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Highest Paying Jobs in District of Columbia

Ranked by the average of the local median wages BLS publishes for District of Columbia, among 88 occupations with at least 1,000 workers in the state.

Highest paying occupations in District of Columbia
#OccupationAverage median wageWorkers in state
1Computer and Information Systems Managers$195,19020,800
2Lawyers$195,19046,840
3Public Relations Managers$195,1909,470
4Financial Managers$185,27026,430
5Marketing Managers$181,2608,900
6Sales Managers$175,8208,780
7Computer Network Architects$159,8209,370
8General and Operations Managers$156,460112,530
9Software Developers$154,93069,060
10Information Security Analysts$148,95016,560
11Medical and Health Services Managers$140,67011,730
12Data Scientists$132,2009,260
13Operations Research Analysts$127,6008,080
14Computer Systems Analysts$127,04018,620
15Project Management Specialists$127,03038,230
16Management Analysts$126,83062,360
17Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$126,3508,460
18Network and Computer Systems Administrators$125,4309,920
19Financial and Investment Analysts$108,33010,930
20Buyers and Purchasing Agents$104,88014,240
21Logisticians$104,3308,020
22Registered Nurses$102,71046,830
23Accountants and Auditors$102,14041,470
24Civil Engineers$101,7808,470
25Public Relations Specialists$101,68022,810

Highest-paying jobs in District of Columbia

This ranking covers 88 occupations that employ at least 1,000 people in District of Columbia. The figure used is the employment-weighted average of the local median wages published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2025) for the state's wage areas. Computer and Information Systems Managers comes first at $195,190 a year; number 25 on the list, Public Relations Specialists, averages $101,680.

Each occupation links to its District of Columbia page with the wage areas, the counties and what is left after taxes and living costs. Pay is only part of the picture, so compare it with local rents and taxes before choosing where to work.