Highest Paying Jobs in America

Top 100 occupations ranked by median annual salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

Highest Salary

$559,030

Pediatric Surgeons

Top 25 Average

$310,838

median salary

$100K+ Jobs

100

occupations

Total Occupations

830

tracked nationally

Key Takeaways

  • 1. Healthcare dominates - physicians, dentists, and nurse anesthetists hold the top spots, with multiple specialties earning $200K+.
  • 2. Management pays well broadly - IT managers, marketing managers, financial managers, and architectural managers all rank in the top 30.
  • 3. Tech and engineering - software developers, computer scientists, and engineers consistently appear in the top 50.
  • 4. 100 occupations pay a median salary above $100,000 annually.

Top 100 Highest Paying Jobs

# Occupation Median Salary
1 Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
2 Cardiologists $496,010
3 Radiologists $420,860
4 Surgeons, All Other $414,010
5 Anesthesiologists $391,490
6 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $358,550
7 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons $352,220
8 Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
9 Dermatologists $328,730
10 Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
11 Prosthodontists $311,180
12 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
13 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
14 Orthodontists $289,140
15 Psychiatrists $281,870
16 Physicians, All Other $265,930
17 General Internal Medicine Physicians $256,560
18 Neurologists $248,560
19 Family Medicine Physicians $244,180
20 Nurse Anesthetists $236,590
21 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
22 Dentists, All Other Specialists $224,990
23 Chief Executives $213,990
24 Pediatricians, General $210,040
25 Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
26 Computer and Information Systems Managers $175,140
27 Physicists $172,250
28 Architectural and Engineering Managers $171,270
29 Dentists, General $170,950
30 Natural Sciences Managers $167,220
31 Marketing Managers $166,790
32 Financial Managers $166,570
33 Computer Hardware Engineers $161,740
34 Podiatrists $160,300
35 Lawyers $159,670
36 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $153,990
37 Human Resources Managers $149,280
38 Compensation and Benefits Managers $149,230
39 Sales Managers $148,270
40 Purchasing Managers $148,080
41 Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
42 Medical Dosimetrists $147,470
43 Public Relations Managers $146,910
44 Petroleum Engineers $144,910
45 Political Scientists $142,080
46 Managers, All Other $141,900
47 Pharmacists $140,910
48 Computer and Information Research Scientists $140,300
49 Database Architects $139,500
50 Optometrists $136,570
51 Software Developers $135,980
52 Physician Assistants $135,880
53 Aerospace Engineers $134,960
54 Computer Network Architects $134,050
55 Nurse Midwives $134,040
56 Nuclear Engineers $133,970
57 Advertising and Promotions Managers $133,660
58 Training and Development Managers $133,000
59 Nurse Practitioners $132,300
60 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
61 Veterinarians $130,100
62 Actuaries $130,000
63 Information Security Analysts $129,180
64 Astronomers $128,820
65 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
66 Biochemists and Biophysicists $127,410
67 Mathematicians $126,710
68 Industrial Production Managers $126,060
69 Fundraising Managers $125,470
70 Chemical Engineers $125,040
71 Sales Engineers $124,900
72 Economists $124,720
73 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
74 Medical and Health Services Managers $123,860
75 Commercial Pilots $123,220
76 Engineers, All Other $122,930
77 Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
78 Physical Scientists, All Other $122,570
79 Electrical Engineers $120,630
80 Data Scientists $120,230
81 Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $117,860
82 Materials Scientists $117,790
83 Financial Risk Specialists $117,330
84 Computer Occupations, All Other $116,580
85 Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other $115,210
86 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $115,160
87 Construction Managers $114,990
88 Art Directors $114,850
89 Administrative Services Managers $114,130
90 Materials Engineers $112,860
91 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230
92 Psychologists, All Other $110,840
93 Nuclear Technicians $110,240
94 Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
95 Ship Engineers $109,530
96 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $109,370
97 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
98 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310
99 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $107,230
100 Environmental Engineers $107,110

Lowest Paying Jobs in America

For perspective, here are the occupations with the lowest median salaries nationally.

Occupation Median Salary
Cooks, Fast Food $30,890
Fast Food and Counter Workers $31,200
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $31,200
Amusement and Recreation Attendants $32,150
Shampooers $32,600
Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other $32,640
Cashiers $32,880
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $32,910
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $33,580
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $33,980
Gambling Dealers $34,320
Bartenders $34,340
Dishwashers $34,810
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers $34,890
Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners $34,980

Explore More Salary Data

About This Data

All salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The OEWS survey covers over 1.1 million establishments, making it the most comprehensive source of occupation wage data in the United States.

Median salary means half of workers earn more and half earn less, it's more representative than the average (mean), which can be skewed by extremely high earners. Rankings use median annual salary as the primary sort.

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Rankings by median annual salary.