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1 / 50#50. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $119,480
- Median hourly wage: $57.44
- Total employment: 1,910 people (5.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Worcester
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 Worcester. 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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Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $120,130
- Median hourly wage: $57.75
- Total employment: 460 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $122,200
- Median hourly wage: $58.75
- Total employment: 110 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $122,580
- Median hourly wage: $58.93
- Total employment: 280 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $123,060
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,170 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $123,430
- Median hourly wage: $59.34
- Total employment: 140 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $124,030
- Median hourly wage: $59.63
- Total employment: 90 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $124,100
- Median hourly wage: $59.67
- Total employment: 110 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $124,370
- Median hourly wage: $59.79
- Total employment: 60 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $126,330
- Median hourly wage: $60.74
- Total employment: 1,010 people (2.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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angellodeco // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Microbiologists
- Median annual wage: $127,120
- Median hourly wage: $61.11
- Total employment: 170 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $128,090
- Median hourly wage: $61.58
- Total employment: 210 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Biochemists and biophysicists
- Median annual wage: $129,130
- Median hourly wage: $62.08
- Total employment: 770 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $129,550
- Median hourly wage: $62.29
- Total employment: 80 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $130,200
- Median hourly wage: $62.60
- Total employment: 1,790 people (5.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $131,490
- Median hourly wage: $63.22
- Total employment: 660 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $131,930
- Median hourly wage: $63.43
- Total employment: 140 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $133,130
- Median hourly wage: $64.01
- Total employment: 710 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $133,820
- Median hourly wage: $64.34
- Total employment: Not available
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $135,140
- Median hourly wage: $64.97
- Total employment: 920 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $136,680
- Median hourly wage: $65.71
- Total employment: 1,000 people (2.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $137,100
- Median hourly wage: $65.91
- Total employment: 100 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $141,170
- Median hourly wage: $67.87
- Total employment: 470 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
H_Ko // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $142,900
- Median hourly wage: $68.70
- Total employment: 100 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $144,200
- Median hourly wage: $69.33
- Total employment: 1,000 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $150,820
- Median hourly wage: $72.51
- Total employment: 130 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $153,250
- Median hourly wage: $73.68
- Total employment: 440 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $154,210
- Median hourly wage: $74.14
- Total employment: 170 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $154,810
- Median hourly wage: $74.43
- Total employment: 40 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $155,550
- Median hourly wage: $74.79
- Total employment: 150 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $155,600
- Median hourly wage: $74.81
- Total employment: 120 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $157,530
- Median hourly wage: $75.73
- Total employment: 70 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $159,000
- Median hourly wage: $76.44
- Total employment: 500 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $162,720
- Median hourly wage: $78.23
- Total employment: 1,620 people (4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $168,570
- Median hourly wage: $81.04
- Total employment: 1,170 people (3.33 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: $172,390
- Median hourly wage: $82.88
- Total employment: 630 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $176,500
- Median hourly wage: $84.85
- Total employment: 650 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $201,120
- Median hourly wage: $96.69
- Total employment: 240 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $211,400
- Median hourly wage: $101.64
- Total employment: 340 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $217,410
- Median hourly wage: $104.53
- Total employment: 470 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $221,660
- Median hourly wage: $106.57
- Total employment: 200 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sebastian Duda // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
- Median annual wage: $221,710
- Median hourly wage: $106.59
- Total employment: 80 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Neurologists
- Median annual wage: $228,470
- Median hourly wage: $109.84
- Total employment: 60 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Djols // Shutterstock
44 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 130 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
45 / 50#1. Radiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 200 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. General internal medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 190 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photoroyalty // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Surgeons, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.26 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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