2026 data Public-data reference. official source
Public dataset

Real salary data for every job in America

WageDex makes the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey easier to read. Every occupation, every state, every metro, pay distribution, employment count, growth outlook, and pay-by-experience all in one place, refreshed annually with each BLS release.

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The median US occupation pays $61,390 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

WageDex covers official BLS wages for 830+ occupations across 54 states and territories and 528+ metros, with purchasing-power adjustments computed straight from BLS wages and BEA Regional Price Parities, side-by-side comparisons, and ten-year career outlook. Half of the 825 occupations with a published median pay under $61,390 a year, while the highest-paying field typically clears $125,861 - no guessing, just government data.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - OEWS May 2025 release, published spring 2026

830+
Occupations
54
States & territories
528+
Metro areas
May 2025
BLS OEWS release
Browse All Jobs Highest Paying Jobs Compare by State Browse Metro Areas

The national picture

Across the 825 occupations with a published BLS median wage (of 830+ tracked), half pay under $61,390 a year, while management roles typically clear $125,861. The highest-paying field (management) pays 3.6 times what the lowest-paying field (food preparation and serving related, $35,157 typical) does, a gap that geography and credentials only widen.

$61,390
Median of 825 occupations with published wages
$125,861
Management typical wage
3.6×
Highest-to-lowest field gap
54 + 528
States & metro areas covered

Every figure on WageDex is computed live from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release (May 2025) - no estimates, no scraped job-board averages.

WageDex-computed cross-cut: the largest field, Office and Administrative Support (~17.8M workers), pays a typical $49,453, while the best-paying field, management, typically clears $125,861 - the jobs and the money live in different fields.

Research

Original analysis from our editorial team, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.

Research

Top 10 US Occupations with Widest 10th-90th Percentile Wage Gap

WageDex ranks all 800+ US occupations by the difference between 90th and 10th percentile annual wage, updated directly from BLS OEWS national wage data.

 Research

Top 10 Highest-Paying US Occupations by National Median Wage

WageDex ranks all 800+ US occupations by national median annual wage from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

 Research

Top 10 Highest-Paying US States by Average Occupational Median Wage

WageDex ranks all 50 US states by the average occupational median wage across all observed occupations in BLS OEWS data, updated as new data is published.

Where occupations cluster on pay

US occupational wage distribution

Median annual wage across 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median (of 830+ tracked)

$61,390 Top 50% higher than 50% of 825 US occupations

$0–$20,000: 0 US occupations (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 98 US occupations (12%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 298 US occupations (36%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 209 US occupations (25%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 82 US occupations (10%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 58 US occupations (7%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 32 US occupations (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 14 US occupations (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 9 US occupations (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 25 US occupations (3%). Above this entry. Median job $0 $200,000 every BLS occupation, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Half of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median wage (5 of the 830+ tracked occupations lack a published national median) pay under $61,390 a year. The long right tail past $150,000 is dominated by physicians, dentists, executives, and senior technology leadership.

Where the jobs are vs. where the money is

Each dot is one of the 22 SOC major occupational groups, placed by how many Americans it employs and its employment-weighted typical wage. The biggest employers rarely pay the most.

Office and Administrative Support employs the most workers, yet management occupations pay the highest typical wage, the size of a field and its pay are only loosely linked.

Office and Administrative Support employs the most workers, yet management occupations pay the highest typical wage, the size of a field and its pay are only loosely linked. Scatter plot of 22 data points. $20000$40000$60000$80000$100000$120000$140000 0M5M10M15M20M Total US employment (millions) Typical wage
Office and Administrative Support employs the most workers, yet management occupations pay the highest typical wage, the size of a field and its pay are only loosely linked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025.

830+

Occupations

54

States & Territories

528+

Metro Areas

2025

BLS Data Year

Popular Occupations

Median annual pay for some of the most-searched roles, highest first.

