Highest Paying Jobs In Charleston, WV For 2026
As of 2026, Charleston, West Virginia, offers a variety of high-paying job opportunities across multiple sectors, including healthcare, technology, and finance. If you’re seeking a lucrative career in the Charleston area, this updated list will help you focus on the best-paid professions currently available.
Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), we have compiled a list of the 21 highest-paying jobs in Charleston for 2026. While many of these positions require substantial experience, there are also well-compensated entry-level roles available for candidates with the right educational qualifications.
Leading the list is the role of a Hematologist, with an impressive average annual salary of $317,850 and an entry-level salary starting at $155,000.
Whether you’re contemplating a career shift, considering a move to Charleston, or a recent graduate mapping out your future, this guide to the highest-paying jobs and top industries in Charleston can assist you in planning your next steps.
Here’s a snapshot of the top 10 highest-paying jobs in Charleston, West Virginia:
Detailed List of Highest Paying Jobs in Charleston
| Rank | Job Title | Average Salary | Entry Level Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hematologist | $317,850 | $155,000 |
| 2 | Physician | $302,286 | $157,000 |
| 3 | Cardiologist | $279,146 | $144,000 |
| 4 | Pulmonary Physician | $263,835 | $138,000 |
| 5 | Neurologist | $241,656 | $138,000 |
| 6 | Ophthalmologist | $233,504 | $133,000 |
| 7 | Acute Care Physician | $230,960 | $138,000 |
| 8 | Hospitalist | $227,183 | $151,000 |
| 9 | Nephrologist | $224,541 | $137,000 |
| 10 | Primary Care Physician | $220,585 | $129,000 |
| 11 | Psychiatrist | $220,128 | $136,000 |
| 12 | Pediatric Neurologist | $209,728 | $123,000 |
| 13 | Pediatric Associate | $209,118 | $115,000 |
| 14 | General Internist | $205,082 | $127,000 |
| 15 | Family Practice Physician | $196,629 | $121,000 |
| 16 | Gastroenterologist | $185,974 | $114,000 |
| 17 | General Pediatrician | $174,064 | $102,000 |
| 18 | Operator And Truck Driver | $169,345 | $86,000 |
| 19 | Driver/Owner Operator | $158,086 | $62,000 |
| 20 | Sales Vice President | $153,883 | $96,000 |
| 21 | Owner/Operator | $151,072 | $97,000 |
How We Determined the Highest-Paid Jobs in Charleston for 2026
To identify the highest-paying jobs in Charleston, we utilized the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and other reputable sources.
Zippia’s data science team enhances this information by continuously analyzing millions of job postings daily to extract published salaries. We correlate these salaries with companies, locations, and job titles from additional datasets.
Ultimately, we compute a weighted average of these factors to generate an estimated salary for each job title in Charleston.
Our team reviewed over 1,000 job titles in Charleston to pinpoint the positions that offer the highest compensation.
Editor’s Note: Article updated for 2026. This marks our eighth ranking of the highest-paying jobs in Charleston.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
