🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Springfield, MA (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Springfield, MA, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in the Springfield, MA 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, Pediatrician leads at $216,974/year, while Financial Manager stands out for employment depth at about 950 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Springfield, MA · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Pediatrician
$217K est.
2
Family Medicine Physician
$196K est.
3
Nurse Midwive
$163K est.
4
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$149K est.
5
Natural Sciences Manager
$148K est.
#1 Job
Pediatrician
$217K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
Metro
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
90
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Springfield, MA: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Springfield, MA, Pediatrician sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $216,974 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Family Medicine Physician at $196,255, 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 29-1221 · Healthcare · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$216,974
official baseline $251K
2
SOC 29-1215 · Healthcare · 110 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$196,255
official baseline $232K
3
SOC 29-1161 · Healthcare · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$162,572
official baseline $163K
4
SOC 11-9041 · Management · 200 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$148,880
official baseline $174K
5
SOC 11-9121 · Management · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$147,923
official baseline $188K
6
SOC 29-1071 · Healthcare · 320 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$141,735
official baseline $160K
7
SOC 11-1011 · Management · N/A employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$142,445
official baseline $233K
8
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 480 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$134,231
official baseline $174K
9
SOC 11-3031 · Management · 950 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,726
official baseline $187K
10
SOC 11-2021 · Management · 310 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,714
official baseline $189K
11
SOC 15-1243 · Technology · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$126,027
official baseline $155K
12
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 470 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$133,062
official baseline $157K

What Pediatrician Does

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

Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children. May refer patients to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment, as needed.

Pediatrician Salary Trend

Pediatrician 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·$167KEstimated
$177K
2020
$170K
2021
$190K
2022
$199K
2023
$172K
2024
$169K
2025*
$167K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
5.9%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($172K, 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 Springfield, MA is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Healthcare, Management, Technology . 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
HealthcarePediatrician$216,97490Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
ManagementArchitectural and Engineering Manager$148,880200Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
TechnologyDatabase Architect$126,02750Job 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. Pediatrician shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $216,974, compared with a long-run median of $250,776. 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
Pediatrician$216,974$250,776Job 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).
Family Medicine Physician$196,255$232,356Job 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 Midwive$162,572$162,572Job 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$148,880$173,729Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Natural Sciences Manager$147,923$187,805Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Physician Assistant$141,735$160,449Job 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$142,445$232,773Job 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$134,231$173,997Job 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 Springfield, MA, Financial Manager combines a salary of $139,726 with roughly 950 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
Financial Manager
$139,726
950 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
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$134,231
480 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
$133,062
470 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
$141,735
320 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
$139,714
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
$148,880
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.

Salary vs Employment

The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Pediatrician leads on salary at $216,974, while Financial Manager supports roughly 950 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

PediatricianSOC 29-1221
$217K
90
Family Medicine PhysicianSOC 29-1215
$196K
110
Nurse MidwiveSOC 29-1161
$163K
50
Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$149K
200
Natural Sciences ManagerSOC 11-9121
$148K
40
Physician AssistantSOC 29-1071
$142K
320
Chief ExecutiveSOC 11-1011
$142K
N/A
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$134K
480

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Springfield, MA, the gap between Pediatrician at $216,974 and the early-pay signal from Pediatrician at $216,974 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 950 workers in Springfield, MA 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 $216,974 and scales to $250,776 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 pediatrician.

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 Springfield, MA?
Pediatrician is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $216,974 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Springfield, MA.
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 Springfield, MA a good market for Pediatrician?
Springfield, MA is a strong metro market for Pediatrician. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 90 workers locally, with a median salary of $250,776. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Pediatrician usually require?
Pediatrician 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. Financial 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 Pediatrician?
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 Pediatrician.
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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