El Paso, TX
Across all occupations in the El Paso, TX metropolitan area, the median wage is $39,510 a year ($18.99 an hour) and the mean $51,870, May 2025. That median is −22% against the US median of $50,980 and −19% against Texas's $48,620. BLS counts 339,120 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: El Paso, TX vs Texas and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| El Paso, TX | Hourly | $10.93 | $13.91 | $18.99 | $30.08 | $45.95 | $24.94 | 339,120 |
| Annual | $22,740 | $28,930 | $39,510 | $62,570 | $95,570 | $51,870 | ||
| Texas | Hourly | $13.10 | $17.01 | $23.38 | $37.42 | $60.20 | $31.61 | 14,071,160 |
| Annual | $27,250 | $35,370 | $48,620 | $77,840 | $125,220 | $65,750 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
476 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Texas. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in El Paso, TX
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $289,950 | $139.40 | 560 |
| 2 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $240,990 | $115.86 | 40 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $220,050 | $105.80 | 110 |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physicians | $213,550 | $102.67 | ** |
| 5 | Pediatricians, General | $176,710 | $84.96 | 240 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Texas | $152,840 | $73.48 | 770 |
| 7 | Dentists, General | $150,940 | $72.57 | 160 |
| 8 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $144,360 | $69.40 | 160 |
| 9 | Lawyers in Texas | $140,550 | $67.57 | 780 |
| 10 | Optometrists | $132,240 | $63.58 | 70 |
| 11 | Petroleum Engineers | $131,740 | $63.34 | 40 |
| 12 | Financial Managers in Texas | $131,580 | $63.26 | 920 |
| 13 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,210 | * | 30 |
| 14 | Software Developers in Texas | $127,310 | $61.21 | 1,360 |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioners | $127,110 | $61.11 | 670 |
| 16 | Database Architects | $126,700 | $60.92 | 60 |
| 17 | Pharmacists | $124,910 | $60.05 | 590 |
| 18 | Veterinarians | $123,250 | $59.25 | 70 |
| 19 | Managers, All Other in Texas | $122,930 | $59.10 | 1,340 |
| 20 | Human Resources Managers | $122,780 | $59.03 | 380 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in El Paso, TX
Most concentrated occupations in El Paso, TX
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 23.82 | 170 | 0.50 | $23,070 |
| 2 | Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers | 21.22 | 340 | 1.02 | $26,860 |
| 3 | Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers | 9.17 | 280 | 0.82 | * |
| 4 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | 7.16 | 1,790 | 5.27 | $109,300 |
| 5 | Interpreters and Translators | 4.71 | 530 | 1.58 | $43,870 |
| 6 | Telemarketers | 4.42 | 560 | 1.66 | $28,340 |
| 7 | Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School | 4.19 | 2,380 | 7.03 | $64,000 |
| 8 | Cooks, All Other | 3.23 | 140 | 0.40 | $27,460 |
| 9 | Sewing Machine Operators | 3.14 | 720 | 2.12 | $22,400 |
| 10 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 3.07 | 750 | 2.20 | $63,780 |
Occupation groups in El Paso, TX
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $93,220 | $106,080 | 21,960 | 64.76 | 0.90 |
| Legal | $84,200 | $103,410 | 1,640 | 4.85 | 0.58 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $82,860 | $90,390 | 6,230 | 18.36 | 0.54 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $77,300 | $90,440 | 20,380 | 60.09 | 0.95 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $76,900 | $83,670 | 3,240 | 9.55 | 0.57 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $66,620 | $73,610 | 1,730 | 5.10 | 0.54 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $64,860 | $72,810 | 17,730 | 52.28 | 0.77 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $62,570 | $59,510 | 24,300 | 71.67 | 1.22 |
| Community and Social Service | $50,100 | $56,900 | 5,060 | 14.93 | 0.87 |
| Protective Service | $47,730 | $57,620 | 11,000 | 32.43 | 1.34 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $47,060 | $51,170 | 14,120 | 41.63 | 1.06 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $44,940 | $59,030 | 2,820 | 8.31 | 0.63 |
| Construction and Extraction | $44,320 | $47,320 | 10,660 | 31.43 | 0.76 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $38,390 | $41,550 | 46,480 | 137.06 | 1.20 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $36,920 | $41,620 | 34,000 | 100.25 | 1.14 |
| Production | $35,560 | $39,260 | 13,600 | 40.10 | 0.73 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $32,300 | $35,110 | 310 | 0.90 | 0.32 |
| Sales and Related | $30,510 | $40,000 | 31,470 | 92.80 | 1.07 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $30,040 | $31,490 | 8,630 | 25.45 | 0.87 |
| Personal Care and Service | $27,660 | $31,620 | 5,100 | 15.04 | 0.72 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $26,260 | $27,320 | 36,960 | 108.99 | 1.24 |
| Healthcare Support | $25,690 | $29,600 | 21,710 | 64.02 | 1.26 |
Every occupation in Texas, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 476 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS El Paso, TX estimates (area 21340).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the El Paso, TX area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.