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The highest-paying jobs in the U.S.
Ranked by mean annual wage among the 825 detailed occupations BLS publishes nationally. Sort by median or employment to see where large numbers of well-paid jobs are.
Data vintage: BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates, compared with May 2024. Last checked 2026-10-27 by The CompareTheData team.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Jump to sources · Methodology
Key takeaways
- 16 of the top 20 occupations are physicians or surgeons; pediatric surgeons earn the most on average ($502,050).
- Highest-paying jobs outside medicine and dentistry: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($288,650), Chief Executives ($269,630), Athletes and Sports Competitors ($206,180), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($192,160).
- The national mean for all jobs is $69,770; every occupation listed here pays at least 2.0 times that on average.
- Largest employers among these: Software Developers (1,687,890), Financial Managers (841,710), Lawyers (754,500) jobs.
Highest-paying jobs chart (top 25)
Top 60 highest-paying occupations
Click a column heading to sort. Download this table (CSV).
| Rank | Occupation | Mean wage | Median wage | 10th percentile | 90th percentile | Employment | Mean vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | $502,050 | $559,030 | $215,410 | $726,660 | 1,190 | +11.4% |
| 2 | Cardiologists | $454,940 | $496,010 | $107,190 | $712,130 | 17,290 | +5.2% |
| 3 | Radiologists | $381,530 | $420,860 | $89,010 | $594,410 | 26,770 | +6.0% |
| 4 | Surgeons, All Other | $373,930 | $414,010 | $80,320 | $655,320 | 25,140 | +0.7% |
| 5 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $373,570 | $358,550 | $84,170 | $659,290 | 14,100 | +2.3% |
| 6 | Anesthesiologists | $360,570 | $391,490 | $101,460 | $557,130 | 38,760 | +7.1% |
| 7 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $346,490 | $352,220 | $86,250 | $622,640 | 4,910 | −3.8% |
| 8 | Dermatologists | $323,530 | $328,730 | $102,810 | $578,560 | 11,370 | −7.0% |
| 9 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $317,480 | $335,550 | $103,610 | $495,910 | 32,880 | −1.0% |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $304,650 | $300,080 | $100,180 | $489,710 | 8,950 | +1.0% |
| 11 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $288,650 | $232,140 | $106,710 | $463,830 | 103,560 | +2.9% |
| 12 | Physicians, Pathologists | $285,420 | $312,400 | $92,540 | $449,970 | 11,110 | +7.3% |
| 13 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $279,040 | $292,910 | $94,680 | $437,300 | 21,260 | −0.7% |
| 14 | Psychiatrists | $269,940 | $281,870 | $84,060 | $446,520 | 27,980 | +0.3% |
| 15 | Chief Executives | $269,630 | $213,990 | $75,700 | $507,730 | 204,350 | +2.5% |
| 16 | Prosthodontists | $268,630 | $311,180 | $103,510 | $344,750 | 870 | +3.9% |
| 17 | Neurologists | $267,630 | $248,560 | $83,370 | $450,780 | 10,590 | −6.5% |
| 18 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $267,200 | $256,560 | $73,570 | $475,430 | 67,150 | +1.7% |
| 19 | Physicians, All Other | $262,040 | $265,930 | $69,170 | $452,360 | 342,720 | +3.4% |
| 20 | Orthodontists | $259,400 | $289,140 | $99,850 | $416,000 | 6,210 | +1.9% |
| 21 | Family Medicine Physicians | $255,820 | $244,180 | $76,830 | $428,550 | 107,510 | −0.4% |
| 22 | Nurse Anesthetists | $248,320 | $236,590 | $155,250 | $339,500 | 51,840 | +7.2% |
| 23 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $247,930 | $224,990 | $104,120 | $402,700 | 5,230 | +0.6% |
| 24 | Pediatricians, General | $212,110 | $210,040 | $91,470 | $338,500 | 39,390 | −4.6% |
| 25 | Athletes and Sports Competitors | $206,180 | $66,710 | $26,500 | $742,310 | 15,070 | −20.6% |
| 26 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $192,160 | $175,140 | $107,550 | $297,510 | 670,570 | +2.2% |
| 27 | Dentists, General | $191,350 | $170,950 | $86,250 | $319,630 | 124,390 | −2.4% |
| 28 | Financial Managers | $186,910 | $166,570 | $94,310 | $323,270 | 841,710 | +3.6% |
| 29 | Lawyers | $185,840 | $159,670 | $78,360 | $351,600 | 754,500 | +1.7% |
