Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs in Austin
Austin, the capital of Texas, is a bustling city that is currently home to a little over 1 million people.
With a GDP per capita of $63,839 (according to the latest data), Austin is considered a moderately expensive place to live in the United States. The city and its job market are growing rapidly, though, and there are many high-paying positions available here, particularly in the tech sector.
Are you interested in working in Austin? Whether you’re just starting your career or are looking to make a career change, this is a great place to make your mark.
This guide lists the top 20 highest-paying jobs in Austin. You’ll also find a breakdown of the highest-paying industries in Austin and the kinds of degrees you’ll need to earn to qualify for the best-paid jobs.
What Salary Is Considered Rich in Austin?
The median household income in Austin is $75,413 per year. This is a bit higher than the median household income in Texas, which is $64,034. It’s also higher than the median household income in the United States, which is $65,712.
The higher incomes in Austin help to offset the city’s higher costs of living. For example, the median home price in Austin is $378,000, whereas the median home price in all of Texas is just $200,400.
With this information in mind, it’s safe to say that earning a salary of over $100,000 in Austin, Texas would put someone on track toward becoming “rich” and would set them up to live very comfortably.
Of course, the definition of rich varies depending on a lot of other factors, including one’s family size, expenses, debt, etc. However, the closer one gets to exceeding the $100,000 mark, the more likely they are to have disposable income and have an easy time managing the costs of everyday living.
What Is the #1 Highest-Paid Position in Austin?
Of all the best-paid jobs in Austin, the number one position is chief executive officer (or CEO).
Chief executive officers are responsible for managing a business’s operations and handling big-picture-related tasks. They delegate and direct agendas, make plans to increase profitability, manage the company’s organizational structure, and communicate with the board.
Most CEOs have at least a bachelor’s degree in business or a related field. Many also go on to earn a master’s degree or above, though, so they can expand their skills and increase their earning potential.
The average salary for a CEO in Austin, Texas is $192,630 per year. Even the entry-level salary for this job is also impressive, though, at $114,800 per year. Both salaries are well above the average salary for an Austin resident, which means CEOs can live very comfortably here.
If a career as a CEO doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, there are plenty of other high-paying jobs in Austin to work toward. This list breaks down the city’s top 20 highest-paying jobs, from the lowest salary to the highest:
20. Lawyer: Average Salary $123,080 per year
19. Natural Sciences Manager: Average Salary $123,490 per year
18. Electronics Engineer: Average Salary $123,570 per year
17. Petroleum Engineer: Average Salary $123,880 per year
16. Post-Secondary Engineering Teacher: Average Salary $126,450 per year
15. Purchasing Manager: Average Salary $126,550 per year
14. Aerospace Engineer: Average Salary $129,040 per year
13. Financial Manager: Average Salary $130,980 per year
12. Pharmacist: Average Salary $136,650 per year
11. Sales Manager: Average Salary $142,890 per year
10. Marketing Manager: Average Salary $144,410 per year
9. General Dentist: Average Salary $151,900 per year
8. Computer and Information Systems Manager: Average Salary $152,200 per year
7. Judge: Average Salary $155,570 per year
6. Specialist Dentist: Average Salary $157,000 per year
5. General Pediatrician: Average Salary $158,680 per year
4. Architectural and Engineering Manager: Average Salary $159,890 per year
3. Psychiatrist: Average Salary $162,810 per year
2. General Internal Medicine Physician: Average Salary $191,930 per year
1. Chief Executive Officer: Average Salary $192,630 per year
Top 5 Highest-Paying Industries in Austin
Some industries are known for providing more jobs and higher-paying jobs than others. Even if you don’t have one of the highest-paying jobs in Austin, if you work in one of these fields, you’re more likely to earn a good salary and bring in more than the average Austin resident.
