If you are comparing highest-paying jobs in Crestview, FL, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to rank the strongest-paying roles in the Crestview, FL metro area. It also layers in salary range, employment depth, and entry-pay signals so you can judge each path on more than the headline number alone.
From the current ranking, Commercial Pilot leads at $205,057/year, while Energy Engineer stands out for employment depth at about 890 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.
📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Crestview, FL · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Commercial Pilot
$205K est.
2
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$171K est.
3
Airline Pilot
$174K est.
4
General Dentist
$180K est.
5
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$171K est.
#1 Job
Commercial Pilot
$205K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
Metro
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
90
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Jobs in Crestview, FL: Full Ranking
If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Crestview, FL, Commercial Pilot sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $205,057 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Architectural and Engineering Manager at $170,708, which helps show whether the pay curve drops quickly or stays fairly tight after the leader. On entry-level pages, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy for starting pay, because the public source data does not offer a clean entry-level field for every role.
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$140,283
official baseline $140K
What Commercial Pilot Does
Before the pay ranking means much, it helps to understand the work itself. Commercial Pilot sits at the top of this guide because it combines strong pay with the work profile described below.
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.
Commercial Pilot Salary Trend
Commercial Pilot leads this ranking on current pay, but the national salary trend helps show whether that pay ceiling is being reinforced by steady wage growth over time.
Careerclev's current 2026 estimate applies an annual modeled growth rate of 6.5% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.
2026·$152KEstimated
$93.3K
2020
$99.6K
2021
$104K
2022
$113K
2023
$134K
2024
$142K
2025*
$152K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
2020–2026 trend (est.)
↑ 62.5%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model
* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($134K, 2024) is extended with recent wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available, then replaced when official data is published.
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Highest-Paying Jobs by Category
High pay in Crestview, FL is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Transportation, Management, Healthcare, and 1 more . That mix helps show whether the local labor market rewards specialist clinical work, technical depth, executive management, or a broader spread of roles. Each row below shows the top-paying role within that actual SOC category rather than an assumed one.
Category
Top Job
Salary
Employment
Prep Signal
Transportation
Commercial Pilot
$205,057
90
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Management
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$170,708
170
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Healthcare
General Dentist
$179,996
100
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Engineering
Energy Engineer
$147,447
890
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Entry-Level Pay Signals
A high median salary only tells half the story. What matters for career planning is where starting pay actually lands. Because BLS does not publish a clean entry-level label for every role, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy. Architectural and Engineering Manager shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $142,535, compared with a long-run median of $170,708. In turn, that gap gives a better feel for both long-run upside and how quickly a role starts rewarding experience.
Job
Entry Proxy
Median Salary
Prep Path
Typical Education
Commercial Pilot
$139,363
$205,057
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$142,535
$170,708
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Airline Pilot
$124,401
$173,938
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
General Dentist
$141,549
$179,996
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$127,704
$170,536
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Marketing Manager
$102,420
$164,099
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pharmacist
$132,307
$140,836
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Veterinarian
$121,157
$150,511
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Jobs With Strong Demand
Pay ceilings matter more when the local labor market is deep enough to generate real openings. In Crestview, FL, Energy Engineer combines a salary of $147,447 with roughly 890 employed workers, which makes it one of the more accessible high-pay options on this list. By contrast, some specialties rank higher on salary but operate as narrower niches where openings are harder to find and entry paths are longer.
Very Deep Market
Energy Engineer
$147,447
890 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Very Deep Market
Financial Manager
$146,747
420 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$170,536
310 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$170,708
170 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Nurse Practitioner
$140,283
160 employed
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training. in a job zone five: extensive preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
Marketing Manager
$164,099
140 employed
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. in a job zone four: considerable preparation needed pathway.
Salary vs Employment
The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Commercial Pilot leads on salary at $205,057, while Energy Engineer supports roughly 890 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.
Commercial PilotSOC 53-2012
$205K
90
Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$171K
170
Airline PilotSOC 53-2011
$174K
60
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$180K
100
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$171K
310
Marketing ManagerSOC 11-2021
$164K
140
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$141K
130
VeterinarianSOC 29-1131
$151K
140
How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically
Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Crestview, FL, the gap between Commercial Pilot at $205,057 and the early-pay signal from Architectural and Engineering Manager at $142,535 shows why access, market size, and training timelines belong in the same conversation as the headline number. That is where this page becomes more useful than a simple ranking list.
1
Match salary to access realistically
A high median means little if there are only a handful of openings per year. Check the employment estimate alongside the salary. A role with 890 workers in Crestview, FL is fundamentally easier to enter than one with a few hundred.
2
Factor in education and licensure timelines
Some of the highest-paying roles on this list sit in prep bands such as Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed and often pair that with expectations like most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.. Build that timeline into your planning before targeting the salary ceiling.
3
Separate entry pay from long-run upside
The entry proxy column in this guide gives you an early-career anchor. A role that starts at $142,535 and scales to $170,708 offers a very different career arc than one that starts and peaks near the same figure.
4
Check the work before chasing the pay
Compare the day-to-day work with the training path before you commit. A role can rank highly on pay and still be a poor fit if the work itself does not match the kind of problems, environment, or responsibilities you want.
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Related High-Pay Pages
These related pages are the most useful next steps from this ranking. They keep the same high-pay context for Crestview, FL, then branch into nearby market views and role-specific pages such as Nurse Practitioner and General Dentist. If this page answers the pay question but not the career question, start here.
High-pay rankings are most useful when you read them alongside the core salary guide, the career entry path, and a few nearby role comparisons. That turns this page from a ranking into a better decision route for commercial pilot.
These questions cover the practical parts of the ranking: how entry pay is estimated, why wage fields sometimes differ by source, and how to compare the top salary with the real size of the job market.
What is the highest-paying job in Crestview, FL?▼
Commercial Pilot is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $205,057 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Crestview, FL.
Is the entry-level pay data directly from BLS?▼
Not exactly. BLS publishes wage percentiles rather than experience-level labels, so Careerclev uses the 25th percentile (or the low-end wage where available) as an entry-pay proxy. It is a transparent approximation, not a direct label.
Is Crestview, FL a good market for Commercial Pilot?▼
Crestview, FL is a strong metro market for Commercial Pilot. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 90 workers locally, with a median salary of $205,057. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Commercial Pilot usually require?▼
Commercial Pilot is currently tagged as job zone three: medium preparation needed in the O*NET prep model. The most common education signal is most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree., while the training path is described as employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. a recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations..
Does the top-paying job also have the most openings?▼
Not always. Energy Engineer may support a deeper employment market than the #1 salary role, which can make it more practical for job seekers despite a lower pay ceiling.
How should I compare salary with accessibility?▼
Use the ranking salary, entry-pay proxy, employment estimate, and preparation path together. The best target is usually the role that balances strong pay with a realistic path in.
Can a lower-ranked job be a better target than Commercial Pilot?▼
Yes. A lower-ranked role can be the better choice if it has a shorter prep path, stronger entry pay, more openings, or a work profile that fits you better than Commercial Pilot.
Why do some high-paying roles look hard to enter?▼
Many top-paying roles sit behind longer training, licensing, or related-experience requirements. That is why Careerclev shows preparation signals next to salary instead of treating all high-paying jobs as equally accessible.
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Data Sources & MethodologyRankings use Careerclev salary facts built from BLS OEWS wage data and extended through Careerclev's current salary projection model where applicable. National pages use U.S. aggregate data, state pages use state-level data, and city pages use the BLS metro dataset behind the largest-city public label. Category labels are derived from BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major group codes, while prep-path notes come from imported O*NET job-zone and career requirement data where available.