Pittsburgh, PA
Across all occupations in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area, the median wage is $49,650 a year ($23.87 an hour) and the mean $65,230, May 2025. That median is −3% against the US median of $50,980 and 0% against Pennsylvania's $49,690. BLS counts 1,114,490 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is general internal medicine physicians; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: Pittsburgh, PA vs Pennsylvania and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Pittsburgh, PA | Hourly | $13.70 | $17.61 | $23.87 | $37.42 | $55.48 | $31.36 | 1,114,490 |
| Annual | $28,500 | $36,630 | $49,650 | $77,830 | $115,400 | $65,230 | ||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $13.91 | $17.64 | $23.89 | $37.63 | $56.66 | $31.60 | 6,064,600 |
| Annual | $28,920 | $36,690 | $49,690 | $78,270 | $117,860 | $65,730 | ||
| 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 | ||
645 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Pennsylvania. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Pittsburgh, PA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $291,570 | $140.18 | 150 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $275,930 | $132.66 | 1,730 |
| 3 | Psychiatrists | $235,240 | $113.10 | ** |
| 4 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $230,480 | $110.81 | ** |
| 5 | Physicists | $224,160 | $107.77 | 80 |
| 6 | Nurse Anesthetists | $223,570 | $107.49 | 500 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $216,060 | $103.88 | 1,660 |
| 8 | Pediatricians, General | $208,050 | $100.02 | 340 |
| 9 | Physicians, All Other | $187,680 | $90.23 | 6,260 |
| 10 | Podiatrists | $168,110 | $80.82 | 60 |
| 11 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $161,720 | $77.75 | 2,060 |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Pennsylvania | $159,090 | $76.49 | 5,290 |
| 13 | Dentists, General | $155,250 | $74.64 | 1,050 |
| 14 | Database Architects | $152,800 | $73.46 | 570 |
| 15 | Chemical Engineers | $152,290 | $73.22 | 110 |
| 16 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $145,340 | $69.87 | 160 |
| 17 | Purchasing Managers | $142,360 | $68.44 | 460 |
| 18 | Financial Managers in Pennsylvania | $136,330 | $65.54 | 6,460 |
| 19 | Pharmacists | $134,180 | $64.51 | 3,300 |
| 20 | Commercial Pilots | $134,030 | * | 200 |
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 Pittsburgh, PA
Most concentrated occupations in Pittsburgh, PA
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 | Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 6.99 | 1,260 | 1.14 | $69,150 |
| 2 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | 4.91 | 110 | 0.10 | $68,810 |
| 3 | Occupational Therapy Aides | 4.83 | 150 | 0.13 | $37,100 |
| 4 | Hearing Aid Specialists | 3.82 | 310 | 0.28 | $44,990 |
| 5 | Genetic Counselors | 3.65 | 100 | 0.09 | $99,030 |
| 6 | Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other | 3.45 | 170 | 0.16 | $32,160 |
| 6 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 3.45 | 210 | 0.19 | $102,170 |
| 8 | Gas Plant Operators | 3.44 | 440 | 0.40 | $81,600 |
| 9 | Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders | 3.33 | 160 | 0.15 | $36,090 |
| 10 | Crossing Guards and Flaggers | 3.13 | 2,120 | 1.90 | $35,990 |
Occupation groups in Pittsburgh, PA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $108,010 | $128,060 | 86,180 | 77.33 | 1.08 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $98,100 | $102,340 | 34,640 | 31.08 | 0.92 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $92,920 | $98,570 | 20,220 | 18.14 | 1.08 |
| Legal | $89,320 | $122,260 | 9,470 | 8.49 | 1.01 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $79,320 | $100,650 | 89,040 | 79.89 | 1.26 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $77,920 | $94,920 | 9,910 | 8.89 | 0.94 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $77,310 | $86,020 | 67,590 | 60.65 | 0.89 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $61,720 | $68,930 | 64,260 | 57.66 | 0.99 |
| Construction and Extraction | $61,530 | $66,690 | 49,450 | 44.37 | 1.07 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $58,670 | $60,590 | 41,820 | 37.53 | 0.96 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $55,850 | $65,710 | 11,190 | 10.04 | 0.76 |
| Community and Social Service | $51,650 | $57,000 | 23,780 | 21.33 | 1.24 |
| Production | $48,710 | $53,060 | 56,870 | 51.03 | 0.93 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,970 | $48,750 | 121,440 | 108.97 | 0.95 |
| Protective Service | $44,920 | $56,160 | 25,190 | 22.60 | 0.93 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $42,950 | $45,980 | 91,270 | 81.90 | 0.93 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $38,130 | $39,780 | 900 | 0.80 | 0.29 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,920 | $38,860 | 30,240 | 27.14 | 0.93 |
| Healthcare Support | $36,760 | $36,720 | 63,090 | 56.61 | 1.11 |
| Sales and Related | $36,140 | $48,220 | 89,480 | 80.29 | 0.93 |
| Personal Care and Service | $34,440 | $38,190 | 27,220 | 24.42 | 1.17 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $31,350 | $34,230 | 101,240 | 90.84 | 1.03 |
Every occupation in Pennsylvania, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 645 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 Pittsburgh, PA estimates (area 38300).
*- 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 Pittsburgh, PA 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.