Marketing Managers $166,790 Software Developers $135,980 Civil Engineers $100,840 Dental Hygienists $98,100 Registered Nurses $97,550 Accountants and Auditors $83,680 Electricians $63,190

Browse by Career Category

All 22 SOC major groups with their employment-weighted typical wage.

Management $125,861 Legal $121,466 Computer and Mathematical $111,763 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical $105,700 Architecture and Engineering $100,795 Life, Physical, and Social Science $87,552 Business and Financial Operations $84,984 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media $65,992 Educational Instruction and Library $60,556 Construction and Extraction $59,771 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair $59,449 Community and Social Service $58,390 Protective Service $56,722 Office and Administrative Support $49,453 Production $49,321 Sales and Related $48,726 Transportation and Material Moving $47,165 Healthcare Support $40,184 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry $39,265 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance $38,649 Personal Care and Service $38,183 Food Preparation and Serving Related $35,157

Why WageDex?

Every figure here is official federal data, not self-reported guesses, computed live from the source.

830

Occupations, one source

All wages come straight from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the most comprehensive wage dataset in the country.

1.1M+

Employers surveyed

Unlike self-reported salary sites, OEWS draws on mandatory employer surveys, so the numbers reflect what employers actually pay.

May 2025

Fresh, and dated

We render the latest OEWS release and label its vintage on every page, refreshed within 30 days of each annual update.

Salary Guides

Learn how to read and use BLS wage data for career decisions.

Understanding BLS Data

What the numbers mean and why employer-reported data matters.

Salary Negotiation

Use percentile data to negotiate better compensation.

Highest-Paying Careers

Top occupations by salary and what drives the differences.

Best States for Salaries

Where wages are highest, and which states deliver real earning power.

Salary vs. Cost of Living

How to compare job offers across cities with cost-adjusted wages.

View all guides →

Where to start

Three ways to turn this data into a decision

  • Start with your occupation: search or browse to see its median pay, full percentile band, and 10-year outlook. Browse occupations
  • Compare pay across states and metros, location is one of the largest drivers of what the same job pays. Compare states
  • Negotiating or planning a move? Translate a percentile into a target salary with the calculator. Salary calculator

All figures are BLS OEWS survey estimates for the May 2025 reference period, not offers or predictions for any individual.

Typical annual wage by major occupational group

Employment-weighted median across detailed occupations in each SOC major group

weighted median wage

What this shows Management occupations lead with a typical wage near $126K, while service and care occupations cluster lowest, a 3.6× spread across the labor market.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · 2025

About this data

How WageDex works, and why you can trust these figures

What this site is

WageDex tracks U.S. occupational wages and employment. All salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, the authoritative federal source for occupation-level wage data.

Editorial process

  1. Source. Download raw OEWS data files from the BLS website, the May 2025 release, the most recent complete annual dataset published by BLS.
  2. Verify. Normalize occupation codes and titles to the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) taxonomy so figures are comparable across occupations and geographies.
  3. Publish. Blend in BLS Employment Projections growth-outlook data for each occupation, and publish per-occupation and per-metro pages linking back to the BLS source.

Editorial independence & corrections

The WageDex editorial team is independent and is not affiliated with the BLS or the Department of Labor. Found an error? Get in touch via the contact page. See our methodology and editorial & corrections policy for full source attribution.

Frequently asked

Where does WageDex get its salary data?

All salary data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, which surveys employers nationwide to produce detailed wage estimates by occupation and geographic area.

How many occupations does WageDex cover?

WageDex includes salary data for 830 occupations as classified by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, covering every major industry and job type in the U.S. economy.

Is WageDex free?

Yes, WageDex is completely free. You can look up salaries by occupation, compare metro-area wages, and view safety ratings without any account or subscription.

What are the metro salary pages?

Metro salary pages show wage data for specific occupations in specific metropolitan areas, letting you see how pay varies by location. This is useful for job seekers evaluating offers in different cities or planning a relocation.

WageDex is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Figures are national/state aggregates and may not reflect pay at a specific employer or role, consult a qualified career counselor or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.