The 20 Highest Paying Jobs In Your State (Updated)

Don’t just look at overall averages when it comes to salary, because your industry and state can make a big difference.

For instance, the mining industry is the clear winner when it comes to average salary in Australia, and it’s true that in South Australia and Queensland, the highest earners work in mining. However, in Sydney and Melbourne, they’re in the IT, legal or engineering industries.

You’ll be best positioned to make the big bucks in engineering and insurance if you live in Western Australia.

Just looking at the average can be misleading, as it doesn’t reflect what typical full-time workers earn in any industry. The average is found by adding together all the salaries, and then dividing that figure by the number of jobs. Because of this, the jobs at each end of the scale, highest and lowest paid, can skew the numbers. 

They also don’t reflect where you can expect to find the jobs that pay the most. For instance, a higher number of mid-to-average salaried workers in a state can push the numbers up. States which have fewer yet higher-earning jobs may end up with a lower average overall.

Management or supervision is usually involved in jobs with the highest salaries. However, what you do day-to-day can look very different depending on location. If you live in the Northern Territory, you’re more likely to be working in the field than behind a desk. If management sounds appealing, you’ll find some of the highest paying management jobs in Melbourne, Victoria.