SalariesThe 100 highest-paying occupations in the United States, May 2025
Ranked by median yearly pay of employees, from official statistics. The top of the list is medicine; the first occupation outside health care is at number 21.
Nothing in the top 100 matches.
| No. | Occupation | Field | Median a year | Median an hour | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $559,030 | $268.76 | 1,190 |
| 2 | Cardiologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $496,010 | $238.47 | 17,290 |
| 3 | Radiologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $420,860 | $202.34 | 26,770 |
| 4 | Surgeons, All Other | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $414,010 | $199.04 | 25,140 |
| 5 | Anesthesiologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $391,490 | $188.22 | 38,760 |
| 6 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $358,550 | $172.38 | 14,100 |
| 7 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $352,220 | $169.34 | 4,910 |
| 8 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $335,550 | $161.32 | 32,880 |
| 9 | Dermatologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $328,730 | $158.04 | 11,370 |
| 10 | Physicians, Pathologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $312,400 | $150.19 | 11,110 |
| 11 | Prosthodontists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $311,180 | $149.61 | 870 |
| 12 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $300,080 | $144.27 | 8,950 |
| 13 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $292,910 | $140.82 | 21,260 |
| 14 | Orthodontists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $289,140 | $139.01 | 6,210 |
| 15 | Psychiatrists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $281,870 | $135.51 | 27,980 |
| 16 | Physicians, All Other | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $265,930 | $127.85 | 342,720 |
| 17 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $256,560 | $123.35 | 67,150 |
| 18 | Neurologists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $248,560 | $119.50 | 10,590 |
| 19 | Family Medicine Physicians | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $244,180 | $117.39 | 107,510 |
| 20 | Nurse Anesthetists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $236,590 | $113.75 | 51,840 |
| 21 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | Transportation and Material Moving | $232,140 | not published | 103,560 |
| 22 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $224,990 | $108.17 | 5,230 |
| 23 | Chief Executives | Management | $213,990 | $102.88 | 204,350 |
| 24 | Pediatricians, General | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $210,040 | $100.98 | 39,390 |
| 25 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $193,950 | $93.24 | 790 |
| 26 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | Management | $175,140 | $84.20 | 670,570 |
| 27 | Physicists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $172,250 | $82.81 | 20,430 |
| 28 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | Management | $171,270 | $82.34 | 220,260 |
| 29 | Dentists, General | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $170,950 | $82.19 | 124,390 |
| 30 | Natural Sciences Managers | Management | $167,220 | $80.39 | 108,690 |
| 31 | Marketing Managers | Management | $166,790 | $80.19 | 395,240 |
| 32 | Financial Managers | Management | $166,570 | $80.08 | 841,710 |
| 33 | Computer Hardware Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $161,740 | $77.76 | 76,660 |
| 34 | Podiatrists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $160,300 | $77.07 | 9,680 |
| 35 | Lawyers | Legal | $159,670 | $76.76 | 754,500 |
| 36 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | Legal | $153,990 | $74.03 | 24,030 |
| 37 | Human Resources Managers | Management | $149,280 | $71.77 | 220,660 |
| 38 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | Management | $149,230 | $71.75 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Sales Managers | Management | $148,270 | $71.28 | 637,080 |
| 40 | Purchasing Managers | Management | $148,080 | $71.19 | 84,320 |
| 41 | Air Traffic Controllers | Transportation and Material Moving | $148,080 | $71.19 | 22,510 |
| 42 | Medical Dosimetrists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $147,470 | $70.90 | 3,410 |
| 43 | Public Relations Managers | Management | $146,910 | $70.63 | 74,850 |
| 44 | Petroleum Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $144,910 | $69.67 | 18,060 |
| 45 | Political Scientists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $142,080 | $68.31 | 5,540 |
| 46 | Managers, All Other | Management | $141,900 | $68.22 | 622,190 |
| 47 | Pharmacists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $140,910 | $67.75 | 321,970 |
| 48 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | Computer and Mathematical | $140,300 | $67.45 | 37,200 |
| 49 | Database Architects | Computer and Mathematical | $139,500 | $67.07 | 67,140 |
| 50 | Optometrists | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $136,570 | $65.66 | 42,790 |
| 51 | Software Developers | Computer and Mathematical | $135,980 | $65.38 | 1,687,890 |
| 52 | Physician Assistants | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $135,880 | $65.33 | 162,150 |
| 53 | Aerospace Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $134,960 | $64.89 | 67,710 |
| 54 | Computer Network Architects | Computer and Mathematical | $134,050 | $64.45 | 179,740 |
| 55 | Nurse Midwives | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $134,040 | $64.44 | 7,920 |
| 56 | Nuclear Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $133,970 | $64.41 | 15,280 |
| 57 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | Management | $133,660 | $64.26 | 21,470 |
| 58 | Training and Development Managers | Management | $133,000 | $63.94 | 48,050 |
| 59 | Nurse Practitioners | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $132,300 | $63.61 | 323,040 |
