Columbia, MO metro area

Highest-Paying Occupations in Columbia Metro

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Columbia, MO metro area

Figures describe the Columbia, MO metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Columbia 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 (5 such occupations here).

Top 25 of 336 occupations

Occupations with the highest published median annual wages in the Columbia, MO metro area, May 2025
#	Occupation	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment
1	Physicians, All Other	$312,080	$150.04	190
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$310,170	$149.12	90
3	Dentists, General	$207,450	$99.74	60
4	Chief Executives	$159,890	$76.87	90
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$140,040	$67.33	50
6	Pharmacists	$139,430	$67.03	280
7	Physician Assistants	$132,220	$63.57	140
8	Human Resources Managers	$130,190	$62.59	150
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$129,700	$62.36	340
10	Nurse Practitioners	$128,930	$61.99	330
11	Natural Sciences Managers	$126,440	$60.79	50
12	Financial Managers	$124,120	$59.67	660
13	Managers, All Other	$123,150	$59.21	330
14	Business Teachers, Postsecondary	$120,590	Not published	130
15	Marketing Managers	$119,520	$57.46	210
16	Education Administrators, Postsecondary	$117,570	$56.53	390
17	Medical and Health Services Managers	$111,760	$53.73	530
18	Computer Network Architects	$111,310	$53.52	80
19	Lawyers	$107,890	$51.87	400
20	Industrial Production Managers	$107,880	$51.87	80
21	Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	$106,680	Not published	30
22	Construction Managers	$106,210	$51.06	150
23	Administrative Services Managers	$105,640	$50.79	190
24	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$105,640	$50.79	80
25	Engineers, All Other	$104,760	$50.36	60

The full list of every published occupation here is on the Columbia 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.