Philadelphia, PA Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is $51,760, spread over roughly 2,868,720 jobs. This guide breaks that down across 80 detailed occupations with released wage data, from home health and personal care aides down to the smallest job categories BLS can publish.
Salary by occupation in Philadelphia, PA
Ranked by median annual wage. Every row links to a full page with the local pay distribution, the percentile breakdown, and how the metro compares with the rest of the country.
| Occupation | Hourly | Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $14.20 | $29,530 | 142,460 |
| Registered Nurses | $47.70 | $99,210 | 74,840 |
| General and Operations Managers | $53.60 | $111,490 | 68,020 |
| Retail Salespersons | $16.17 | $33,630 | 64,820 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $15.13 | $31,470 | 63,800 |
| Cashiers | $15.13 | $31,470 | 54,450 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $20.34 | $42,300 | 52,930 |
| Office Clerks, General | $22.13 | $46,020 | 51,570 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $21.77 | $45,280 | 47,010 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $17.63 | $36,670 | 45,010 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $17.26 | $35,900 | 43,170 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $17.52 | $36,450 | 40,990 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $22.98 | $47,800 | 34,970 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $33.50 | $69,690 | 31,320 |
| Nursing Assistants | $20.67 | $43,000 | 30,390 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $40.42 | $84,080 | 29,180 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $28.85 | $60,000 | 29,090 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $15.59 | $32,420 | 26,240 |
| Software Developers | $62.82 | $130,670 | 26,150 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $37.71 | $78,440 | 25,520 |
| Security Guards | $18.55 | $38,590 | 25,150 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $24.66 | $51,290 | 24,810 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $17.81 | $37,040 | 24,790 |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | $20.41 | $42,450 | 24,430 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $24.33 | $50,610 | 23,190 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $35.81 | $74,480 | 22,660 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | $18.08 | $37,610 | 21,730 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $23.45 | $48,770 | 20,470 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $21.65 | $45,030 | 20,190 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $30.67 | $63,800 | 19,340 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $35.66 | $74,170 | 19,060 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $21.74 | $45,220 | 18,940 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $18.60 | $38,690 | 18,770 |
| Lawyers | $71.17 | $148,030 | 18,270 |
| Financial Managers | $79.01 | $164,340 | 18,270 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $34.94 | $72,670 | 17,470 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $37.00 | $76,950 | 17,200 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $41.89 | $87,140 | 17,120 |
| Project Management Specialists | $49.06 | $102,050 | 16,980 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $21.89 | $45,530 | 16,500 |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $25.96 | $53,990 | 15,540 |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | $17.03 | $35,430 | 14,980 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $37.03 | $77,030 | 14,880 |
| Construction Laborers | $25.58 | $53,200 | 14,600 |
| Bartenders | $16.54 | $34,410 | 14,300 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $21.37 | $44,440 | 13,880 |
| Managers, All Other | $66.80 | $138,940 | 13,830 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $50.13 | $104,280 | 13,520 |
| Carpenters | $29.98 | $62,350 | 13,430 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $32.28 | $67,150 | 13,050 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $29,530 to $164,340 — a 5.6× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $51,760 sits nearer the bottom of that range, because the largest job categories in most metros are also among the lower-paid ones.
Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia, PA pay
What is the median salary in Philadelphia, PA?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is $51,760. Total employment covered by the survey is about 2,868,720 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in Philadelphia, PA?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to home health and personal care aides at $29,530, followed by registered nurses ($99,210) and general and operations managers ($111,490).
How many occupations are covered for Philadelphia, PA?
This guide covers 80 detailed occupations with released wage data for the metro area, out of the 800+ detailed occupations the OEWS survey tracks nationally. Occupations with too few workers locally to publish a reliable estimate are excluded by BLS.
Is this enough to live on in Philadelphia, PA?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in Philadelphia, PA may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $51,760 as the local baseline and compare any specific job against that, not against the national number.
About these figures
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. OEWS surveys employers, so it excludes self-employed workers and independent contractors, and it reports wages rather than total compensation. Occupations with too few workers locally to produce a reliable estimate are suppressed by BLS and therefore absent from this page.
Full detail in the methodology. Original data: bls.gov/oes.