Vangst 2022 Salary Guide Insight: Top Paying Cannabis Jobs

Just days before the new year, New York state celebrated the opening of its first legal recreational marijuana dispensary, Housing Works. The first purchase? Florist Farm’s cannabis infused gummies – the sour watermelon flavor, to be exact.

Expected to be one of the most lucrative cannabis markets in the country, New York’s new industry is forecasted to bring tens of thousands of employment opportunities to the state by the end of the year. However, the future of other previously established markets seems to be bleaker with many cannabis organizations having to make tough head-count reductions before the new year – a trend we unfortunately predict will continue in 2023.

As the cannabis industry continues to move forward through these tumultuous times, the annual Vangst Salary Guide aims to help companies benchmark their employment opportunities against competitors, to ensure that they remain competitive in the market. While job seekers use the guide to ensure that they are being paid a fair salary and to advocate for better wages, fostering pay transparency across the industry.

Since the inception of our salary guide 5 years ago, Vangst’s Salary Guide Survey has received thousands of responses, with response rates growing every year. This year’s guide is no exception, and is bigger and more comprehensive than ever, including over 60 roles, both plant-touching and ancillary, spanning 10 cannabis verticals.

Here are some takeaways when it comes to Top Paying Cannabis Jobs, based off our 2022 Salary Guide Survey:

• The highest paying roles from 2021 to 2022, were General Counsel ($150k - $225k), VP of Sales ($150k - $225k), and VP of Finance ($150k - $200k).
• The roles with the biggest increase in salaries, year-over-year, were Brand Managers (56.9%) and Edible Specialists (+42.1%).
• Compared to mainstream-non-cannabis-industry roles of the same position, the roles with higher pay in the cannabis industry are Budtenders (+45.1% when compared to mainstream Bartenders), HR Generalists (+29.8%), and Customer Support Specialists / Agents (+28.3%).

The Vangst Salary Guide is created annually as a labor of love for the job seekers and hiring managers who make up this industry, and we are so thankful for the thousands of respondents who contributed to the Salary Guide survey. Without you, this could never be possible.

Interested in learning more? Download your free copy of the 2022 Salary Guide today!