🏆 2026 Job Rankings

Highest-Paying Entry-Level Jobs in Winchester, VA (2026)

If you are comparing highest-paying entry-level jobs in Winchester, VA, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to show where early-career pay starts strongest in the Winchester, VA 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 $197,936/year, while Software Developer stands out for employment depth at about 340 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Winchester, VA · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Family Medicine Physician
$198K est.
2
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$151K est.
3
Pediatrician
$144K est.
4
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$135K est.
5
Pharmacist
$130K est.
#1 Job
Family Medicine Physician
$198K
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 Winchester, VA: Full Ranking

If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Winchester, VA, Family Medicine Physician sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $197,936 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Architectural and Engineering Manager at $151,104, 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 · 60 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
100% benchmark
$197,936
official baseline $244K
2
SOC 11-9041 · Management · 40 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$151,104
official baseline $178K
3
SOC 29-1221 · Healthcare · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$143,707
official baseline $186K
4
SOC 11-3021 · Management · 110 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$135,352
official baseline $184K
5
SOC 29-1051 · Healthcare · 150 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$129,564
official baseline $138K
6
SOC 29-1021 · Healthcare · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$134,615
official baseline $194K
7
SOC 11-3121 · Management · 70 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$121,597
official baseline $144K
8
SOC 29-1171 · Healthcare · 160 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$119,688
official baseline $138K
9
SOC 11-3061 · Management · 30 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$111,980
official baseline $148K
10
SOC 15-1252 · Technology · 340 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$108,808
official baseline $138K
11
SOC 11-3031 · Management · 260 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
vs #1
$114,047
official baseline $159K
12
SOC 15-1241 · Technology · 50 employed
Entry proxyData year 2024Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
vs #1
$104,535
official baseline $128K

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 Winchester, VA 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
HealthcareFamily Medicine Physician$197,93660Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
ManagementArchitectural and Engineering Manager$151,10440Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
TechnologySoftware Developer$108,808340Job 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. Family Medicine Physician shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $197,936, compared with a long-run median of $244,123. 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$197,936$244,123Job 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$151,104$177,704Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pediatrician$143,707$186,208Job 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$135,352$183,951Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Pharmacist$129,564$137,666Job 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$134,615$194,277Job 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$121,597$144,479Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation NeededMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Nurse Practitioner$119,688$137,597Job 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 Winchester, VA, Software Developer combines a salary of $108,808 with roughly 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
Software Developer
$108,808
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
Financial Manager
$114,047
260 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
$119,688
160 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
$129,564
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
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$135,352
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
Human Resources Manager
$121,597
70 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. Family Medicine Physician leads on salary at $197,936, while Software Developer supports roughly 340 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
$198K
60
Architectural and Engineering ManagerSOC 11-9041
$151K
40
PediatricianSOC 29-1221
$144K
50
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$135K
110
PharmacistSOC 29-1051
$130K
150
General DentistSOC 29-1021
$135K
50
Human Resources ManagerSOC 11-3121
$122K
70
Nurse PractitionerSOC 29-1171
$120K
160

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Winchester, VA, the gap between Family Medicine Physician at $197,936 and the early-pay signal from Family Medicine Physician at $197,936 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 340 workers in Winchester, VA 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 $197,936 and scales to $244,123 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 Winchester, VA?
Family Medicine Physician is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $197,936 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Winchester, VA.
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 Winchester, VA a good market for Family Medicine Physician?
Winchester, VA is a strong metro market for Family Medicine Physician. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 60 workers locally, with a median salary of $244,123. 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. Software Developer 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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