The following are the top 5 highest-paying industries in Austin. If you want to land a well-paid job and set yourself up to generate more wealth in the future, it’s a good idea to consider seeking a position in one of these fields:
The business industry is growing rapidly in Austin, and there are lots of opportunities to work for a variety of companies, both start-ups and major corporations like Apple and Dell. If you pursue a career in the business or management-related position, you’ll have lots of opportunities to earn a good living, especially once you’ve put in some time and have worked your way up to the managerial level.
Top 3 Jobs
- Chief Executive Officer: Average salary $192,630 per year
- Marketing Manager: Average salary $144,410 per year
- Sales Manager: Average salary $142,890 per year
Job Prospects: With the business industry in Austin growing so dramatically, especially when it comes to tech-related businesses, the job prospects for people in this field are quite promising. If you want to work in the business world, you’ll have lots of opportunities to find high-paying jobs and earn a good living here.
As is the case in many cities in the United States, the healthcare industry in Austin is a very high-paying industry. There are lots of well-paid positions in hospitals and healthcare clinics here, and there’s also a very high demand for healthcare workers, especially right now in the wake of COVID-19.
Top 3 Jobs
- General Internal Medicine Physician: Average salary $191,930 per year
- General Pediatrician: Average salary $158,680 per year
- Pharmacist: Average salary $136,650 per year
Job Prospects: The job prospects look very good for healthcare professionals in Austin, Texas. There’s a growing demand for healthcare workers here (and in most of the world), which means there are lots of high-paying job openings throughout the city. Most people with healthcare degrees and experience can get hired right away and earn great livings here.
The engineering industry is another high-paying industry with lots of job opportunities. Austin is known as a tech hub, and in addition to providing lots of jobs for those in the business world, there are also lots of openings (including many openings at major companies) for people who work in the engineering field.
Top 3 Jobs
- Architectural and Engineering Manager: Average salary $159,890 per year
- Aerospace Engineer: Average salary $129,040 per year
- Petroleum Engineer: Average salary $123,880 per year
Job Prospects: The job prospects are quite promising in Austin for those with engineering degrees and experience. From aerospace and petroleum engineering positions to management roles, there are tons of opportunities here, including many for high-paying jobs. Once you start looking for work here, you’ll likely get hired very quickly.
The legal industry is another well-paying industry in Austin. Legal professionals, from lawyers to judges, typically earn very high salaries because of the specific skill set they must develop.
Top 3 Jobs
- Judge: Average salary $155,570 per year
- Lawyer: Average salary $123,080 per year
- Administrative Law Judge: Average salary $95,800 per year
Job Prospects: The legal industry in Austin and throughout the United States is very competitive right now. This means prospects are not as promising as they once were for lawyers and other law experts. If you have a passion for law and don’t mind being part of a competitive field, though, there’s no reason why you can’t find a well-paying job and start earning a good living as a lawyer or judge.
As we mentioned above, Austin is a major tech hub in the United States. Because of this, the information technology industry is growing quickly in the city, and there are lots of high-paying jobs available.
Top 3 Jobs
- Computer and Information Systems Manager: Average salary $152,200 per year
- Computer Network Architect: Average salary $120,630 per year
- Computer and Information Research Scientist: Average salary $117,620 per year
Job Prospects: The job prospects are very promising for those who want to work in the information technology sector. Those who have degrees and/or experience with systems architecture, computer science, and other, related fields will have great success finding high-paying jobs in Austin once they start their search. This is especially true if they can get hired by one of the city’s major tech companies.
Top 5 Highest-Paying Jobs in Austin for Fresh Graduates
The list of the highest-paying jobs for fresh graduates in Austin is slightly different than the list of the best-paid jobs for seasoned professionals. After all, many of the positions on the Top 20 list featured above require a great deal of work experience before a person starts earning a salary of over $100,000 per year.
