Insights / Highest-paying healthcare jobs / New Jersey
5 highest-paying healthcare jobs in New Jersey
New Jersey pharmacists rank third on local pay and sit under the national median.
Third place was briefed as a premium. The comparison says the opposite.
Pharmacists earn $137,620 against $140,910 nationally, 0.98 times the country.
They are on this list because the list ranks New Jersey medians, not the gap versus the country.
A letter that says the state pays pharmacists above the nation is wrong.
Physician assistants lead at $165,690 against $135,880, 1.22 times the country, and the upper quarter is $192,370.
Nurse practitioners earn $159,310 against $132,300.
Dental hygienists and physical therapists are both 1.09 times the country, at $107,040 and $112,140.
The sort will not warn you about the pharmacist row.
Each occupation
1Physician Assistants
- State median
- $165,690
- 75th percentile
- $192,370
- U.S. median
- $135,880
- State vs U.S.
- 1.22
2Nurse Practitioners
- State median
- $159,310
- 75th percentile
- $170,530
- U.S. median
- $132,300
- State vs U.S.
- 1.20
3Pharmacists
- State median
- $137,620
- 75th percentile
- $161,240
- U.S. median
- $140,910
- State vs U.S.
- 0.98
4Physical Therapists
- State median
- $112,140
- 75th percentile
- $129,780
- U.S. median
- $102,760
- State vs U.S.
- 1.09
5Dental Hygienists
- State median
- $107,040
- 75th percentile
- $115,470
- U.S. median
- $98,100
- State vs U.S.
- 1.09
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Occupation | State median | 75th percentile | U.S. median | State vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physician Assistants | $165,690 | $192,370 | $135,880 | 1.22 |
| 2 | Nurse Practitioners | $159,310 | $170,530 | $132,300 | 1.20 |
| 3 | Pharmacists | $137,620 | $161,240 | $140,910 | 0.98 |
| 4 | Physical Therapists | $112,140 | $129,780 | $102,760 | 1.09 |
| 5 | Dental Hygienists | $107,040 | $115,470 | $98,100 | 1.09 |
Takeaways
- The nurse-practitioner upper quarter is $170,530. The physical-therapist upper quarter is $129,780. The hygienist upper quarter is $115,470.
- New Jersey is 4 of 51 on the leading median, which is the physician-assistant median.
- A pharmacist who already earns the national median is ahead of this state's median. Recruit accordingly.
- Do not average 0.98 with 1.22 and call the result the New Jersey clinical premium.
For recruiters
- Tell the pharmacist search the truth: local median pay is under the country.
- Save the $192,370 conversation for physician assistants who are already at the upper quarter.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
Rows are the 5 occupations on the 25-occupation hiring list with the highest New Jersey OEWS median, limited to occupations that also publish a 75th percentile. OEWS May 2025. A comparison of 1.00 matches the U.S. median. Sorted by the leading median, New Jersey is 4 of 51. A row links to the New Jersey metro page with the highest public market difficulty score for that occupation when one is published, and otherwise to the occupation page on the hiring grid. An unpublished percentile or employment count is shown as unpublished rather than replaced with a zero. The wages are annual OEWS figures. They are not job listings and they are not an employer's current offer. Read the comparison beside the dollar figures: a high state wage can still sit under the national median for that occupation, and a lower state wage can still sit above it. Rounded figures in the prose: $165,690 is stated as about $165.7K. a comparison of 1.22 is stated as 22 percent. $135,880 is stated as about $135.9K. $192,370 is stated as about $192.4K. $107,040 is stated as about $107.0K. a comparison of 1.09 is stated as 9 percent. Rounded figures in the prose: $159,310 is stated as about $159.3K. $129,780 is stated as about $129.8K. $115,470 is stated as about $115.5K.
Sources
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