| 30 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,540 | $171,270 | $120,810 | $262,760 | 220,260 | +3.3% |
| 31 | Natural Sciences Managers | $180,250 | $167,220 | $79,710 | $316,850 | 108,690 | +3.9% |
| 32 | Marketing Managers | $177,770 | $166,790 | $90,260 | $293,610 | 395,240 | +3.6% |
| 33 | Podiatrists | $175,480 | $160,300 | $66,010 | $309,670 | 9,680 | +7.0% |
| 34 | Physicists | $171,180 | $172,250 | $82,110 | $274,110 | 20,430 | +3.1% |
| 35 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $170,230 | $193,950 | $79,010 | $247,220 | 790 | +26.7% |
| 36 | Public Relations Managers | $164,760 | $146,910 | $82,410 | $284,990 | 74,850 | +0.8% |
| 37 | Sales Managers | $164,350 | $148,270 | $73,170 | $290,540 | 637,080 | +2.1% |
| 38 | Human Resources Managers | $164,230 | $149,280 | $88,200 | $267,810 | 220,660 | +2.3% |
| 39 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $162,670 | $161,740 | $92,940 | $225,330 | 76,660 | +3.8% |
| 40 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $162,640 | $149,230 | $89,160 | $256,570 | 22,940 | +4.1% |
| 41 | Petroleum Engineers | $157,150 | $144,910 | $81,440 | $253,200 | 18,060 | +2.3% |
| 42 | Personal Financial Advisors | $156,670 | $105,070 | $50,190 | $357,020 | 266,800 | −2.2% |
| 43 | Purchasing Managers | $156,360 | $148,080 | $92,490 | $223,280 | 84,320 | +3.8% |
| 44 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | $154,280 | $133,660 | $63,300 | $286,240 | 21,470 | +3.4% |
| 45 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $153,930 | $140,300 | $82,200 | $230,630 | 37,200 | +1.1% |
| 46 | Managers, All Other | $153,890 | $141,900 | $74,300 | $238,270 | 622,190 | +2.7% |
| 47 | Medical Dosimetrists | $148,500 | $147,470 | $111,670 | $185,450 | 3,410 | +5.0% |
| 48 | Training and Development Managers | $148,370 | $133,000 | $79,550 | $233,600 | 48,050 | +5.5% |
| 49 | Software Developers | $148,100 | $135,980 | $82,460 | $214,670 | 1,687,890 | +2.4% |
| 50 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $147,570 | $107,310 | $59,270 | $322,020 | 221,270 | +7.0% |
| 51 | Air Traffic Controllers | $146,490 | $148,080 | $78,420 | $215,610 | 22,510 | +2.6% |
| 52 | Commercial Pilots | $146,080 | $123,220 | $58,850 | $266,620 | 47,630 | +2.2% |
| 53 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $144,770 | $128,500 | $64,250 | $287,900 | 20,060 | +3.4% |
| 54 | Database Architects | $144,440 | $139,500 | $86,240 | $204,000 | 67,140 | +1.3% |
| 55 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $143,830 | $153,990 | $46,950 | $221,710 | 24,030 | +0.5% |
| 56 | Veterinarians | $142,680 | $130,100 | $73,920 | $215,700 | 83,900 | +1.7% |
| 57 | Political Scientists | $142,510 | $142,080 | $83,350 | $195,190 | 5,540 | +3.6% |
| 58 | Economists | $142,130 | $124,720 | $67,360 | $238,060 | 17,790 | +8.6% |
| 59 | Aerospace Engineers | $142,060 | $134,960 | $86,700 | $205,890 | 67,710 | +0.6% |
| 60 | Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes | $141,580 | $82,890 | $48,010 | $284,570 | 12,620 | −14.5% |
What changed from May 2024
Average pay rose for 49 of these 60 occupations. Specialist physician estimates rest on small samples and can swing by tens of thousands of dollars between releases.
How to read these numbers
- OEWS counts employees only. Self-employed physicians, dentists and lawyers in their own practices are not included, which can understate pay in those fields.
- Mean wages are pulled up by high earners; the median is the middle worker.
- Pay excludes benefits and irregular bonuses.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying job in the US?
Pediatric Surgeons, with a mean annual wage of $502,050 in May 2025.
What is the highest-paying job without medical school?
Among occupations outside medicine and dentistry, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($288,650).
How many occupations does BLS track?
825 detailed occupations nationally in the May 2025 release.
Sources
Figures computed by CompareTheData.com from the official files below; the raw downloads are archived with the build. Where D.C. is included it is ranked alongside the states.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 and May 2024. May 2025 estimates, downloaded Oct 27, 2026.