Salaries · United States · Ohio
Salaries in Ohio 2026
The median pay for all jobs in Ohio is $49,380 a year ($23.74 an hour), 3% below the US median of $50,980 (BLS, May 2025): the 27th highest of the 50 states and DC. Full-time workers living in Ohio earn a median of $59,646 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024).
By Dominic Roworth · From BLS, Census and BEA data, checked 31 October 2026
Pay in Ohio: the key figures
| Figure | Ohio | United States | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, all jobs | $49,380 | $50,980 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Average (mean) pay | $64,390 | $69,770 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest-paid 10% earn under | $29,210 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% earn over | $106,800 | $128,560 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Jobs counted | 5,550,180 | 155,495,730 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Full-time workers living here, median | $59,646 ± $259 | $61,657 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B20018 |
| Median household income | $71,389 ± $321 | $80,734 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B19013 |
| Price level (US = 100) | 92.8 | 100.0 | BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 |
| Minimum wage | $11.00 | $7.25 | State labor department |
Take-home pay on the median
On $49,380, a single person keeps about $40,942 a year ($3,412 a month) after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, Ohio income tax. With prices 7% below the US average, $49,380 here buys what $53,200 buys at average US prices.
| Median pay | $49,380 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | -$3,746 |
| Social Security | -$3,062 |
| Medicare | -$716 |
| Ohio income tax | -$914 |
| Take-home a year | $40,942 |
What drives pay in Ohio
Ohio's pay rests on factories, finance and health care. Manufacturing made up 13.6% of the state's GDP in 2025 (US 9.5%), with fabricated metal products, machinery and motor vehicles all above their US shares (BEA). JobsOhio, the state's private economic development corporation, says Ohio has the second-largest workforce in motor vehicle and parts manufacturing, with Honda, Ford, GM and Stellantis among the automakers. Finance is bigger than many people expect: insurance carriers are 5.4% of GDP (US 3.1%) and banking and credit 7.3% (US 4.0%), and JobsOhio ranks Ohio's financial services sector fourth in the country by 2024 GDP.
Health care supplies many of the best-paid jobs. There are 21,160 physicians in BLS's 'all other' group on a median of $297,440, and registered nurses, 143,730 of them, earn $82,510. Yet the most common job is fast food and counter worker (163,560, median $28,430), and the all-jobs median of $49,380 is 3% below the US and 27th of the 50 states and DC.
Growth has been slow over the longer run, with real GDP up 9.5% from 2019 to 2025 against 15.6% nationally, although 2025 alone (2.4%) matched the US. The Legislative Budget Office reports that unemployment fell to 3.7% in May 2026, the lowest since August 2023, but Ohio added only 11,300 jobs (0.3%) over the year. A major project still under way is Intel's chip plant in New Albany, announced in January 2022 and still under construction; JobsOhio says its first phase is expected to create 3,000 jobs at an average wage of $135,000.
The highest-paid jobs in Ohio
Median annual pay, for jobs with at least 1,000 workers in the state (BLS, May 2025).
| Job | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | 1,170 | $377,480 |
| Physicians, All Other | 21,160 | $297,440 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 1,540 | $249,990 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 2,300 | $231,810 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 1,490 | $223,700 |
| Pediatricians, General | 2,110 | $217,970 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 1,550 | $204,170 |
| Chief Executives | 4,470 | $176,440 |
| Dentists, General | 2,790 | $167,410 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 9,690 | $166,870 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 19,500 | $163,640 |
| Commercial Pilots | 2,680 | $150,330 |
| Financial Managers | 27,360 | $140,870 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 3,710 | $138,440 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 1,560 | $137,170 |
The most common jobs in Ohio
The jobs with the most workers, and what they pay.
| Job | Workers | Median a year | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 163,560 | $28,430 | $13.67 |
| General and Operations Managers | 153,160 | $97,700 | $46.97 |
| Registered Nurses | 143,730 | $82,510 | $39.67 |
| Retail Salespersons | 137,370 | $30,800 | $14.81 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 129,760 | $37,130 | $17.85 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 108,830 | $39,460 | $18.97 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 106,940 | $34,460 | $16.57 |
| Cashiers | 103,020 | $29,260 | $14.07 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 93,480 | $45,720 | $21.98 |
| Office Clerks, General | 89,310 | $43,680 | $21.00 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 85,930 | $45,610 | $21.93 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 83,060 | $59,800 | $28.75 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 77,250 | $36,700 | $17.65 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 72,540 | $35,900 | $17.26 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 64,770 | $53,420 | $25.68 |
Pay for careers we cover, in Ohio
Official BLS medians for Ohio; each links to the full salary guide with pay by state.
| Career | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist | 2,300 | $231,810 |
| Dentist | 2,790 | $167,410 |
| Commercial Pilot | 2,680 | $150,330 |
| Aerospace Engineer | 3,710 | $138,440 |
| Pharmacist | 12,790 | $137,020 |
| Physician Assistant | 4,900 | $132,090 |
| Lawyer | 19,950 | $131,020 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 15,400 | $124,870 |
| Software Engineer | 44,790 | $114,090 |
| Actuary | 1,090 | $110,980 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 6,010 | $110,480 |
| Elevator Technician | 690 | $105,020 |
| Data Scientist | 6,100 | $102,630 |
| Project Manager | 34,260 | $95,770 |
| Financial Analyst | 9,760 | $94,280 |
| Dental Hygienist | 8,630 | $88,990 |
| UX Designer | 2,520 | $83,360 |
| Registered Nurse | 143,730 | $82,510 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | 2,840 | $80,570 |
| Accountant | 50,440 | $79,320 |
| Compliance Officer | 11,240 | $75,030 |
| Electrician | 28,950 | $64,700 |
| Plumber | 16,390 | $63,330 |
| HVAC Technician | 14,150 | $62,510 |
| Flight Attendant | 990 | $62,440 |
| Paralegal | 9,270 | $60,420 |
| Welder | 20,330 | $50,340 |
Ohio and its neighbors
| State | Median pay | Price level | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $49,380 | 92.8 | $53,200 |
| Indiana | $47,860 | 93.3 | $51,300 |
| Kentucky | $46,920 | 90.2 | $52,000 |
| Michigan | $49,270 | 96.2 | $51,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,690 | 97.6 | $50,900 |
| West Virginia | $45,300 | 89.5 | $50,600 |
Limits
BLS figures cover jobs located in Ohio, not the self-employed; Census figures cover people who live here. Take-home assumes a single filer with the standard deduction. More in our methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (tables B20018 and B19013)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (table SARPP), 2024
- Take-home pay: Paygrade's 2026 federal and state tax engine, see the methodology.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP by state and industry, 2025 (industry shares and growth rates are our calculation), data last updated 30 Sep 2026
- JobsOhio: Automotive, undated page, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- JobsOhio: Financial Services, undated page, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- JobsOhio: Intel in Ohio, undated page (refers to work hours 'through 2025'), accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Legislative Budget Office: Budget Footnotes, July 2026, July 2026 issue
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