Ames, IA metro area

Highest-Paying Occupations in Ames Metro

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Ames, IA metro area

Figures describe the Ames, IA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Ames city limits. Occupations are ranked by published median annual wage; occupations where BLS suppressed the annual median or publishes only hourly wages are not ranked (1 such occupations here).

Top 25 of 246 occupations

Occupations with the highest published median annual wages in the Ames, IA metro area, May 2025
#	Occupation	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$248,000	$119.23	60
2	Chief Executives	$206,090	$99.08	110
3	Dentists, General	$163,950	$78.82	40
4	Pharmacists	$139,690	$67.16	70
5	Managers, All Other	$138,110	$66.40	120
6	Human Resources Managers	$137,390	$66.05	60
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$137,010	$65.87	90
8	Sales Managers	$133,150	$64.02	110
9	Marketing Managers	$132,050	$63.49	110
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$131,340	$63.14	130
11	Software Developers	$129,440	$62.23	470
12	Nurse Practitioners	$127,600	$61.34	70
13	Lawyers	$125,200	$60.19	90
14	Financial Managers	$124,010	$59.62	220
15	Veterinarians	$118,240	$56.85	80
16	Natural Sciences Managers	$116,540	$56.03	90
17	Industrial Production Managers	$113,930	$54.77	120
18	Information Security Analysts	$107,520	$51.69	30
19	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	$106,520	Not published	90
20	Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	$105,330	$50.64	120
21	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$104,930	$50.45	60
22	Electrical Engineers	$103,750	$49.88	40
23	Medical and Health Services Managers	$103,730	$49.87	280
24	Administrative Services Managers	$103,440	$49.73	40
25	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$102,930	$49.49	60

The full list of every published occupation here is on the Ames metro area overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.