 90 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $131,730
- Median hourly wage: $63.33
- Total employment: 320 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $131,840
- Median hourly wage: $63.39
- Total employment: 5,100 people (17.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $132,060
- Median hourly wage: $63.49
- Total employment: 590 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $132,110
- Median hourly wage: $63.51
- Total employment: 870 people (3.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $132,240
- Median hourly wage: $63.58
- Total employment: 140 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $132,580
- Median hourly wage: $63.74
- Total employment: 100 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $134,750
- Median hourly wage: $64.79
- Total employment: 90 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $134,900
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 750 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ITisha // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Median annual wage: $135,290
- Median hourly wage: $65.05
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $136,810
- Median hourly wage: $65.78
- Total employment: 250 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $138,440
- Median hourly wage: $66.56
- Total employment: 130 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $139,310
- Median hourly wage: $66.98
- Total employment: 260 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $146,860
- Median hourly wage: $70.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $153,160
- Median hourly wage: $73.63
- Total employment: 760 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $158,030
- Median hourly wage: $75.98
- Total employment: 510 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $160,790
- Median hourly wage: $77.30
- Total employment: 390 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $161,010
- Median hourly wage: $77.41
- Total employment: 230 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $168,300
- Median hourly wage: $80.91
- Total employment: 160 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $168,330
- Median hourly wage: $80.93
- Total employment: 510 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $208,450
- Median hourly wage: $100.21
- Total employment: 340 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 420 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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: 100 people (0.35 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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