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1 / 50#50. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $73,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.29
- Total employment: 80 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Dalton
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 Dalton. 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. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $73,410
- Median hourly wage: $35.29
- Total employment: 140 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Hitdelight // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Architectural and civil drafters
- Median annual wage: $73,620
- Median hourly wage: $35.40
- Total employment: 40 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Instructional coordinators
- Median annual wage: $74,070
- Median hourly wage: $35.61
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $74,080
- Median hourly wage: $35.62
- Total employment: 200 people (3.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Librarians and media collections specialists
- Median annual wage: $75,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.07
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $75,480
- Median hourly wage: $36.29
- Total employment: 420 people (6.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $75,780
- Median hourly wage: $36.43
- Total employment: 90 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $76,730
- Median hourly wage: $36.89
- Total employment: 120 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $77,130
- Median hourly wage: $37.08
- Total employment: 30 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $77,720
- Median hourly wage: $37.36
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $78,390
- Median hourly wage: $37.69
- Total employment: 290 people (4.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,510
- Median hourly wage: $37.75
- Total employment: 40 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50#37. Public relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $78,770
- Median hourly wage: $37.87
- Total employment: 50 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $79,230
- Median hourly wage: $38.09
- Total employment: 120 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,300
- Median hourly wage: $38.13
- Total employment: 210 people (3.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $79,580
- Median hourly wage: $38.26
- Total employment: 80 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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18 / 50#33. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $79,880
- Median hourly wage: $38.40
- Total employment: 60 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $79,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.46
- Total employment: 40 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $80,120
- Median hourly wage: $38.52
- Total employment: 1,190 people (17.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $82,280
- Median hourly wage: $39.56
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $84,110
- Median hourly wage: $40.44
- Total employment: 120 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $84,860
- Median hourly wage: $40.80
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $89,990
- Median hourly wage: $43.26
- Total employment: 1,130 people (17.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $90,670
- Median hourly wage: $43.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $91,690
- Median hourly wage: $44.08
- Total employment: 180 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,790
- Median hourly wage: $45.09
- Total employment: 110 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $95,030
- Median hourly wage: $45.69
- Total employment: 100 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $97,820
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 120 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $99,410
- Median hourly wage: $47.79
- Total employment: 50 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,640
- Median hourly wage: $48.38
- Total employment: 80 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $102,010
- Median hourly wage: $49.04
- Total employment: 260 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $102,480
- Median hourly wage: $49.27
- Total employment: 250 people (3.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $103,200
- Median hourly wage: $49.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $103,710
- Median hourly wage: $49.86
- Total employment: 30 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $105,130
- Median hourly wage: $50.54
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $105,540
- Median hourly wage: $50.74
- Total employment: 60 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $114,130
- Median hourly wage: $54.87
- Total employment: 170 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $116,600
- Median hourly wage: $56.06
- Total employment: 210 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $123,460
- Median hourly wage: $59.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $125,530
- Median hourly wage: $60.35
- Total employment: 150 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $127,020
- Median hourly wage: $61.07
- Total employment: 210 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $131,010
- Median hourly wage: $62.98
- Total employment: 180 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $132,750
- Median hourly wage: $63.82
- Total employment: 70 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $156,820
- Median hourly wage: $75.40
- Total employment: 100 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $157,740
- Median hourly wage: $75.84
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $171,370
- Median hourly wage: $82.39
- Total employment: 40 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $217,490
- Median hourly wage: $104.56
- Total employment: 50 people (0.8 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: 50 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (1.35 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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