| 60 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | Architecture and Engineering | $130,220 | $62.60 | 96,900 |
| 61 | Veterinarians | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $130,100 | $62.55 | 83,900 |
| 62 | Actuaries | Computer and Mathematical | $130,000 | $62.50 | 26,670 |
| 63 | Information Security Analysts | Computer and Mathematical | $129,180 | $62.11 | 190,650 |
| 64 | Astronomers | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $128,820 | $61.94 | 2,120 |
| 65 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | Educational Instruction and Library | $128,500 | not published | 20,060 |
| 66 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $127,410 | $61.26 | 33,830 |
| 67 | Mathematicians | Computer and Mathematical | $126,710 | $60.92 | 2,030 |
| 68 | Industrial Production Managers | Management | $126,060 | $60.61 | 246,250 |
| 69 | Fundraising Managers | Management | $125,470 | $60.32 | 38,810 |
| 70 | Chemical Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $125,040 | $60.12 | 21,070 |
| 71 | Sales Engineers | Sales and Related | $124,900 | $60.05 | 51,790 |
| 72 | Economists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $124,720 | $59.96 | 17,790 |
| 73 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | Educational Instruction and Library | $123,920 | not published | 11,560 |
| 74 | Medical and Health Services Managers | Management | $123,860 | $59.55 | 597,080 |
| 75 | Commercial Pilots | Transportation and Material Moving | $123,220 | not published | 47,630 |
| 76 | Engineers, All Other | Architecture and Engineering | $122,930 | $59.10 | 154,070 |
| 77 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | Production | $122,890 | $59.08 | 5,150 |
| 78 | Physical Scientists, All Other | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $122,570 | $58.93 | 22,300 |
| 79 | Electrical Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $120,630 | $58.00 | 198,750 |
| 80 | Data Scientists | Computer and Mathematical | $120,230 | $57.80 | 262,440 |
| 81 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | Legal | $117,860 | $56.67 | 16,370 |
| 82 | Materials Scientists | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $117,790 | $56.63 | 8,470 |
| 83 | Financial Risk Specialists | Business and Financial Operations | $117,330 | $56.41 | 63,850 |
| 84 | Computer Occupations, All Other | Computer and Mathematical | $116,580 | $56.05 | 435,370 |
| 85 | Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $115,210 | $55.39 | 28,630 |
| 86 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | Architecture and Engineering | $115,160 | $55.36 | 21,450 |
| 87 | Construction Managers | Management | $114,990 | $55.28 | 380,360 |
| 88 | Art Directors | Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $114,850 | $55.22 | 53,070 |
| 89 | Administrative Services Managers | Management | $114,130 | $54.87 | 263,960 |
| 90 | Materials Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $112,860 | $54.26 | 22,770 |
| 91 | Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | Architecture and Engineering | $112,230 | $53.96 | 8,250 |
| 92 | Psychologists, All Other | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $110,840 | $53.29 | 18,820 |
| 93 | Nuclear Technicians | Life, Physical, and Social Science | $110,240 | $53.00 | 6,470 |
| 94 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | Construction and Extraction | $109,910 | $52.84 | 23,790 |
| 95 | Ship Engineers | Transportation and Material Moving | $109,530 | $52.66 | 8,400 |
| 96 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $109,370 | $52.58 | 23,480 |
| 97 | Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | Educational Instruction and Library | $109,270 | not published | 40,270 |
| 98 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | Educational Instruction and Library | $107,310 | not published | 221,270 |
| 99 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | Management | $107,230 | $51.55 | 221,180 |
| 100 | Environmental Engineers | Architecture and Engineering | $107,110 | $51.50 | 38,340 |
Reading this list
- It ranks the median: the pay of the person in the middle. Half the people in the occupation earn less.
- It covers employees only. Owners of practices and businesses, and the self-employed, are not counted.
- Occupations for which BLS publishes only hourly pay are not ranked here.
- Many of these occupations need long training and a licence. High pay says nothing about how many openings there are: check the "Jobs" column.
What the list is made of
The 100 occupations come from 13 fields. Most are in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical (32), Management (20), Architecture and Engineering (13), Life, Physical, and Social Science (10) and Computer and Mathematical (9). To be on the list at all, an occupation needs a median of at least $107,110 a year, the figure at number 100 (Environmental Engineers); that is 2.1 times the median for all occupations, $50,980.
High pay and many jobs rarely go together. The 100 occupations hold 13,157,410 jobs between them, about 8% of all jobs counted. The largest on the list is Software Developers with 1,687,890 jobs, and the smallest is Industrial-Organizational Psychologists with 790.
How steep the list is
24 of the 100 occupations have a median of $200,000 or more and 36 have $150,000 or more; the rest lie between $107,110 and $150,000. At number 1, Pediatric Surgeons, even the lowest-paid tenth earn more than $215,410. Further down, the steps between neighbours are small: a few thousand dollars separate dozens of occupations, so a rank near the bottom of the list means little by itself.
How to use the list
Open an occupation to see its full pay range and its figures in every state, where the order can be quite different from the national one. The filter box accepts the name of a field as well as a job title, so typing "engineer" or "management" narrows the list to that kind of work.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.