Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census (the most detailed occupation-level income data StatCan publishes) shows real median and average employment income for hundreds of specific occupations. The table below ranks the highest-paying occupations by StatCan-verified median income, inflation-adjusted to today’s dollars, replacing hand-estimated ranges with real, sourced figures wherever a directly comparable occupation exists in the Census data. Figures are for full year, full time workers and reflect base employment income, not overtime, bonuses, business income, or equity.
Top 25 Highest-Paying Occupations in Canada (StatCan Verified)
Rank
Occupation
Median (Inflation-Adjusted)
Average (Inflation-Adjusted)
Guide
1
Judges
$369,700
$339,900
Salary Guides
2
Petroleum engineers
$198,500
$229,500
Salary Guides
3
Specialists in surgery
$186,100
$228,300
Doctors
4
Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
$186,100
$226,000
Doctors
5
Utilities managers
$163,700
$187,100
Salary Guides
6
Commissioned police officers
$163,700
$168,000
Police Officers
7
Mining engineers
$162,500
$215,800
Salary Guides
8
University professors and lecturers
$161,300
$164,500
Salary Guides
9
Lawyers and Quebec notaries
$158,800
$219,300
Lawyers
10
General practitioners and family physicians
$156,300
$186,600
Doctors
11
Railway and yard locomotive engineers
$155,100
$149,700
Train Conductors
12
Senior managers (public and private sector)
$148,900
$234,200
Salary Guides
13
Nurse practitioners
$146,400
$142,700
Nurses
14
Computer and information systems managers
$145,100
$169,200
IT Managers
15
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
$141,400
$160,800
Pilots
16
Firefighters
$140,200
$137,600
Firefighters
17
Police officers (except commissioned)
$137,700
$134,500
Police Officers
18
Dentists
$134,000
$152,300
Dentists
19
Pharmacists
$134,000
$133,600
Pharmacists
20
Physicists and astronomers
$134,000
$146,900
Salary Guides
21
Electrical and electronics engineers
$131,500
$145,500
Engineers
22
Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
$130,300
$184,300
Salary Guides
23
Software engineers and designers
$129,000
$152,100
Software Engineers
24
Chemical engineers
$129,000
$154,400
Engineers
25
Financial managers
$125,300
$154,600
Managers
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Table 98-10-0586-01. Figures are for those who worked full year, full time in 2020, and are inflation-adjusted to today’s dollars using the Consumer Price Index.
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs (Hand-Estimated, By Sub-Specialty)
The table below breaks the same fields down into more specific sub-specialties (e.g. surgical specialties, executive titles) that StatCan’s occupation classification does not track individually. These figures are informed industry estimates, not StatCan-verified data.
Rank
Occupation
Average Salary Range
1
Physician/Surgeon
$250,000-$400,000
$150K-$600K+
2
Dentist
$150,000-$250,000
$100K-$400K
3
IT Manager
$120,000-$180,000
$90K-$250K
4
Engineering Manager
$130,000-$180,000
$100K-$250K
5
Pharmacist
$95,000-$130,000
$80K-$150K
6
Lawyer
$100,000-$200,000
$60K-$400K+
7
Software Engineer
$90,000-$150,000
$60K-$300K
8
Financial Manager
$100,000-$160,000
$80K-$250K
9
Pilot
$90,000-$200,000
$50K-$300K
10
Nurse Practitioner
$95,000-$120,000
$80K-$140K
Healthcare (Highest Paid)
Physicians and Surgeons
Specialty
Average
Top Earners
Orthopedic surgeon
$400,000-$600,000
$800,000+
Cardiologist
$350,000-$500,000
$700,000+
Plastic surgeon
$300,000-$500,000
$700,000+
Ophthalmologist
$300,000-$450,000
$600,000+
Radiologist
$300,000-$450,000
$550,000+
Anesthesiologist
$300,000-$400,000
$500,000+
Dermatologist
$250,000-$400,000
$500,000+
General surgeon
$250,000-$400,000
$500,000+
Family physician
$150,000-$300,000
$400,000+
Other Healthcare
Role
Average
Range
Dentist
$150,000-$250,000
$100K-$400K
Pharmacist
$95,000-$130,000
$80K-$150K
Nurse practitioner
$95,000-$120,000
$80K-$140K
Registered nurse
$70,000-$100,000
$55K-$120K
Physiotherapist
$70,000-$95,000
$55K-$120K
Optometrist
$100,000-$150,000
$80K-$200K
Veterinarian
$80,000-$120,000
$60K-$180K
Technology
Software and Development
Role
Average
Range
VP of Engineering
$250,000+
$180K-$400K
Principal Engineer
$180,000-$250,000
$150K-$350K
Staff Engineer
$150,000-$200,000
