🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Florida (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Florida, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in Florida. Because BLS does not publish a dedicated entry-level wage for every role, the ranking uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy so the projected pay picture stays realistic for new and junior workers.

From the current ranking, Nurse Anesthetist leads at $186,356/year, while Computer and Information Systems Manager stands out for employment depth at about 32,340 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Florida · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Nurse Anesthetist
$186K est.
2
Airline Pilot
$152K est.
3
Family Medicine Physician
$155K est.
4
Physicist
$152K est.
5
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$140K est.
#1 Job
Nurse Anesthetist
$186K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
State
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
6,140
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Florida: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Florida, Nurse Anesthetist sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $186,356 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Airline Pilot at $151,588, 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 29-1151 · Healthcare · 6,140 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$186,356
official baseline $221K
2
SOC 53-2011 · Transportation · 6,640 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$151,588
official baseline $236K
3
SOC 29-1215 · Healthcare · 7,580 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$154,919
official baseline $249K
4
SOC 19-2012 · Science · 240 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$152,474
official baseline $237K
5
SOC 11-9041 · Management · 7,600 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,692
official baseline $176K
6
SOC 29-2036 · Healthcare · 370 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$140,306
official baseline $150K
7
SOC 29-1221 · Healthcare · 940 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$143,498
official baseline $215K
8
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 32,340 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$137,018
official baseline $176K
9
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 20,270 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$130,002
official baseline $141K
10
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 8,400 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,518
official baseline $183K
11
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 24,690 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$119,253
official baseline $140K
12
SOC 15-1243 · Technology · 2,040 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$107,557
official baseline $136K

What Nurse Anesthetist Does

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

Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

Nurse Anesthetist Salary Trend

Nurse Anesthetist 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 -0.6% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.

2026·$203KEstimated
$184K
2020
$196K
2021
$203K
2022
$213K
2023
$205K
2024
$204K
2025*
$203K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
10.4%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($205K, 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 Florida is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Healthcare, Transportation, Science, and 2 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.

CategoryTop JobSalaryEmploymentPrep Signal
HealthcareNurse Anesthetist$186,3566,140Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
TransportationAirline Pilot$151,5886,640Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
SciencePhysicist$152,474240Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
ManagementArchitectural and Engineering Manager$139,6927,600Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
TechnologyDatabase Architect$107,5572,040Job 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. Nurse Anesthetist shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $186,356, compared with a long-run median of $220,882. 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
Nurse Anesthetist$186,356$220,882Job 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).
Airline Pilot$151,588$235,759Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Family Medicine Physician$154,919$248,759Job 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).
Physicist$152,474$237,075Job 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).
Architectural and Engineering Manager$139,692$175,879Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Medical Dosimetrist$140,306$150,232Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pediatrician$143,498$215,373Job 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).
Computer and Information Systems Manager$137,018$175,834Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Jobs With Strong Demand

Pay ceilings matter more when the local labor market is deep enough to generate real openings. In Florida, Computer and Information Systems Manager combines a salary of $137,018 with roughly 32,340 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
$137,018
32,340 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
Nurse Practitioner
$119,253
24,690 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
$130,002
20,270 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
General Dentist
$139,518
8,400 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
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$139,692
7,600 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
Family Medicine Physician
$154,919
7,580 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.

Salary vs Employment

The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Nurse Anesthetist leads on salary at $186,356, while Computer and Information Systems Manager supports roughly 32,340 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

Nurse AnesthetistSOC 29-1151
$186K
6,140
Airline PilotSOC 53-2011
$152K
6,640
Family Medicine PhysicianSOC 29-1215
$155K
7,580
PhysicistSOC 19-2012
$152K
240
Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$140K
7,600
Medical DosimetristSOC 29-2036
$140K
370
PediatricianSOC 29-1221
$143K
940
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$137K
32,340

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Florida, the gap between Nurse Anesthetist at $186,356 and the early-pay signal from Nurse Anesthetist at $186,356 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 32,340 workers in Florida 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 $186,356 and scales to $220,882 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 nurse anesthetist.

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 Florida?
Nurse Anesthetist is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $186,356 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Florida.
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 Florida a good market for Nurse Anesthetist?
Florida is a competitive state market for Nurse Anesthetist. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 6,140 workers locally, with a median salary of $220,882. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Nurse Anesthetist usually require?
Nurse Anesthetist 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 Nurse Anesthetist?
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 Nurse Anesthetist.
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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