Average Salaries in Topeka, KS
Explore salaries across 336 occupations in Topeka, KS. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $64.1K, -2.5% 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: 336 occupations and 108,750 total jobs in Topeka, KS.
How the metro compares
Wages in Topeka, KS track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Topeka, KS 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 Topeka, KS
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 Topeka, KS
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $451.9K | 500 |
| Marketing Managers | $205.3K | 190 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $165.4K | 110 |
| Dentists, General | $164.7K | 70 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $162.8K | 80 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale And Manufacturing, Technical And Scientific Products | $157.8K | 190 |
| Sales Managers | $155K | 380 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $148.9K | 50 |
| Financial Managers | $146K | 370 |
| Purchasing Managers | $144.4K | 40 |
Largest occupations in Topeka, KS
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 3,260 | $27.8K |
| Registered Nurses | 3,190 | $81.8K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 3,090 | $31.5K |
| Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive | 2,920 | $39.5K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,450 | $85.1K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,340 | $43.2K |
| Nursing Assistants | 2,270 | $38.7K |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,270 | $32.8K |
| Cashiers | 2,240 | $28.6K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 2,140 | $49.1K |
What Topeka, KS 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 Topeka, KS than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Topeka, KS
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric Aides | 9.47 | $38.4K |
| Recreational Therapists | 7.31 | $42.2K |
| Mail Clerks And Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 6.88 | $35.5K |
| Food Batchmakers | 5.93 | $56.4K |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 4.46 | $62.5K |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 4.38 | $48.5K |
| Precision Instrument And Equipment Repairers, All Other | 4.30 | $77.4K |
| Forensic Science Technicians | 4.29 | $86.7K |
| Excavating And Loading Machine And Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 4.02 | $47.6K |
| Civil Engineering Technologists And Technicians | 3.73 | $59.5K |
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 Topeka, KS
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.