If you’re a college student or are getting ready to graduate, there are still lots of high-paying jobs available to you, though. The following are some of the best-paid jobs in Austin for fresh graduates to consider pursuing:
The specialist dentist position is one of the best-paid jobs in Austin, both for seasoned professionals and entry-level dentists who have just graduated from school. The average entry-level salary for a specialist dentist is $140,180, which is almost double the average salary for an Austin resident.
It’s true that it takes quite a while to become a specialist dentist. In addition to earning a standard doctor of dental medicine degree, you’ll also need to obtain additional training in a particular specialty (such as periodontics or endodontics). Once you’ve put in this work, though, and are ready to graduate, you can start earning a very high salary right away.
Psychiatrists in Austin can also earn very high salaries right after graduating. The average entry-level salary for a psychiatrist is $137,840 per year, which is also a little less than double the average salary for Austin residents.
Like specialist dentists, psychiatrists must spend a lot of time in school before they can graduate and begin practicing. In addition to earning degrees in psychology, they are also medical doctors who have to complete a residency and specialist program before they start to work with patients. After graduation, though, they’re able to earn a lot of money and can pay off the costs of their education relatively quickly.
As we mentioned above, the engineering industry is one of the highest-paying industries in Austin. With this in mind, it makes sense that engineering professionals would be some of the highest-paying ones for fresh graduates.
The entry-level salary for an electronics engineer, for example, is $82,650 per year. This might not be as high as some of the other entry-level salaries on this list, but it’s still quite a bit more than the average salary for an Austin resident. There’s also a lot of room for growth over time, too.
Another positive point is that most electronics engineers are able to get started in their careers with just a bachelor’s degree. This means you can finish school and move into your chosen profession sooner.
Another high-paying engineering position for fresh graduates is a career as a petroleum engineer. Petroleum engineers earn an entry-level salary of $77,180 per year.
This is also a bit higher than the average salary for an Austin resident, and there are lots of opportunities to grow and increase earnings once you’ve established yourself in your career and worked up to management positions.
To become a petroleum engineer, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or a related field. Because you don’t need advanced degrees to get started, you can get into your chosen career faster and start making money right away.
Another one of the highest-paying jobs for fresh graduates is a career as a nurse practitioner.
Nurse practitioners are able to do many of the same things that doctors do, including seeing and diagnosing patients and writing prescriptions. However, they do not require as much schooling, as they only need a master’s degree to practice. This means they can start their careers and start earning high salaries sooner.
The average entry-level salary for a nurse practitioner in Austin is $83,340 per year. Once they have worked in their field for a while, though, they can easily earn over $100,000 per year.
What Degree Pays Most in Austin?
Your chances of landing one of the highest-paying jobs in Austin increase a lot more if you have a degree in a specific field. The table below breaks down 5 different degree types and the potential salaries you can earn if you obtain one of these degrees:
Degree Type | Potential Salary |
Business | $192,630 per year |
Medicine | $191,930 per year |
Psychology | $162,810 per year |
Engineering | $159,890 per year |
Law | $155,570 per year |
It’s important to note that these numbers for potential salaries are just estimates to inspire and motivate as you start making career plans for the future.
There’s no guarantee that you will earn a specific salary if you earn a particular degree. However, your chances go up quite a bit when you pursue a certain career path and work toward earning one of these degrees.
Start Applying for the Highest-Paying Jobs in Austin Today
It doesn’t matter if you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned member of the workforce looking to make a career change. Either way, you now know what the highest-paying jobs in Austin are and what you need to do to qualify for them.
Keep this information in mind so you can start making career plans, developing marketable skills, and applying for the jobs that will set you and your loved ones up for a lucrative future.
Do you need more help finding the best-paid jobs in Austin? If so, use GrabJobs today.
GrabJobs is a simple job site that will make it easy for you to start searching for openings in the area based on a vareity of criteria, including job type, salary, and experience requirements.
You can also check out our career resources page, too. It’s full of guides that will teach you how to improve your resume, crush job interviews, and more.
