Average Salaries in Pittsburgh, PA
Explore salaries across 660 occupations in Pittsburgh, PA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $62.9K, +2.2% 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 2024 estimates. Coverage: 660 occupations and 1,095,500 total jobs in Pittsburgh, PA.
How the metro compares
Wages in Pittsburgh, PA track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Pittsburgh, PA has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Psychiatrists. 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 Pittsburgh, PA
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.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Pittsburgh, PA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrists | $227.2K | 150 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $212.1K | N/A |
| Physicists | $211.6K | N/A |
| Chief Executives | $210.8K | 2,560 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $207.4K | 530 |
| Pediatricians, General | $195.1K | 510 |
| Physicians, All Other | $172.5K | 4,830 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $154.9K | 4,360 |
| Dentists, General | $153.7K | 750 |
| Podiatrists | $145.4K | 60 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Pittsburgh, PA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 35,740 | $29.3K |
| General And Operations Managers | 30,170 | $100.3K |
| Registered Nurses | 29,560 | $81.2K |
| Retail Salespersons | 29,130 | $30.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 27,020 | $28.0K |
| Office Clerks, General | 21,620 | $43.8K |
| Cashiers | 20,940 | $29.0K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 20,240 | $41.3K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 19,350 | $39.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 16,590 | $30.8K |
What Pittsburgh, PA 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 Pittsburgh, PA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Pittsburgh, PA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge And Lock Tenders | 5.57 | $67.5K |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators And Tenders | 5.49 | $60.2K |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5.07 | $36.1K |
| Power Distributors And Dispatchers | 4.17 | $98.9K |
| Crossing Guards And Flaggers | 3.67 | $37.0K |
| Religious Workers, All Other | 3.45 | $38.2K |
| Ambulance Drivers And Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 3.23 | $31.3K |
| Genetic Counselors | 3.05 | $86.0K |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil And Gas | 2.83 | $58.8K |
| Nursing Instructors And Teachers, Postsecondary | 2.79 | $72.9K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Pittsburgh, PA
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.