🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Waco, TX (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Waco, TX, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in the Waco, TX 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, Family Medicine Physician leads at $231,510/year, while Computer and Information Systems Manager stands out for employment depth at about 290 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Waco, TX · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Family Medicine Physician
$232K est.
2
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$138K est.
3
Pharmacist
$134K est.
4
Chief Executive
$140K est.
5
Physician Assistant
$124K est.
#1 Job
Family Medicine Physician
$232K
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 Waco, TX: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Waco, TX, Family Medicine Physician sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $231,510 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Architectural and Engineering Manager at $137,689, 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 29-1215 · Healthcare · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$231,510
official baseline $255K
2
SOC 11-9041 · Management · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$137,689
official baseline $173K
3
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 190 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$134,371
official baseline $151K
4
SOC 11-1011 · Management · 110 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$139,835
official baseline $219K
5
SOC 29-1071 · Healthcare · 90 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$124,049
official baseline $138K
6
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 290 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$114,962
official baseline $141K
7
SOC 23-1021 · Legal · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$121,192
official baseline $125K
8
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$118,258
official baseline $190K
9
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 210 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$113,696
official baseline $135K
10
SOC 17-2011 · Engineering · 110 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$108,144
official baseline $140K
11
SOC 25-1072 · Education · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$102,728
official baseline $205K
12
SOC 29-1131 · Healthcare · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$111,086
official baseline $127K

What Family Medicine Physician Does

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

Diagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.

Family Medicine Physician Salary Trend

Family 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·$197KEstimated
$207K
2020
$211K
2022
$225K
2023
$204K
2024
$201K
2025*
$197K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
4.8%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($204K, 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 Waco, TX is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Healthcare, Management, Legal, 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
HealthcareFamily Medicine Physician$231,51090Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
ManagementArchitectural and Engineering Manager$137,68990Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
LegalAdministrative Law Judge$121,19270Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
EngineeringAerospace Engineer$108,144110Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
EducationNursing Instructor and Teacher$102,72870Job Zone Five: Extensive 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. Family Medicine Physician shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $231,510, compared with a long-run median of $254,852. 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
Family Medicine Physician$231,510$254,852Job 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$137,689$173,089Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pharmacist$134,371$150,618Job 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$139,835$219,144Job 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).
Physician Assistant$124,049$138,163Job 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$114,962$140,725Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Administrative Law Judge$121,192$125,105Job 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$118,258$189,767Job 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 Waco, TX, Computer and Information Systems Manager combines a salary of $114,962 with roughly 290 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
$114,962
290 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
$113,696
210 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
$134,371
190 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
Chief Executive
$139,835
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
Aerospace Engineer
$108,144
110 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
$231,510
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. Family Medicine Physician leads on salary at $231,510, while Computer and Information Systems Manager supports roughly 290 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

Family Medicine PhysicianSOC 29-1215
$232K
90
Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$138K
90
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$134K
190
Chief ExecutiveSOC 11-1011
$140K
110
Physician AssistantSOC 29-1071
$124K
90
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$115K
290
Administrative Law JudgeSOC 23-1021
$121K
70
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$118K
70

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Waco, TX, the gap between Family Medicine Physician at $231,510 and the early-pay signal from Family Medicine Physician at $231,510 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 290 workers in Waco, TX 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 $231,510 and scales to $254,852 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 family 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 Waco, TX?
Family Medicine Physician is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $231,510 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Waco, TX.
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 Waco, TX a good market for Family Medicine Physician?
Waco, TX is a strong metro market for Family Medicine Physician. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 90 workers locally, with a median salary of $254,852. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Family Medicine Physician usually require?
Family 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. 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 Family 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 Family 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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