Topeka, KS
Across all occupations in the Topeka, KS metropolitan area, the median wage is $49,540 a year ($23.82 an hour) and the mean $61,600, May 2025. That median is −3% against the US median of $50,980 and +3% against Kansas's $48,010. BLS counts 115,750 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is fast food and counter workers.
All occupations: Topeka, KS vs Kansas and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Topeka, KS | Hourly | $13.99 | $17.60 | $23.82 | $35.68 | $49.30 | $29.62 | 115,750 |
| Annual | $29,090 | $36,600 | $49,540 | $74,210 | $102,540 | $61,600 | ||
| Kansas | Hourly | $13.72 | $17.25 | $23.08 | $34.75 | $49.64 | $29.15 | 1,437,520 |
| Annual | $28,530 | $35,880 | $48,010 | $72,280 | $103,250 | $60,640 | ||
| 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 | ||
333 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Kansas. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Topeka, KS
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $451,910 | $217.26 | 500 |
| 2 | Marketing Managers | $205,310 | $98.71 | 190 |
| 3 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $165,380 | $79.51 | 110 |
| 4 | Dentists, General | $164,670 | $79.17 | 70 |
| 5 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $162,810 | $78.27 | 80 |
| 6 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $157,760 | $75.85 | 190 |
| 7 | Sales Managers in Kansas | $154,970 | $74.51 | 380 |
| 8 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $148,910 | $71.59 | 50 |
| 9 | Financial Managers in Kansas | $145,950 | $70.17 | 370 |
| 10 | Purchasing Managers | $144,440 | $69.44 | 40 |
| 11 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Kansas | $143,320 | $68.90 | 360 |
| 12 | Pharmacists | $140,820 | $67.70 | 280 |
| 13 | Chief Executives | $140,330 | $67.47 | 240 |
| 14 | Nurse Practitioners | $132,740 | $63.82 | 500 |
| 15 | Optometrists | $130,930 | $62.95 | 30 |
| 16 | Administrative Services Managers | $130,100 | $62.55 | 130 |
| 17 | Physician Assistants | $129,800 | $62.41 | 60 |
| 18 | Human Resources Managers | $129,290 | $62.16 | 110 |
| 19 | Facilities Managers | $128,460 | $61.76 | 100 |
| 20 | Electrical Engineers | $125,330 | $60.25 | 220 |
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 Topeka, KS
Most concentrated occupations in Topeka, KS
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 | Psychiatric Aides | 9.47 | 250 | 2.16 | $38,390 |
| 2 | Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 6.88 | 280 | 2.44 | $35,500 |
| 3 | Food Batchmakers | 5.93 | 770 | 6.65 | $56,390 |
| 4 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 4.46 | 200 | 1.72 | $62,470 |
| 5 | Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 4.38 | 510 | 4.36 | $48,460 |
| 6 | Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 4.02 | 100 | 0.89 | $47,570 |
| 7 | Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 3.73 | 190 | 1.64 | $59,490 |
| 8 | Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan | 3.35 | 370 | 3.19 | $47,220 |
| 9 | Data Entry Keyers | 3.14 | 300 | 2.57 | $36,760 |
| 10 | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 3.06 | 300 | 2.58 | $108,720 |
Occupation groups in Topeka, KS
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $104,580 | $122,180 | 6,640 | 57.36 | 0.80 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $86,900 | $92,600 | 1,540 | 13.34 | 0.79 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $86,900 | $94,640 | 3,760 | 32.46 | 0.96 |
| Legal | $86,220 | $94,780 | 1,170 | 10.08 | 1.20 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,820 | $100,110 | 8,870 | 76.63 | 1.21 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $72,800 | $80,840 | 8,840 | 76.39 | 1.13 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $66,500 | $79,220 | 1,220 | 10.55 | 1.11 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,100 | $64,280 | 4,670 | 40.32 | 1.03 |
| Protective Service | $58,640 | $61,640 | 2,990 | 25.84 | 1.06 |
| Construction and Extraction | $55,660 | $59,170 | 4,950 | 42.75 | 1.03 |
| Community and Social Service | $52,100 | $55,460 | 2,150 | 18.59 | 1.08 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $51,200 | $58,100 | 1,220 | 10.51 | 0.80 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,200 | $50,440 | 6,550 | 56.58 | 0.97 |
| Production | $50,120 | $53,490 | 7,000 | 60.50 | 1.10 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $46,610 | $46,870 | 9,880 | 85.34 | 0.97 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,190 | $47,120 | 14,530 | 125.57 | 1.10 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $40,760 | $41,070 | 160 | 1.42 | 0.51 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,350 | $38,280 | 7,120 | 61.54 | 1.21 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $35,990 | $37,880 | 3,050 | 26.35 | 0.90 |
| Sales and Related | $35,990 | $50,790 | 8,460 | 73.13 | 0.85 |
| Personal Care and Service | $31,260 | $35,540 | 2,140 | 18.49 | 0.88 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,250 | $32,770 | 8,830 | 76.27 | 0.87 |
Every occupation in Kansas, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 333 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 Topeka, KS estimates (area 45820).
*- Wage 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 Topeka, KS 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.