🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Hagerstown, MD (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Hagerstown, MD, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in the Hagerstown, MD metro area. 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, Architectural and Engineering Manager leads at $140,426/year, while Web Administrator stands out for employment depth at about 420 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Hagerstown, MD · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$140K est.
2
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$132K est.
3
Physician Assistant
$129K est.
4
Human Resources Manager
$118K est.
5
Pharmacist
$113K est.
#1 Job
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$140K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
Metro
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
70
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Hagerstown, MD: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Hagerstown, MD, Architectural and Engineering Manager sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $140,426 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Computer and Information Systems Manager at $131,571, 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 11-9041 · Management · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$140,426
official baseline $171K
2
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 240 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$131,571
official baseline $154K
3
SOC 29-1071 · Healthcare · 150 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$128,757
official baseline $141K
4
SOC 11-3121 · Management · 80 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$118,301
official baseline $138K
5
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 240 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$112,817
official baseline $139K
6
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$118,146
official baseline $157K
7
SOC 11-3061 · Management · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$110,907
official baseline $149K
8
SOC 29-1131 · Healthcare · 60 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$116,303
official baseline $144K
9
SOC 15-1299 · Technology · 420 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$113,023
official baseline $157K
10
SOC 15-1241 · Technology · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
vs #1
$100,162
official baseline $118K
11
SOC 33-3021 · Protective Services · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
vs #1
$101,043
official baseline $169K
12
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 380 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$101,779
official baseline $125K

What Architectural and Engineering Manager Does

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

Define, plan, or execute biofuels/biodiesel research programs that evaluate alternative feedstock and process technologies with near-term commercial potential.

Architectural and Engineering Manager Salary Trend

Architectural and Engineering Manager 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 0.2% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.

2026·$164KEstimated
$150K
2020
$152K
2021
$160K
2022
$165K
2023
$164K
2024
$164K
2025*
$164K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
10.0%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($164K, 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 Hagerstown, MD is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Management, Healthcare, Technology, 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.

CategoryTop JobSalaryEmploymentPrep Signal
ManagementArchitectural and Engineering Manager$140,42670Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
HealthcarePhysician Assistant$128,757150Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
TechnologyWeb Administrator$113,023420Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Protective ServicesIntelligence Analyst$101,04340Job Zone Three: Medium 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 $140,426, compared with a long-run median of $171,463. 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
Architectural and Engineering Manager$140,426$171,463Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Computer and Information Systems Manager$131,571$153,959Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Physician Assistant$128,757$141,453Job 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).
Human Resources Manager$118,301$137,918Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pharmacist$112,817$138,678Job 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$118,146$156,739Job 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).
Purchasing Manager$110,907$149,090Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Veterinarian$116,303$144,216Job 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 Hagerstown, MD, Web Administrator combines a salary of $113,023 with roughly 420 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
Web Administrator
$113,023
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.
Very Deep Market
Nurse Practitioner
$101,779
380 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
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$131,571
240 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
Pharmacist
$112,817
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
Physician Assistant
$128,757
150 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
$118,146
90 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. Architectural and Engineering Manager leads on salary at $140,426, while Web Administrator supports roughly 420 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$140K
70
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$132K
240
Physician AssistantSOC 29-1071
$129K
150
Human Resources ManagerSOC 11-3121
$118K
80
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$113K
240
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$118K
90
Purchasing ManagerSOC 11-3061
$111K
50
VeterinarianSOC 29-1131
$116K
60

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Hagerstown, MD, the gap between Architectural and Engineering Manager at $140,426 and the early-pay signal from Architectural and Engineering Manager at $140,426 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 420 workers in Hagerstown, MD 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 Four: Considerable Preparation Needed and often pair that with expectations like most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.. 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 $140,426 and scales to $171,463 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 architectural and engineering manager.

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 Hagerstown, MD?
Architectural and Engineering Manager is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $140,426 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Hagerstown, MD.
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 Hagerstown, MD a good market for Architectural and Engineering Manager?
Hagerstown, MD is a strong metro market for Architectural and Engineering Manager. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 70 workers locally, with a median salary of $171,463. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Architectural and Engineering Manager usually require?
Architectural and Engineering Manager is currently tagged as job zone four: considerable preparation needed in the O*NET prep model. The most common education signal is most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not., while the training path is described as employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training..
Does the top-paying job also have the most openings?
Not always. Web Administrator 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 Architectural and Engineering Manager?
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 Architectural and Engineering Manager.
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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