Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs
| 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 |