Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $73,540
- Median hourly wage: $35.36
- Total employment: 50 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in St. Joseph
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 St. Joseph. 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. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $73,630
- Median hourly wage: $35.40
- Total employment: 70 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $73,690
- Median hourly wage: $35.43
- Total employment: 130 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $74,750
- Median hourly wage: $35.94
- Total employment: 1,280 people (23.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $75,240
- Median hourly wage: $36.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $75,610
- Median hourly wage: $36.35
- Total employment: 180 people (3.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $75,620
- Median hourly wage: $36.36
- Total employment: 50 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $77,950
- Median hourly wage: $37.48
- Total employment: 50 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $78,320
- Median hourly wage: $37.66
- Total employment: 80 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $78,590
- Median hourly wage: $37.79
- Total employment: 540 people (9.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $78,600
- Median hourly wage: $37.79
- Total employment: 100 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,260
- Median hourly wage: $38.11
- Total employment: 60 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $81,050
- Median hourly wage: $38.97
- Total employment: 160 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $81,530
- Median hourly wage: $39.20
- Total employment: 410 people (7.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Speech-language pathologists
- Median annual wage: $81,550
- Median hourly wage: $39.21
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
16 / 50#34. Dental hygienists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $83,200
- Median hourly wage: $40.00
- Total employment: 60 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Project management specialists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $83,200
- Median hourly wage: $40.00
- Total employment: 220 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $83,290
- Median hourly wage: $40.04
- Total employment: 240 people (4.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
M2020 // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $83,980
- Median hourly wage: $40.37
- Total employment: 90 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $84,510
- Median hourly wage: $40.63
- Total employment: 210 people (3.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $86,540
- Median hourly wage: $41.61
- Total employment: 260 people (4.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $87,010
- Median hourly wage: $41.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $89,880
- Median hourly wage: $43.21
- Total employment: 40 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $90,320
- Median hourly wage: $43.43
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $93,020
- Median hourly wage: $44.72
- Total employment: 50 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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dokurose // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $93,680
- Median hourly wage: $45.04
- Total employment: 140 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $94,060
- Median hourly wage: $45.22
- Total employment: 80 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $94,570
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 130 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $95,330
- Median hourly wage: $45.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $95,590
- Median hourly wage: $45.96
- Total employment: 110 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $96,030
- Median hourly wage: $46.17
- Total employment: 80 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,590
- Median hourly wage: $46.44
- Total employment: 40 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $99,990
- Median hourly wage: $48.07
- Total employment: 180 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $101,410
- Median hourly wage: $48.76
- Total employment: 50 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $103,660
- Median hourly wage: $49.84
- Total employment: 60 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $104,140
- Median hourly wage: $50.07
- Total employment: 60 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $104,970
- Median hourly wage: $50.47
- Total employment: 150 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $106,610
- Median hourly wage: $51.26
- Total employment: 70 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $112,460
- Median hourly wage: $54.07
- Total employment: 140 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $114,760
- Median hourly wage: $55.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $115,310
- Median hourly wage: $55.44
- Total employment: 80 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $125,140
- Median hourly wage: $60.16
- Total employment: 70 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $125,770
- Median hourly wage: $60.47
- Total employment: 160 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $126,960
- Median hourly wage: $61.04
- Total employment: 70 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $127,980
- Median hourly wage: $61.53
- Total employment: 30 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $132,430
- Median hourly wage: $63.67
- Total employment: 110 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $132,680
- Median hourly wage: $63.79
- Total employment: 120 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $159,200
- Median hourly wage: $76.54
- Total employment: 50 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Physicians, all other
- Median annual wage: $194,900
- Median hourly wage: $93.70
- Total employment: 50 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $202,330
- Median hourly wage: $97.27
- Total employment: 40 people (0.78 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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