🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Jobs in Olympia, WA (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying jobs in Olympia, WA, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to rank the strongest-paying roles in the Olympia, WA 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, Chief Executive leads at $237,631/year, while Computer and Information Systems Manager stands out for employment depth at about 650 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Olympia, WA · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Chief Executive
$238K est.
2
General Dentist
$229K est.
3
K-12 Education Administrator
$165K est.
4
Marketing Manager
$178K est.
5
Pharmacist
$157K est.
#1 Job
Chief Executive
$238K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
Metro
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
140
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Jobs in Olympia, WA: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Olympia, WA, Chief Executive sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $237,631 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to General Dentist at $228,719, 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.

1
SOC 11-1011 · Management · 140 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$237,631
official baseline $238K
2
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 120 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$228,719
official baseline $229K
3
SOC 11-9032 · Management · 240 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$164,577
official baseline $165K
4
SOC 11-2021 · Management · 250 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$177,926
official baseline $178K
5
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 240 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$157,198
official baseline $157K
6
SOC 11-2022 · Management · 260 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$159,341
official baseline $159K
7
SOC 33-1012 · Protective Services · 160 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
vs #1
$158,953
official baseline $159K
8
SOC 29-1071 · Healthcare · 90 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$152,461
official baseline $152K
9
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 650 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$148,928
official baseline $149K
10
SOC 11-2032 · Management · 140 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$149,070
official baseline $149K
11
SOC 29-1041 · Healthcare · 30 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$150,276
official baseline $150K
12
SOC 11-9121 · Management · 110 employed
High payData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$152,420
official baseline $152K

What Chief Executive Does

Before the pay ranking means much, it helps to understand the work itself. Chief Executive sits at the top of this guide because it combines strong pay with the work profile described below.

Communicate and coordinate with management, shareholders, customers, and employees to address sustainability issues. Enact or oversee a corporate sustainability strategy.

Chief Executive Salary Trend

Chief Executive 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 -1.5% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.

2026·$179KEstimated
$186K
2020
$180K
2021
$190K
2022
$207K
2023
$185K
2024
$182K
2025*
$179K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
3.6%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($185K, 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 Olympia, WA is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Management, Healthcare, Protective Services . 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.

CategoryTop JobSalaryEmploymentPrep Signal
ManagementChief Executive$237,631140Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
HealthcareGeneral Dentist$228,719120Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Protective ServicesPolice Supervisor$158,953160Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some 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. General Dentist shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $179,962, compared with a long-run median of $228,719. In turn, that gap gives a better feel for both long-run upside and how quickly a role starts rewarding experience.

JobEntry ProxyMedian SalaryPrep PathTypical Education
Chief Executive$172,664$237,631Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost 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).
General Dentist$179,962$228,719Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost 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).
K-12 Education Administrator$134,985$164,577Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost 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).
Marketing Manager$127,646$177,926Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pharmacist$137,489$157,198Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost 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).
Sales Manager$122,164$159,341Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Police Supervisor$138,416$158,953Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation NeededUsually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Physician Assistant$139,873$152,461Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation NeededMost 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 Olympia, WA, Computer and Information Systems Manager combines a salary of $148,928 with roughly 650 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
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$148,928
650 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
Sales Manager
$159,341
260 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
Marketing Manager
$177,926
250 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
K-12 Education Administrator
$164,577
240 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
Pharmacist
$157,198
240 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
Police Supervisor
$158,953
160 employed
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. in a job zone 1-2: very little to some preparation needed pathway.

Salary vs Employment

The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Chief Executive leads on salary at $237,631, while Computer and Information Systems Manager supports roughly 650 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

Chief ExecutiveSOC 11-1011
$238K
140
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$229K
120
K-12 Education AdministratorSOC 11-9032
$165K
240
Marketing ManagerSOC 11-2021
$178K
250
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$157K
240
Sales ManagerSOC 11-2022
$159K
260
Police SupervisorSOC 33-1012
$159K
160
Physician AssistantSOC 29-1071
$152K
90

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Olympia, WA, the gap between Chief Executive at $237,631 and the early-pay signal from General Dentist at $179,962 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 650 workers in Olympia, WA 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 Five: Extensive Preparation Needed and often pair that with expectations like 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).. 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 $179,962 and scales to $228,719 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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Next Pages to Read

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 chief executive.

FAQs

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 Olympia, WA?
Chief Executive is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $237,631 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Olympia, WA.
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 Olympia, WA a good market for Chief Executive?
Olympia, WA is a strong metro market for Chief Executive. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 140 workers locally, with a median salary of $237,631. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Chief Executive usually require?
Chief Executive is currently tagged as job zone five: extensive preparation needed in the O*NET prep model. The most common education signal is 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)., while the training path is described as 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..
Does the top-paying job also have the most openings?
Not always. Computer and Information Systems Manager 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 Chief Executive?
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 Chief Executive.
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.
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