Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $102,310
- Median hourly wage: $49.19
- Total employment: 1,200 people (4.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Palm Bay
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 Palm Bay. 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: $103,320
- Median hourly wage: $49.67
- Total employment: 2,280 people (9.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $103,440
- Median hourly wage: $49.73
- Total employment: 250 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $105,660
- Median hourly wage: $50.80
- Total employment: 70 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $105,880
- Median hourly wage: $50.90
- Total employment: 680 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $105,970
- Median hourly wage: $50.95
- Total employment: 1,120 people (4.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $106,390
- Median hourly wage: $51.15
- Total employment: 130 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $106,400
- Median hourly wage: $51.16
- Total employment: 480 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $106,450
- Median hourly wage: $51.18
- Total employment: 250 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $108,320
- Median hourly wage: $52.08
- Total employment: 260 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kardasov Films // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Marine engineers and naval architects
- Median annual wage: $108,530
- Median hourly wage: $52.18
- Total employment: 90 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $113,800
- Median hourly wage: $54.71
- Total employment: 100 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $115,140
- Median hourly wage: $55.36
- Total employment: 640 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Audiologists
- Median annual wage: $117,520
- Median hourly wage: $56.50
- Total employment: Not available
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $117,980
- Median hourly wage: $56.72
- Total employment: 100 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $118,100
- Median hourly wage: $56.78
- Total employment: 90 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,210
- Median hourly wage: $59.72
- Total employment: 730 people (3.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $124,440
- Median hourly wage: $59.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $124,680
- Median hourly wage: $59.94
- Total employment: 840 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $124,830
- Median hourly wage: $60.02
- Total employment: 300 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $125,230
- Median hourly wage: $60.21
- Total employment: 50 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $125,270
- Median hourly wage: $60.23
- Total employment: 790 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $126,500
- Median hourly wage: $60.82
- Total employment: 440 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $127,250
- Median hourly wage: $61.18
- Total employment: 960 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $127,410
- Median hourly wage: $61.26
- Total employment: 380 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $127,980
- Median hourly wage: $61.53
- Total employment: 4,770 people (19.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $129,650
- Median hourly wage: $62.33
- Total employment: 160 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $130,010
- Median hourly wage: $62.50
- Total employment: 80 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,720
- Median hourly wage: $62.85
- Total employment: 1,270 people (5.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $130,760
- Median hourly wage: $62.87
- Total employment: 430 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $133,750
- Median hourly wage: $64.31
- Total employment: 1,250 people (5.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $135,320
- Median hourly wage: $65.06
- Total employment: 1,220 people (5.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Engineering teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $135,860
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $136,240
- Median hourly wage: $65.50
- Total employment: 220 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $136,500
- Median hourly wage: $65.62
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $136,510
- Median hourly wage: $65.63
- Total employment: 30 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $138,200
- Median hourly wage: $66.44
- Total employment: 50 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $138,760
- Median hourly wage: $66.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $139,910
- Median hourly wage: $67.26
- Total employment: 570 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $142,150
- Median hourly wage: $68.34
- Total employment: 60 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $142,490
- Median hourly wage: $68.51
- Total employment: 810 people (3.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $147,620
- Median hourly wage: $70.97
- Total employment: 200 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $152,260
- Median hourly wage: $73.20
- Total employment: 570 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $155,080
- Median hourly wage: $74.56
- Total employment: 80 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $161,910
- Median hourly wage: $77.84
- Total employment: 240 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $163,630
- Median hourly wage: $78.67
- Total employment: 890 people (3.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $172,210
- Median hourly wage: $82.79
- Total employment: 840 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $201,620
- Median hourly wage: $96.93
- Total employment: 460 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 540 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Radiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.18 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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