Average Salaries in Fort Wayne, IN
Explore salaries across 445 occupations in Fort Wayne, IN. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.4K, -6.6% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 445 occupations and 217,550 total jobs in Fort Wayne, IN.
How the metro compares
Fort Wayne, IN pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Fort Wayne, IN is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Fort Wayne, IN
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Fort Wayne, IN
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $388.3K | 710 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $225.8K | 70 |
| Chief Executives | $213.7K | 60 |
| Dentists, General | $183.6K | 120 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $159.6K | 50 |
| Pharmacists | $152.5K | 430 |
| Marketing Managers | $140.3K | 280 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $138.4K | 540 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $134K | 320 |
| Physician Assistants | $131.4K | 240 |
Largest occupations in Fort Wayne, IN
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 8,260 | $48.1K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 6,900 | $28.4K |
| Registered Nurses | 6,450 | $79.6K |
| Retail Salespersons | 5,860 | $31.2K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 5,800 | $37.9K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 4,840 | $35.1K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 4,590 | $35.7K |
| Cashiers | 4,440 | $29.6K |
| Office Clerks, General | 4,250 | $45.1K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 4,210 | $59.1K |
What Fort Wayne, IN specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Fort Wayne, IN than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Fort Wayne, IN
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Builders | 23.93 | $51.2K |
| Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 9.00 | $57K |
| Coil Winders, Tapers, And Finishers | 5.76 | $46.9K |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators And Tenders | 5.23 | $46.4K |
| Furniture Finishers | 4.69 | $48K |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers | 4.64 | $65.5K |
| Tool And Die Makers | 4.13 | $61.3K |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 4.05 | $48.1K |
| Electrical, Electronic, And Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, And Finishers | 3.96 | $41.1K |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | 3.90 | $48.4K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Fort Wayne, IN
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.