Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $120,640
- Median hourly wage: $58.00
- Total employment: 6,170 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Detroit
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 Detroit. 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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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $121,010
- Median hourly wage: $58.18
- Total employment: 30 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,060
- Median hourly wage: $58.69
- Total employment: 1,030 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $124,780
- Median hourly wage: $59.99
- Total employment: 21,670 people (11.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $125,820
- Median hourly wage: $60.49
- Total employment: 120 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $126,110
- Median hourly wage: $60.63
- Total employment: 3,850 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $127,100
- Median hourly wage: $61.11
- Total employment: 830 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $127,170
- Median hourly wage: $61.14
- Total employment: 80 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $128,060
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 9,460 people (4.95 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: $128,150
- Median hourly wage: $61.61
- Total employment: 3,330 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $128,450
- Median hourly wage: $61.76
- Total employment: 1,510 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $129,940
- Median hourly wage: $62.47
- Total employment: 620 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Worawee Meepian // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers
- Median annual wage: $131,290
- Median hourly wage: $63.12
- Total employment: 150 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mark_Kostich // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Medical dosimetrists
- Median annual wage: $133,260
- Median hourly wage: $64.07
- Total employment: 90 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $133,760
- Median hourly wage: $64.31
- Total employment: 2,790 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $134,490
- Median hourly wage: $64.66
- Total employment: 90 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $135,300
- Median hourly wage: $65.05
- Total employment: 2,010 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $135,520
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $135,910
- Median hourly wage: $65.34
- Total employment: 4,520 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $136,050
- Median hourly wage: $65.41
- Total employment: 590 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $136,540
- Median hourly wage: $65.64
- Total employment: 4,820 people (2.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $139,430
- Median hourly wage: $67.04
- Total employment: 2,950 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $139,950
- Median hourly wage: $67.29
- Total employment: 100 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $141,770
- Median hourly wage: $68.16
- Total employment: 10,050 people (5.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $143,990
- Median hourly wage: $69.22
- Total employment: 270 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Skycolors // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $149,330
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 380 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $149,650
- Median hourly wage: $71.95
- Total employment: 1,560 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $151,390
- Median hourly wage: $72.78
- Total employment: 470 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $157,900
- Median hourly wage: $75.91
- Total employment: 8,260 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $166,010
- Median hourly wage: $79.81
- Total employment: 7,990 people (4.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $167,890
- Median hourly wage: $80.72
- Total employment: 8,720 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $179,130
- Median hourly wage: $86.12
- Total employment: 1,950 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $182,040
- Median hourly wage: $87.52
- Total employment: 350 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $188,400
- Median hourly wage: $90.58
- Total employment: 150 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $218,340
- Median hourly wage: $104.97
- Total employment: 2,470 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlurryMe // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $230,060
- Median hourly wage: $110.61
- Total employment: 730 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $230,450
- Median hourly wage: $110.79
- Total employment: 1,590 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
38 / 50#1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
39 / 50#1. Dermatologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
40 / 50#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 150 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tijana Simic // Shutterstock
41 / 50#1. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
42 / 50#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#1. Neurologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 100 people (0.05 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: 330 people (0.17 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: 230 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 160 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 1,630 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Anesthesiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 810 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Komsan Loonprom // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 260 people (0.14 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: 240 people (0.13 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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