Highest paying jobs in Denver that require a graduate degree

Education pays.

At least, that's what Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Higher degree holders earn more and experience lower unemployment rates than those without degrees or with lesser degrees. On a weekly basis, master's degree holders earn over $500 more than the median for all U.S. workers over age 25, and doctoral degree holders earn about $850 more than that median. Professional degree holders like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians earn even more, at nearly $870 more than the median.

However, advanced degrees often cost significant funds to obtain. A year of graduate tuition and fees cost about $19,750 for the 2020-21 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average at private institutions was even more, at $26,620 per year. Some programs offer assistantships or fellowships that offset those costs, but many students will be on the hook for paying or borrowing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Other data from the center, released in July 2023, shows that nearly 3 in 4 graduate students received financial aid in the 2019-20 academic year, in amounts averaging about $25,300.

The catch? Much of the aid doled out to graduate students is in loans. Graduate students who took out loans averaged $26,000, compared to an average of $11,300 in grant funds among recipients. A Center for American Progress analysis found that graduate debt rose from 2010-11 to 2017-18 while undergraduate debt fell, and the share of student debt accumulated by graduate students rose to 40%.

Is the higher pay worth the cost? That's up to prospective graduate students to decide. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-paying jobs that require a graduate degree in Denver, painting a clearer picture of the earnings potential. Jobs listed here require a master's, doctorate, or other professional degree and are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2022. Any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

Read on to see what a graduate degree could earn you in Denver.

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 366 metros.

1 / 50

#50. Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $79,920
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 60 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

2 / 50

#49. Clinical and counseling psychologists

- Median annual wage: $80,270
- Median hourly wage: $38.59
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 700 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

3 / 50

#48. Survey researchers

- Median annual wage: $81,210
- Median hourly wage: $39.05
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: Not available
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

4 / 50

#47. Computer science teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $81,590
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 300 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

5 / 50

#46. Urban and regional planners

- Median annual wage: $81,930
- Median hourly wage: $39.39
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 640 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

6 / 50

#45. Historians

- Median annual wage: $82,260
- Median hourly wage: $39.55
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 50 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

7 / 50

#44. Architecture teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $82,620
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 80 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

8 / 50

#43. Environmental science teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $83,890
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: Not available
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

9 / 50

#42. Statisticians

- Median annual wage: $85,170
- Median hourly wage: $40.95
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 970 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

10 / 50

#41. Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $87,170
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 570 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

11 / 50

#40. Physics teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $94,650
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 100 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

12 / 50

#39. Veterinarians

- Median annual wage: $98,440
- Median hourly wage: $47.33
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 1,200 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

13 / 50

#38. Physical therapists

- Median annual wage: $98,850
- Median hourly wage: $47.53
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 2,630 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

14 / 50

#37. Occupational therapists

- Median annual wage: $99,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.65
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 2,300 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

15 / 50

#36. Audiologists

- Median annual wage: $100,320
- Median hourly wage: $48.23
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 360 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

16 / 50

#35. Biochemists and biophysicists

- Median annual wage: $100,910
- Median hourly wage: $48.52
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 250 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

17 / 50

#34. Speech-language pathologists

- Median annual wage: $101,160
- Median hourly wage: $48.63
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 2,530 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

18 / 50

#33. Education administrators, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $101,490
- Median hourly wage: $48.79
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 750 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

19 / 50

#32. School psychologists

- Median annual wage: $102,970
- Median hourly wage: $49.50
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 670 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

20 / 50

#31. Economics teachers, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $103,970
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 120 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

21 / 50

#30. Economists

- Median annual wage: $104,020
- Median hourly wage: $50.01
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 170 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

22 / 50

#29. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary

- Median annual wage: $105,760
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 2,430 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

23 / 50

#28. Nurse midwives

- Median annual wage: $106,710
- Median hourly wage: $51.31
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 80 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

24 / 50

#27. Computer and information research scientists

- Median annual wage: $107,000
- Median hourly wage: $51.44
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 120 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

25 / 50

#26. Chiropractors

- Median annual wage: $107,340
- Median hourly wage: $51.61
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 470 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

26 / 50

#25. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

- Median annual wage: $108,430
- Median hourly wage: $52.13
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 1,350 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

27 / 50

#24. Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers

- Median annual wage: $110,970
- Median hourly wage: $53.35
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 160 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Short-term on-the-job training

28 / 50

#23. Psychologists, all other

- Median annual wage: $117,890
- Median hourly wage: $56.68
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: Not available
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

29 / 50

#22. Nurse practitioners

- Median annual wage: $121,200
- Median hourly wage: $58.27
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 1,910 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

30 / 50

#21. Physician assistants

- Median annual wage: $122,670
- Median hourly wage: $58.98
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: 1,400 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

31 / 50

#20. Dentists, general

- Median annual wage: $126,520
- Median hourly wage: $60.83
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 1,550 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

32 / 50

#19. Physicists

- Median annual wage: $135,620
- Median hourly wage: $65.20
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 100 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

33 / 50

#18. Pharmacists

- Median annual wage: $136,100
- Median hourly wage: $65.44
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 2,990 people (1.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

34 / 50

#17. Dermatologists

- Median annual wage: $136,670
- Median hourly wage: $65.71
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 300 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

35 / 50

#16. Optometrists

- Median annual wage: $154,790
- Median hourly wage: $74.42
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 280 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

36 / 50

#15. Nurse anesthetists

- Median annual wage: $170,610
- Median hourly wage: $82.03
- Education required: Master's degree
- Total employment: Not available
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

37 / 50

#14. Lawyers

- Median annual wage: $171,400
- Median hourly wage: $82.41
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 11,550 people (7.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: None

38 / 50

#13. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates

- Median annual wage: $178,440
- Median hourly wage: $85.79
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 300 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Short-term on-the-job training

39 / 50

#12. Pediatricians, general

- Median annual wage: $188,700
- Median hourly wage: $90.72
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 330 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

40 / 50

#11. Family medicine physicians

- Median annual wage: $210,100
- Median hourly wage: $101.01
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 1,680 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

41 / 50

#10. General internal medicine physicians

- Median annual wage: $225,570
- Median hourly wage: $108.45
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 410 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

42 / 50

#9. Obstetricians and gynecologists

- Median annual wage: $229,530
- Median hourly wage: $110.35
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 260 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

43 / 50

#8. Psychiatrists

- Median annual wage: $235,920
- Median hourly wage: $113.42
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

44 / 50

#1. Cardiologists (tie)

- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 150 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

45 / 50

#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)

- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: Not available
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

46 / 50

#1. Radiologists (tie)

47 / 50

#1. Physicians, all other (tie)

- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 950 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

48 / 50

#1. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric (tie)

- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 70 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency

49 / 50

#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)

50 / 50

#1. Surgeons, all other (tie)

- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
- Total employment: 380 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
- Required on-the-job training to attain competency: Internship/residency