The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Canada Among Occupations Reviewed in 2026
Ranked by national median pay from the Government of Canada's Job Bank. See which jobs lead, how hourly wages were converted to annual pay, and which well-known jobs just missed the list.
Quick Answer
Among the occupations reviewed, judges are the highest-paid in Canada, with a national median of $387,006 a year. Specialist physicians are second at $311,297 and family physicians third at $232,227. Every other job on the list has a median under $200,000 a year, and the #9 jobs sit at $124,800, about a third of what judges earn. Figures are in Canadian dollars.
This ranking uses the national median pay for each occupation published by Job Bank, the Government of Canada's wage and labour-market site. A median is the middle value: half of workers earn more and half earn less. Job Bank publishes some occupations as annual pay and others as hourly pay. To compare them, hourly medians are multiplied by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week for 52 weeks) and shown as an annual equivalent. This list covers the occupations we reviewed, not every job in Canada, so it should be read as a comparison of well-known high earners rather than a definitive ranking of all occupations. See the callout below for the main limits.
Why are these figures not perfectly comparable?
Job Bank builds its wage figures from different sources. Judges' pay comes from 2024 administrative data. Physicians' pay comes from a 2023-2024 tabulation by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Medical Association, based on clinical payments from provincial and territorial medical plans, adjusted to remove overhead expenses. Most other occupations are hourly medians based mainly on Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey. Annual equivalents assume a 40-hour week all year, so they leave out bonuses, overtime and unpaid hours, and managers often work more. Treat the dollar gaps between neighbouring ranks as approximate.
Median Pay or Annual Equivalent · Canadian Dollars
Source: Government of Canada Job Bank, national wage reportsTap any job to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #9 to #1
Veterinarians
- Median pay (CAD):
- $124,800 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Health and animal care
Job Bank reports a national median wage of $60.00 an hour for veterinarians. At 2,080 hours a year, that is an annual equivalent of $124,800, the same as mining engineers. Veterinary work typically requires a veterinary medicine degree and provincial licensing.
Veterinarians and mining engineers tie at exactly $60.00 an hour, so they share the #9 spot.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Mining engineers
- Median pay (CAD):
- $124,800 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Engineering
Mining engineers plan and manage the safe, efficient removal of minerals, including mine design, production planning and equipment selection. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $60.00 an hour, an annual equivalent of $124,800.
Mining engineers earn about $10,000 a year less than petroleum engineers in 7th, on Job Bank's medians.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Corporate sales managers
- Median pay (CAD):
- $125,008 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Management
Corporate sales managers lead sales teams, set targets and manage major accounts. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $60.10 an hour, an annual equivalent of $125,008. Bonuses and commissions are not captured in the hourly figure.
Corporate sales managers edge ahead of the tied #9 jobs by only $208 a year on these equivalents, so the order among ranks 8 to 10 is very close.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Petroleum engineers
- Median pay (CAD):
- $134,992 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Engineering
Petroleum engineers work on methods to extract oil and gas safely and efficiently, including production planning, drilling and reservoir analysis. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $64.90 an hour, an annual equivalent of $134,992.
Pay and job openings in this field are tied to energy-sector investment and project locations.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Computer and information systems managers
- Median pay (CAD):
- $138,674 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Management and technology
These managers oversee information technology teams, systems and software projects, and can be responsible for areas such as cybersecurity, infrastructure and technology planning. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $66.67 an hour, an annual equivalent of $138,674.
They are the highest-paid technology roles on this list, ahead of petroleum engineers by about $3,700 a year.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Engineering managers
- Median pay (CAD):
- $149,323 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Management and engineering
Engineering managers coordinate technical teams, projects and budgets, and may oversee product development, infrastructure, manufacturing or research. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $71.79 an hour, an annual equivalent of $149,323.
Engineering managers earn about $14,300 a year more than petroleum engineers in 7th.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Senior managers (finance, communications)
- Median pay (CAD):
- $199,992 a year (est.)
- Category:
- Management
Senior managers in finance, communications and other business services oversee strategy, operations and performance across an organization. Job Bank reports a national median wage of $96.15 an hour, an annual equivalent of $199,992. Executive pay can also include bonuses, pensions and other benefits that an hourly median does not capture.
Senior managers are the only job outside the courts and medicine above $150,000 a year on this list.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Family physicians
- Median pay (CAD):
- $232,227 a year
- Category:
- Medicine
Family physicians provide primary care, manage ongoing conditions and refer patients to specialists. Job Bank reports a national median annual wage of $232,227 for general practitioners and family physicians, based on 2023-2024 data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Medical Association.
Family physicians earn about $32,000 a year more than the senior managers in 4th, and about $79,000 less than specialist physicians in 2nd.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Specialist physicians
- Median pay (CAD):
- $311,297 a year
- Category:
- Medicine
Specialist physicians diagnose and treat complex conditions and may work in hospitals or private practice. Job Bank reports a national median annual wage of $311,297 for this occupational group (NOC 31100), based on 2023-2024 data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Medical Association. The same figure appears on Job Bank's pages for specialist titles such as anesthesiologists and internal medicine specialists.
Job Bank's range for this group runs from about $126,000 at the low end to about $607,000 at the high end, so individual pay varies far more than the median suggests.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
Judges
- Median pay (CAD):
- $387,006 a year
- Category:
- Law and the courts
Judges lead this ranking with a national median annual wage of $387,006, based on 2024 administrative data for judges. The role is a senior appointment that generally follows many years of legal experience, not an entry-level job.
Judges earn about 3.1 times as much as the jobs tied at #9, and about 24% more than specialist physicians in 2nd.
Source: Job Bank, national median wage
What the numbers tell us
Judges earn about 3.1 times as much as the jobs at #9. Doctors hold #2 and #3, and four of the ten entries are management roles (senior managers, engineering managers, computer and information systems managers, and corporate sales managers). Seven of the ten figures are hourly medians converted to annual equivalents at 2,080 hours, so they are estimates, not reported salaries.
- Data period:
- Job Bank national wage reports (2023-2024 reference years; judges 2024), updated November 19, 2025
- Last updated:
- October 14, 2026
- Sources:
- Government of Canada Job Bank, national wage reports by occupation. Physician wages: Canadian Institute for Health Information and Canadian Medical Association custom tabulation. Judges: administrative data.
Occupations are ranked by the national median wage published by Job Bank. Judges, specialist physicians and family physicians are published as annual wages. For the other seven, Job Bank publishes an hourly median, which is multiplied by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week for 52 weeks) and rounded to the nearest dollar to give an annual equivalent. These equivalents are comparison estimates, not reported salaries, and exclude bonuses, overtime and benefits. Physician wages are based on clinical payments from provincial and territorial medical plans, adjusted to remove overhead expenses. All figures are in Canadian dollars. This ranking covers the occupations we reviewed that have a published national median; it is not an exhaustive ranking of every occupation, and a job we did not review could rank higher. Medians describe the middle of a wage distribution, so individuals earn more or less. Wages are updated periodically, and Job Bank's figures can change.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Among the occupations reviewed here, judges, with a national median of $387,006 a year according to Job Bank's 2024 data. Specialist physicians are next at $311,297. This is not proof that no other job pays more, since this ranking covers selected occupations with published medians.