Washburn HM // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $115,110
- Median hourly wage: $55.34
- Total employment: 40 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Richmond
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 Richmond. 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: $117,020
- Median hourly wage: $56.26
- Total employment: 880 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $117,640
- Median hourly wage: $56.56
- Total employment: 410 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $118,180
- Median hourly wage: $56.82
- Total employment: 200 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $118,390
- Median hourly wage: $56.92
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Economists
- Median annual wage: $118,610
- Median hourly wage: $57.02
- Total employment: 160 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $118,710
- Median hourly wage: $57.07
- Total employment: 400 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $121,010
- Median hourly wage: $58.18
- Total employment: 240 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $122,530
- Median hourly wage: $58.91
- Total employment: 1,550 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $122,910
- Median hourly wage: $59.09
- Total employment: 500 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $124,020
- Median hourly wage: $59.63
- Total employment: 130 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Nurse anesthetists
- Median annual wage: $124,450
- Median hourly wage: $59.83
- Total employment: 310 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $124,990
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: 1,100 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $125,350
- Median hourly wage: $60.27
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Law teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $125,670
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
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16 / 50#35. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $125,780
- Median hourly wage: $60.47
- Total employment: 1,750 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $127,260
- Median hourly wage: $61.18
- Total employment: 490 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $128,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 500 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $129,180
- Median hourly wage: $62.10
- Total employment: 840 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Economics teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $129,470
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $130,050
- Median hourly wage: $62.53
- Total employment: 470 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $130,360
- Median hourly wage: $62.67
- Total employment: 160 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $130,760
- Median hourly wage: $62.87
- Total employment: 6,990 people (10.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $132,120
- Median hourly wage: $63.52
- Total employment: 180 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $132,330
- Median hourly wage: $63.62
- Total employment: 110 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $132,860
- Median hourly wage: $63.87
- Total employment: 3,710 people (5.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $137,380
- Median hourly wage: $66.05
- Total employment: 910 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $138,310
- Median hourly wage: $66.50
- Total employment: 1,360 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $140,440
- Median hourly wage: $67.52
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $140,540
- Median hourly wage: $67.57
- Total employment: 1,960 people (3.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $141,840
- Median hourly wage: $68.19
- Total employment: 370 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $144,520
- Median hourly wage: $69.48
- Total employment: 520 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elnur // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $156,680
- Median hourly wage: $75.33
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $158,590
- Median hourly wage: $76.25
- Total employment: 260 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $159,990
- Median hourly wage: $76.92
- Total employment: 540 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $160,270
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $163,480
- Median hourly wage: $78.60
- Total employment: 120 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $163,750
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 140 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $164,320
- Median hourly wage: $79.00
- Total employment: 1,520 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $166,800
- Median hourly wage: $80.19
- Total employment: 3,410 people (5.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $167,680
- Median hourly wage: $80.61
- Total employment: 1,100 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $172,070
- Median hourly wage: $82.72
- Total employment: 1,840 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $201,570
- Median hourly wage: $96.91
- Total employment: 500 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $211,430
- Median hourly wage: $101.65
- Total employment: 460 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $212,950
- Median hourly wage: $102.38
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $231,930
- Median hourly wage: $111.50
- Total employment: 80 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $232,850
- Median hourly wage: $111.95
- Total employment: 690 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 1,530 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Physicians, pathologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.05 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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