$130K-$280K
Senior Software Engineer
$120,000-$160,000
$100K-$220K
Software Engineer
$90,000-$130,000
$60K-$180K
DevOps Engineer
$100,000-$140,000
$75K-$180K
Data Scientist
$100,000-$150,000
$70K-$200K
ML Engineer
$120,000-$180,000
$90K-$250K
Tech Management
Role
Average
Range
CTO
$200,000-$400,000
$150K-$800K+
VP of Product
$200,000-$300,000
$150K-$400K
Engineering Manager
$150,000-$200,000
$120K-$280K
Product Manager
$110,000-$160,000
$80K-$220K
IT Director
$140,000-$200,000
$110K-$280K
Cybersecurity
Role
Average
Range
CISO
$200,000-$350,000
$150K-$500K
Security Architect
$140,000-$200,000
$110K-$280K
Security Engineer
$100,000-$150,000
$80K-$200K
Penetration Tester
$90,000-$140,000
$70K-$180K
Finance and Banking
Investment and Capital Markets
Role
Average
Range
Managing Director
$400,000+
$300K-$1M+
Investment Banker (VP)
$200,000-$400,000
$150K-$600K
Portfolio Manager
$150,000-$300,000
$100K-$500K
Quantitative Analyst
$150,000-$250,000
$100K-$400K
Investment Analyst
$80,000-$150,000
$60K-$250K
Corporate Finance
Role
Average
Range
CFO
$200,000-$500,000
$150K-$1M+
VP Finance
$150,000-$250,000
$120K-$400K
Finance Director
$130,000-$180,000
$100K-$250K
Financial Controller
$100,000-$150,000
$80K-$200K
Financial Analyst
$65,000-$100,000
$50K-$140K
Public Accounting
Role
Average
Range
Partner (Big 4)
$300,000-$800,000+
$250K-$2M+
Senior Manager
$130,000-$180,000
$110K-$220K
Manager
$90,000-$130,000
$75K-$160K
Senior Associate
$65,000-$90,000
$55K-$110K
CPA (public practice)
$70,000-$120,000
$55K-$180K
Legal
Role
Average
Range
Partner (Bay St)
$400,000-$1,500,000+
$300K-$3M+
Partner (regional)
$200,000-$500,000
$150K-$800K
Senior Associate
$150,000-$250,000
$120K-$350K
Associate (Bay St)
$100,000-$180,000
$90K-$250K
General Counsel
$180,000-$350,000
$140K-$500K
In-house Lawyer
$100,000-$200,000
$80K-$300K
Engineering
Oil and Gas
Role
Average
Range
Petroleum Engineer
$120,000-$180,000
$90K-$250K
Process Engineer
$90,000-$130,000
$70K-$180K
Reservoir Engineer
$110,000-$160,000
$85K-$220K
Other Engineering
Discipline
Average
Range
Engineering Manager
$130,000-$180,000
$100K-$250K
Electrical Engineer
$80,000-$120,000
$60K-$160K
Mechanical Engineer
$75,000-$110,000
$55K-$150K
Civil Engineer
$70,000-$105,000
$55K-$140K
Software Engineer
$90,000-$150,000
$60K-$220K
Mining Engineer
$90,000-$140,000
$70K-$200K
Executive and Management
Role
Average
Range
CEO (large)
$500,000-$5,000,000+
$200K-$20M+
CEO (small/mid)
$150,000-$400,000
$100K-$800K
COO
$200,000-$500,000
$150K-$1M
VP (large corp)
$200,000-$400,000
$150K-$700K
Director
$120,000-$200,000
$90K-$300K
Senior Manager
$100,000-$150,000
$80K-$200K
Skilled Trades (High End)
Trade
Average
Range
Elevator Mechanic
$90,000-$120,000
$70K-$150K
Industrial Electrician
$70,000-$100,000
$55K-$130K
Power Line Technician
$80,000-$110,000
$60K-$140K
Crane Operator
$70,000-$100,000
$55K-$130K
Steamfitter/Pipefitter
$70,000-$95,000
$50K-$120K
Millwright
$65,000-$90,000
$50K-$115K
Overtime and location premiums can significantly increase trade salaries.
Aviation
Role
Average
Range
Airline Captain
$150,000-$280,000
$120K-$350K
First Officer
$80,000-$150,000
$50K-$200K
Corporate Pilot
$100,000-$200,000
$70K-$300K
Air Traffic Controller
$100,000-$160,000
$70K-$200K
Salary by Province
Provincial Salary Comparison
Province
Median
High Earners
Alberta
$62,000
Oil & gas, engineering
Ontario
$58,000
Finance, tech, healthcare
British Columbia
$55,000
Tech, real estate
Saskatchewan
$54,000
Mining, agriculture
Quebec
$52,000
Aerospace, gaming
Manitoba
$51,000
Manufacturing, healthcare
Atlantic*
$48,000
Healthcare, government
Alberta’s oil sector and Ontario/BC’s tech hubs pay premiums.
Job Growth and Demand
Fastest Growing High-Pay Careers
Career
Growth (5yr)
Demand
Nurse Practitioner
25%+
Very High
Software Engineer
20%+
Very High
Data Scientist
25%+
High
Cybersecurity
30%+
Very High
Electrician (EV)
15%+
Growing
Declining or Stagnant
Career
Outlook
Traditional Banking
Automation reducing roles
Mining (some areas)
Cyclical
Oil & Gas (entry)
Uncertain
Education Requirements
Salary Level
Typical Education
$150K+
MD, JD, MBA, MSc, or 10+ years experience
$100K-$150K
Bachelor’s + 5+ years or specialized diploma
$75K-$100K
Bachelor’s or skilled trade + experience
$50K-$75K
Various
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