The highest paying jobs in America
The 100 best paid jobs in the United States, ranked by median annual salary straight from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No surveys, no guesses, just official government wage data for May 2024.
The top of the list is dominated by medical specialties and senior executives. Once a job’s median pay reaches $239,200 a year, the BLS stops publishing an exact figure and top-codes it, so many physician roles are tied at $239,200+. The tenth ranked job still pays a median of $239,200+ a year, well above the $49,500 median for all U.S. jobs.
| # | Job | Median annual | Hourly | Typical education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 5,330 |
| 2 | Orthodontists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 5,150 |
| 3 | Prosthodontists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 760 |
| 4 | Anesthesiologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 41,890 |
| 5 | Cardiologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 18,020 |
| 6 | Dermatologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 10,080 |
| 7 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 33,680 |
| 8 | Neurologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 7,700 |
| 9 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 19,900 |
| 10 | Physicians, Pathologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 11,800 |
| 11 | Psychiatrists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 24,800 |
| 12 | Radiologists | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 26,290 |
| 13 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 12,110 |
| 14 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 14,160 |
| 15 | Pediatric Surgeons | $239,200+ | $115.00+ | Doctoral or professional degree | 1,050 |
| 16 | Family Medicine Physicians | $238,380 | $114.61 | Doctoral or professional degree | 107,950 |
| 17 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $236,350 | $113.63 | Doctoral or professional degree | 66,640 |
| 18 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $226,600 | Salaried | Bachelor's degree | 99,300 |
| 19 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $225,770 | $108.54 | Doctoral or professional degree | 5,900 |
| 20 | Nurse Anesthetists | $223,210 | $107.31 | Master's degree | 50,350 |
| 21 | Pediatricians, General | $210,130 | $101.03 | Doctoral or professional degree | 42,960 |
| 22 | Chief Executives | $206,420 | $99.24 | Bachelor's degree | 211,850 |
| 23 | Dentists, General | $172,790 | $83.07 | Doctoral or professional degree | 113,490 |
| 24 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,200 | $82.31 | Bachelor's degree | 645,970 |
| 25 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,740 | $80.64 | Bachelor's degree | 210,340 |
| 26 | Physicists | $166,290 | $79.95 | Doctoral or professional degree | 21,340 |
| 27 | Financial Managers | $161,700 | $77.74 | Bachelor's degree | 818,620 |
| 28 | Natural Sciences Managers | $161,180 | $77.49 | Bachelor's degree | 100,870 |
| 29 | Marketing Managers | $161,030 | $77.42 | Bachelor's degree | 384,980 |
| 30 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $156,210 | $75.10 | Doctoral or professional degree | 25,580 |
| 31 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $155,020 | $74.53 | Bachelor's degree | 75,710 |
| 32 | Podiatrists | $152,800 | $73.46 | Doctoral or professional degree | 9,520 |
| 33 | Lawyers | $151,160 | $72.67 | Doctoral or professional degree | 747,750 |
| 34 | Air Traffic Controllers | $144,580 | $69.51 | Associate's degree | 22,400 |
| 35 | Petroleum Engineers | $141,280 | $67.92 | Bachelor's degree | 18,970 |
| 36 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $140,910 | $67.74 | Master's degree | 38,480 |
| 37 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $140,360 | $67.48 | Bachelor's degree | 20,070 |
| 38 | Human Resources Managers | $140,030 | $67.32 | Bachelor's degree | 215,520 |
| 39 | Purchasing Managers | $139,510 | $67.07 | Bachelor's degree | 81,240 |
| 40 | Political Scientists | $139,380 | $67.01 | Master's degree | 5,950 |
| 41 | Public Relations Managers | $138,520 | $66.60 | Bachelor's degree | 76,060 |
| 42 | Medical Dosimetrists | $138,110 | $66.40 | Bachelor's degree | 3,970 |
| 43 | Sales Managers | $138,060 | $66.38 | Bachelor's degree | 603,710 |
| 44 | Pharmacists | $137,480 | $66.10 | Doctoral or professional degree | 328,870 |
| 45 | Database Architects | $135,980 | $65.37 | Bachelor's degree | 64,770 |
| 46 | Aerospace Engineers | $134,830 | $64.82 | Bachelor's degree | 68,440 |
| 47 | Optometrists | $134,830 | $64.82 | Doctoral or professional degree | 41,890 |
| 48 | Physician Assistants | $133,260 | $64.07 | Master's degree | 155,540 |
| 49 | Software Developers | $133,080 | $63.98 | Bachelor's degree | 1,654,440 |
| 50 | Astronomers | $132,170 | $63.54 | Doctoral or professional degree | 1,560 |
| 51 | Computer Network Architects | $130,390 | $62.69 | Bachelor's degree | 177,010 |
| 52 | Nurse Practitioners | $129,210 | $62.12 | Master's degree | 307,390 |
| 53 | Nurse Midwives | $128,790 | $61.92 | Master's degree | 8,280 |
| 54 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $127,590 | $61.34 | Bachelor's degree | 93,940 |
| 55 | Nuclear Engineers | $127,520 | $61.31 | Bachelor's degree | 14,740 |
| 56 | Training and Development Managers | $127,090 | $61.10 | Bachelor's degree | 44,960 |
| 57 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | $126,960 | $61.04 | Bachelor's degree | 21,100 |
| 58 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $126,650 | Salaried | Doctoral or professional degree | 22,800 |
| 59 | Actuaries | $125,770 | $60.47 | Bachelor's degree | 28,340 |
