Triad’s Dentists, Docs and CEOs Among Highest Paid Nationally

The Triad Business Journal is examining how pay varies by career and how Greensboro-High Point and Winston-Salem stack up wage-wise compared to others metropolitan areas across the country.

Reporter Kristin Zachary has been breaking down these numbers. For this week's Business Report, she tells WFDD's Keri Brown that some of the Triad's healthcare professions are the highest paid nationally.

“The average pay for dentists in the Greensboro-High Point area ranks first out of 100 markets across the country. That includes places like Atlanta, Boston and Houston, none of which broke the top 20,” says Zachary.

At $238,010 annually, dentists are the third highest-paid position in Greensboro-High Point, behind only obstetricians and gynecologists, ranked No. 1 at $253,820, and physicians and surgeons, at $253,140.

Zachary says dentists on average make less in Winston-Salem than in Greensboro-High Point, but rank at the top of the city's highest-paid list. The average annual income is $206,400. “According to a local business expert, one reason for the higher salaries is because some states, including North Carolina, have strong dentist associations, so they are able to get laws enacted that are more favorable and push for higher pay."

Specific leadership positions also pay big dollars. Zachary says chief executive pay in Greensboro-High Point is ranked ninth out of more than 100 markets. In other words, GSO-HP chief execs on average make more than their counterparts in places like Charlotte, Raleigh and even Los Angeles.

Another bright spot Zachary says is in the aviation industry. Since 2009, nearly 1,000 air craft mechanics and service technician positions have been created in the region.

But education pay continues to lag behind in the Triad. Zachary says this isn't new news. But what's interesting here is that many education fields in Greensboro-High Point and Winston-Salem rank dead last in 100-plus markets for pay. Those fields include preschool teachers and administrative positions.

Also among the lower paid jobs are textile-related positions, but even though the industry has been on the decline, those jobs have the highest concentration in this area. “GSO-HP, for example, has 1,230 upholsterer jobs, which are 16 times more plentiful in the MSA than the national average would lead us to expect,” says Zachary.

The Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes Guilford, Rockingham and Randolph counties, and the Winston-Salem MSA, which includes Forsyth, Davidson, Stokes, Davie and Yadkin counties.

The Business Report on 88.5 WFDD is a partnership with the Triad Business Journal.