Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,310
- Median hourly wage: $48.23
- Total employment: 370 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Wilmington
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 Wilmington. 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. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,340
- Median hourly wage: $48.24
- Total employment: 180 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $100,480
- Median hourly wage: $48.31
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
4 / 50#46. Construction managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $100,570
- Median hourly wage: $48.35
- Total employment: 860 people (4.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay (tie)
- Median annual wage: $100,570
- Median hourly wage: $48.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Psychology teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $101,160
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 70 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $101,590
- Median hourly wage: $48.84
- Total employment: 570 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Biological science teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $101,680
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 80 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $101,790
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,800
- Median hourly wage: $48.94
- Total employment: 320 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $102,350
- Median hourly wage: $49.21
- Total employment: 200 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Chemistry teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $102,360
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ESB Professional // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $103,500
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $106,150
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 180 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $106,960
- Median hourly wage: $51.42
- Total employment: 310 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $107,570
- Median hourly wage: $51.72
- Total employment: 90 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $110,360
- Median hourly wage: $53.06
- Total employment: 100 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $110,620
- Median hourly wage: $53.18
- Total employment: 130 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $114,490
- Median hourly wage: $55.04
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $117,130
- Median hourly wage: $56.31
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $119,100
- Median hourly wage: $57.26
- Total employment: 150 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $119,170
- Median hourly wage: $57.30
- Total employment: 620 people (3.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $119,350
- Median hourly wage: $57.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $120,240
- Median hourly wage: $57.81
- Total employment: 800 people (4.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $120,370
- Median hourly wage: $57.87
- Total employment: 240 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $120,740
- Median hourly wage: $58.05
- Total employment: 550 people (2.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Lobanov // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Nuclear engineers
- Median annual wage: $123,200
- Median hourly wage: $59.23
- Total employment: 80 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $123,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.49
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $124,390
- Median hourly wage: $59.80
- Total employment: 320 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $124,690
- Median hourly wage: $59.95
- Total employment: 200 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $125,220
- Median hourly wage: $60.20
- Total employment: 310 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $126,640
- Median hourly wage: $60.89
- Total employment: 130 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $128,240
- Median hourly wage: $61.66
- Total employment: 50 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $131,400
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $132,810
- Median hourly wage: $63.85
- Total employment: 470 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $133,100
- Median hourly wage: $63.99
- Total employment: 440 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $135,100
- Median hourly wage: $64.95
- Total employment: 170 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $136,110
- Median hourly wage: $65.44
- Total employment: 190 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $141,190
- Median hourly wage: $67.88
- Total employment: 450 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $148,580
- Median hourly wage: $71.43
- Total employment: 90 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $155,760
- Median hourly wage: $74.88
- Total employment: 130 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $156,650
- Median hourly wage: $75.31
- Total employment: 430 people (2.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $165,180
- Median hourly wage: $79.41
- Total employment: 160 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Matej Kastelic // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Business teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $179,820
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 170 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $202,850
- Median hourly wage: $97.52
- Total employment: 260 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlurryMe // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $230,880
- Median hourly wage: $111.00
- Total employment: 80 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photoroyalty // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Surgeons, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 460 people (2.47 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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