| 60 | Veterinarians | $125,510 | $60.34 | Doctoral or professional degree | 80,630 |
| 61 | Information Security Analysts | $124,910 | $60.05 | Bachelor's degree | 179,430 |
| 62 | Fundraising Managers | $123,480 | $59.36 | Bachelor's degree | 36,920 |
| 63 | Commercial Pilots | $122,670 | Salaried | Postsecondary nondegree award | 51,830 |
| 64 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | $122,610 | $58.95 | High school diploma or equivalent | 5,720 |
| 65 | Chemical Engineers | $121,860 | $58.59 | Bachelor's degree | 20,330 |
| 66 | Mathematicians | $121,680 | $58.50 | Master's degree | 2,220 |
| 67 | Sales Engineers | $121,520 | $58.42 | Bachelor's degree | 56,690 |
| 68 | Industrial Production Managers | $121,440 | $58.39 | Bachelor's degree | 234,380 |
| 69 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $119,980 | Salaried | Doctoral or professional degree | 12,420 |
| 70 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $117,960 | $56.71 | Bachelor's degree | 565,840 |
| 71 | Economists | $115,440 | $55.50 | Master's degree | 15,880 |
| 72 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $115,230 | $55.40 | Doctoral or professional degree | 16,230 |
| 73 | Data Scientists | $112,590 | $54.13 | Bachelor's degree | 233,440 |
| 74 | Electrical Engineers | $111,910 | $53.80 | Bachelor's degree | 188,790 |
| 75 | Art Directors | $111,040 | $53.38 | Bachelor's degree | 50,370 |
| 76 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $109,840 | $52.81 | Master's degree | 1,050 |
| 77 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $109,660 | $52.72 | Bachelor's degree | 23,220 |
| 78 | Administrative Services Managers | $108,390 | $52.11 | Bachelor's degree | 254,140 |
| 79 | Materials Engineers | $108,310 | $52.07 | Bachelor's degree | 22,770 |
| 80 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $107,240 | $51.56 | High school diploma or equivalent | 9,180 |
| 81 | Construction Managers | $106,980 | $51.43 | Bachelor's degree | 348,330 |
| 82 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | $106,950 | $51.42 | Bachelor's degree | 21,860 |
| 83 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $106,580 | $51.24 | High school diploma or equivalent | 23,340 |
| 84 | Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,120 | Salaried | Doctoral or professional degree | 39,910 |
| 85 | Financial Risk Specialists | $106,000 | $50.96 | Bachelor's degree | 56,320 |
| 86 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $105,980 | $50.95 | High school diploma or equivalent | 153,130 |
| 87 | Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | $105,670 | $50.80 | Bachelor's degree | 8,440 |
| 88 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $105,620 | Salaried | Doctoral or professional degree | 229,720 |
| 89 | Facilities Managers | $104,690 | $50.33 | Bachelor's degree | 141,090 |
| 90 | Database Administrators | $104,620 | $50.30 | Bachelor's degree | 73,180 |
| 91 | Nuclear Technicians | $104,240 | $50.11 | Associate's degree | 5,990 |
| 92 | Environmental Engineers | $104,170 | $50.08 | Bachelor's degree | 37,950 |
| 93 | Materials Scientists | $104,160 | $50.08 | Bachelor's degree | 8,330 |
| 94 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $104,070 | Salaried | Master's degree | 319,630 |
| 95 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $103,960 | $49.98 | Master's degree | 176,420 |
| 96 | Computer Systems Analysts | $103,790 | $49.90 | Bachelor's degree | 497,800 |
| 97 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | $103,650 | $49.83 | Doctoral or professional degree | 34,520 |
| 98 | Statisticians | $103,300 | $49.66 | Master's degree | 29,800 |
| 99 | General and Operations Managers | $102,950 | $49.50 | Bachelor's degree | 3,584,420 |
| 100 | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $102,610 | $49.33 | Bachelor's degree | 199,800 |
Ranked by median annual wage. Figures are national estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2024.
How we rank the highest paying jobs
Every job on this page is a detailed occupation tracked by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, which surveys about 1.1 million U.S. business establishments. We rank purely by the median annual wage, the midpoint of each profession, because it is harder for a handful of extreme earners to distort than the average is. We show the figures exactly as the BLS publishes them and label top-coded pay with a plus sign rather than guessing a value.
Highest paying jobs FAQ
What is the highest paying job in the United States?
By median annual wage, oral and maxillofacial surgeons top the BLS list at $239,200+ a year. Most of the highest paying jobs are physician and surgeon specialties, dentists, and senior executives.
How are these jobs ranked?
Jobs are ranked strictly by the median annual wage published by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for May 2024. The median is the midpoint of a profession: half of workers earn more and half earn less. It is a fairer measure than the average, which a few very high earners can pull upward.
Why do some salaries show a plus sign?
When the median wage for a job is at or above $239,200 a year, the BLS top-codes it and does not publish an exact figure. We show those as $239,200+ rather than inventing a number, which is why several top medical specialties are tied at the top.
Do the highest paying jobs require a lot of school?
Most do. Nearly all of the very top jobs require a doctoral or professional degree, or a bachelor’s degree plus years of experience. If you want high pay without a four-year degree, see our ranking of the highest paying jobs without a degree.