Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $117,870
- Median hourly wage: $56.67
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Buffalo
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 Buffalo. 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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Stokkete // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $120,910
- Median hourly wage: $58.13
- Total employment: 1,200 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $121,580
- Median hourly wage: $58.45
- Total employment: 120 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $121,990
- Median hourly wage: $58.65
- Total employment: 110 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $124,110
- Median hourly wage: $59.67
- Total employment: 790 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Elnur // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $124,990
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: Not available
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $125,280
- Median hourly wage: $60.23
- Total employment: 250 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $127,190
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 140 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $127,780
- Median hourly wage: $61.43
- Total employment: 120 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $128,220
- Median hourly wage: $61.65
- Total employment: 200 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $128,280
- Median hourly wage: $61.68
- Total employment: 140 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $128,330
- Median hourly wage: $61.70
- Total employment: 1,400 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $128,780
- Median hourly wage: $61.91
- Total employment: 3,720 people (6.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $129,390
- Median hourly wage: $62.21
- Total employment: 480 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Epidemiologists
- Median annual wage: $130,620
- Median hourly wage: $62.80
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $131,910
- Median hourly wage: $63.42
- Total employment: 380 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $132,330
- Median hourly wage: $63.62
- Total employment: 180 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $133,180
- Median hourly wage: $64.03
- Total employment: 860 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $133,430
- Median hourly wage: $64.15
- Total employment: 1,300 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $134,620
- Median hourly wage: $64.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $135,410
- Median hourly wage: $65.10
- Total employment: 1,580 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $137,980
- Median hourly wage: $66.34
- Total employment: 280 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $138,230
- Median hourly wage: $66.46
- Total employment: 90 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,470
- Median hourly wage: $66.57
- Total employment: 1,230 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $139,400
- Median hourly wage: $67.02
- Total employment: 600 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $146,190
- Median hourly wage: $70.28
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $148,700
- Median hourly wage: $71.49
- Total employment: 450 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $155,170
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $159,870
- Median hourly wage: $76.86
- Total employment: 1,280 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $160,390
- Median hourly wage: $77.11
- Total employment: 170 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $161,230
- Median hourly wage: $77.51
- Total employment: 220 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $162,660
- Median hourly wage: $78.20
- Total employment: 2,530 people (4.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $163,140
- Median hourly wage: $78.44
- Total employment: 610 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $166,900
- Median hourly wage: $80.24
- Total employment: 1,500 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sebastian Duda // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
- Median annual wage: $169,710
- Median hourly wage: $81.59
- Total employment: 170 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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luchschenF // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $175,220
- Median hourly wage: $84.24
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $204,360
- Median hourly wage: $98.25
- Total employment: 360 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photoroyalty // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Surgeons, all other
- Median annual wage: $207,430
- Median hourly wage: $99.73
- Total employment: 120 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $208,420
- Median hourly wage: $100.20
- Total employment: 170 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $224,260
- Median hourly wage: $107.82
- Total employment: 80 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlurryMe // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $229,040
- Median hourly wage: $110.12
- Total employment: 440 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $238,530
- Median hourly wage: $114.68
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
43 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 100 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
44 / 50#1. Neurologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Komsan Loonprom // Shutterstock
45 / 50#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 120 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Radiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Anesthesiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Djols // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Emergency medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
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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