🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Hot Springs, AR (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Hot Springs, AR, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in the Hot Springs, AR 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, General Internal Medicine Physician leads at $206,010/year, while Healthcare Administrator stands out for employment depth at about 200 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Hot Springs, AR · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
General Internal Medicine Physician
$206K est.
2
General Dentist
$140K est.
3
Pharmacist
$129K est.
4
Chief Executive
$112K est.
5
Nurse Practitioner
$110K est.
#1 Job
General Internal Medicine Physician
$206K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
Metro
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
60
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Hot Springs, AR: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Hot Springs, AR, General Internal Medicine Physician sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $206,010 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to General Dentist at $139,899, 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 29-1216 · Healthcare · 60 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$206,010
official baseline $233K
2
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,899
official baseline $176K
3
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 110 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$128,605
official baseline $136K
4
SOC 11-1011 · Management · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$111,962
official baseline $139K
5
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 170 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$110,478
official baseline $114K
6
SOC 29-1131 · Healthcare · 30 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$96,749.0
official baseline $112K
7
SOC 11-9032 · Management · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$84,329.0
official baseline $100K
8
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$85,578.0
official baseline $108K
9
SOC 29-1292 · Healthcare · 80 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
vs #1
$88,299.0
official baseline $91.3K
10
SOC 29-1123 · Healthcare · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$80,606.0
official baseline $95.4K
11
SOC 17-2051 · Engineering · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$83,556.0
official baseline $91.3K
12
SOC 11-9111 · Management · 200 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$82,810.0
official baseline $94.9K

What General Internal Medicine Physician Does

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

Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.

General Internal Medicine Physician Salary Trend

General Internal Medicine Physician 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·$138KEstimated
$214K
2022
$223K
2023
$142K
2024
$140K
2025*
$138K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20222026 trend (est.)
35.9%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($142K, 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 Hot Springs, AR is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Healthcare, Management, Engineering . 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
HealthcareGeneral Internal Medicine Physician$206,01060Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
ManagementChief Executive$111,96240Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
EngineeringCivil Engineer$83,556.040Job 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. General Internal Medicine Physician shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $206,010, compared with a long-run median of $232,812. 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
General Internal Medicine Physician$206,010$232,812Job 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$139,899$176,181Job 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).
Pharmacist$128,605$135,862Job 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).
Chief Executive$111,962$139,353Job 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).
Nurse Practitioner$110,478$113,870Job 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).
Veterinarian$96,749.0$112,492Job 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$84,329.0$100,323Job 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$85,578.0$107,976Job 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 Hot Springs, AR, Healthcare Administrator combines a salary of $82,810.0 with roughly 200 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
Healthcare Administrator
$82,810.0
200 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
$110,478
170 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
$128,605
110 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
Physical Therapist
$80,606.0
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.
Strong Market
Dental Hygienist
$88,299.0
80 employed
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. in a job zone three: medium preparation needed pathway.
Strong Market
K-12 Education Administrator
$84,329.0
70 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. General Internal Medicine Physician leads on salary at $206,010, while Healthcare Administrator supports roughly 200 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

General Internal Medicine PhysicianSOC 29-1216
$206K
60
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$140K
50
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$129K
110
Chief ExecutiveSOC 11-1011
$112K
40
Nurse PractitionerSOC 29-1171
$110K
170
VeterinarianSOC 29-1131
$96.7K
30
K-12 Education AdministratorSOC 11-9032
$84.3K
70
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$85.6K
50

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Hot Springs, AR, the gap between General Internal Medicine Physician at $206,010 and the early-pay signal from General Internal Medicine Physician at $206,010 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 200 workers in Hot Springs, AR 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 $206,010 and scales to $232,812 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 general internal medicine physician.

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 Hot Springs, AR?
General Internal Medicine Physician is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $206,010 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Hot Springs, AR.
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 Hot Springs, AR a good market for General Internal Medicine Physician?
Hot Springs, AR is a strong metro market for General Internal Medicine Physician. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 60 workers locally, with a median salary of $232,812. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does General Internal Medicine Physician usually require?
General Internal Medicine Physician 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. Healthcare 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 General Internal Medicine Physician?
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 General Internal Medicine Physician.
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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