If you are comparing highest-paying jobs in Utah, this guide uses Careerclev salary benchmarks built from the latest official BLS wage baseline to rank the strongest-paying roles in Utah. It also layers in salary range, employment depth, and entry-pay signals so you can judge each path on more than the headline number alone.
From the current ranking, Urologist leads at $274,346/year, while Computer and Information Systems Manager stands out for employment depth at about 8,090 workers. That contrast helps you weigh pure pay against the size of the hiring market.
📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Utah · 12 jobs ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
Urologist
$274K est.
2
Pediatrician
$214K est.
3
Athlete and Sport Competitor
$174K est.
4
Ophthalmologist
$196K est.
5
Petroleum Engineer
$179K est.
#1 Job
Urologist
$274K
Jobs Ranked
12
top roles
Data Layer
State
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
3,500
employment estimate
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Highest-Paying Jobs in Utah: Full Ranking
If you're targeting high-paying jobs in Utah, Urologist sits at the top of this 12-job ranking at $274,346 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to Pediatrician at $214,336, 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.
High payData year 2024Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
vs #1
$149,339
official baseline $149K
What Urologist Does
Before the pay ranking means much, it helps to understand the work itself. Urologist sits at the top of this guide because it combines strong pay with the work profile described below.
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent benign and malignant medical and surgical disorders of the genitourinary system and the renal glands.
Urologist Salary Trend
Urologist 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·$161KEstimated
$223K
2022
$236K
2023
$166K
2024
$164K
2025*
$161K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
2022–2026 trend (est.)
↓ 27.8%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model
* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($166K, 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 Utah is not concentrated in a single career path. The leading roles span Healthcare, Arts & Media, Engineering, 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.
Category
Top Job
Salary
Employment
Prep Signal
Healthcare
Urologist
$274,346
3,500
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Arts & Media
Athlete and Sport Competitor
$173,595
290
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Engineering
Petroleum Engineer
$178,562
380
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Management
Chief Executive
$179,802
3,980
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Transportation
Air Traffic Controller
$170,676
350
Job 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. Pediatrician shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $165,013, compared with a long-run median of $214,336. In turn, that gap gives a better feel for both long-run upside and how quickly a role starts rewarding experience.
Job
Entry Proxy
Median Salary
Prep Path
Typical Education
Urologist
$93,641.0
$274,346
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
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).
Pediatrician
$165,013
$214,336
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
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).
Athlete and Sport Competitor
$79,802.0
$173,595
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Ophthalmologist
$138,691
$196,022
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
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).
Petroleum Engineer
$130,561
$178,562
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Chief Executive
$114,769
$179,802
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
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).
Computer and Information Systems Manager
$128,324
$173,463
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Air Traffic Controller
$150,331
$170,676
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Jobs With Strong Demand
Pay ceilings matter more when the local labor market is deep enough to generate real openings. In Utah, Computer and Information Systems Manager combines a salary of $173,463 with roughly 8,090 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
$173,463
8,090 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
Chief Executive
$179,802
3,980 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
Urologist
$274,346
3,500 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
Architectural and Engineering Manager
$157,324
2,480 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
Petroleum Engineer
$178,562
380 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
Air Traffic Controller
$170,676
350 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.
Salary vs Employment
The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. Urologist leads on salary at $274,346, while Computer and Information Systems Manager supports roughly 8,090 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.
UrologistSOC 29-1229
$274K
3,500
PediatricianSOC 29-1221
$214K
250
Athlete and Sport CompetitorSOC 27-2021
$174K
290
OphthalmologistSOC 29-1241
$196K
60
Petroleum EngineerSOC 17-2171
$179K
380
Chief ExecutiveSOC 11-1011
$180K
3,980
Computer and Information Systems ManagerSOC 11-3021
$173K
8,090
Air Traffic ControllerSOC 53-2021
$171K
350
How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically
Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Utah, the gap between Urologist at $274,346 and the early-pay signal from Pediatrician at $165,013 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 8,090 workers in Utah 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 $165,013 and scales to $214,336 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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Related High-Pay Pages
These related pages are the most useful next steps from this ranking. They keep the same high-pay context for Utah, then branch into nearby market views and role-specific pages such as Nurse Midwive and Pediatrician. If this page answers the pay question but not the career question, start here.
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 urologist.
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 Utah?▼
Urologist is currently the highest-paying role in this ranking at $274,346 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline for Utah.
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 Utah a good market for Urologist?▼
Utah is a competitive state market for Urologist. BLS data shows an employment estimate of 3,500 workers locally, with a median salary of $274,346. A deeper employment count generally points to more active hiring, which improves access alongside the pay ceiling.
How much preparation does Urologist usually require?▼
Urologist 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 Urologist?▼
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 Urologist.
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.