Every occupation in America ranked by median annual wage. Data straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
See the full ranking How we calculateLast updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in the United States is Cardiologists with a median annual salary of $489,121. This page ranks the top 50 occupations by median salary based on official 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 | Last updated: 2026-05-19
See how average salaries compare across all 50 states.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job for the full state-by-state breakdown.
| # | Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range (P10–P90) | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $489,121 | $127,513 – $686,127 | 15,200 |
| 2 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $426,083 | $140,175 – $636,748 | 9,430 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $399,418 | $143,024 – $520,302 | 30,430 |
| 4 | Pediatric Surgeons | $385,067 | $183,403 – $547,757 | 390 |
| 5 | Radiologists | $375,976 | $108,843 – $551,300 | 16,620 |
| 6 | Dermatologists | $371,995 | $120,933 – $554,472 | 6,650 |
| 7 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $353,789 | $140,538 – $476,797 | 29,800 |
| 8 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $307,216 | $137,884 – $435,942 | 19,660 |
| 9 | Neurologists | $305,645 | $101,029 – $429,388 | 9,250 |
| 10 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $302,181 | $104,491 – $436,692 | 1,830 |
| 11 | Orthodontists | $298,455 | $143,875 – $384,038 | 3,080 |
| 12 | Physicians, Pathologists | $290,307 | $121,922 – $419,043 | 9,610 |
| 13 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $282,512 | $125,324 – $452,536 | 6,560 |
| 14 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $260,282 | $113,343 – $428,530 | 65,870 |
| 15 | Family Medicine Physicians | $257,865 | $125,815 – $397,473 | 72,880 |
| 16 | Psychiatrists | $257,685 | $103,103 – $396,575 | 27,540 |
| 17 | Nurse Anesthetists | $245,258 | $174,720 – $324,890 | 48,950 |
| 18 | Pediatricians, General | $215,536 | $111,639 – $337,444 | 38,220 |
| 19 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $214,428 | $111,059 – $335,372 | 89,180 |
| 20 | Chief Executives | $212,619 | $98,687 – $478,592 | 152,570 |
| 21 | Podiatrists | $178,284 | $75,553 – $295,603 | 9,100 |
| 22 | Dentists, General | $175,707 | $94,380 – $308,490 | 121,960 |
| 23 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $166,076 | $117,297 – $233,631 | 216,520 |
| 24 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $162,905 | $103,946 – $247,900 | 670,540 |
| 25 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $157,250 | $86,635 – $164,760 | 100 |
| 26 | Physicists | $153,763 | $85,528 – $257,731 | 20,100 |
| 27 | Financial Managers | $150,742 | $91,153 – $270,258 | 841,710 |
| 28 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $149,009 | $80,194 – $195,039 | 23,210 |
| 29 | Marketing Managers | $146,438 | $87,314 – $244,926 | 390,880 |
| 30 | Medical Dosimetrists | $144,310 | $112,547 – $179,041 | 2,860 |
| 31 | Pharmacists | $142,891 | $100,612 – $171,784 | 321,960 |
| 32 | Nuclear Engineers | $140,937 | $94,692 – $183,118 | 9,460 |
| 33 | Natural Sciences Managers | $139,939 | $84,996 – $235,048 | 104,780 |
| 34 | Purchasing Managers | $139,843 | $91,573 – $208,142 | 84,300 |
| 35 | Sales Managers | $139,365 | $75,948 – $250,006 | 623,030 |
| 36 | Human Resources Managers | $138,551 | $87,154 – $232,108 | 220,670 |
| 37 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $136,905 | $87,724 – $230,099 | 21,540 |
| 38 | Optometrists | $136,108 | $75,984 – $196,562 | 42,810 |
| 39 | Physician Assistants | $136,050 | $96,755 – $177,876 | 162,150 |
| 40 | Lawyers | $134,712 | $74,576 – $286,051 | 754,500 |
| 41 | Nurse Practitioners | $133,771 | $103,133 – $170,358 | 323,030 |
| 42 | Air Traffic Controllers | $133,445 | $79,251 – $182,396 | 20,850 |
| 43 | Petroleum Engineers | $133,391 | $83,232 – $202,883 | 17,390 |
| 44 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $133,027 | $82,291 – $205,338 | 35,830 |
| 45 | Nurse Midwives | $132,814 | $99,925 – $164,010 | 7,190 |
| 46 | Database Architects | $132,518 | $86,784 – $181,011 | 66,690 |
| 47 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $130,164 | $84,543 – $189,615 | 69,170 |
| 48 | Aerospace Engineers | $130,131 | $87,598 – $187,400 | 66,650 |
| 49 | Public Relations Managers | $129,420 | $78,662 – $223,655 | 72,660 |
| 50 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $128,005 | $62,367 – $250,596 | 18,420 |
The top-paying job, Cardiologists, earns $489,121 per year.
Healthcare and medical specialties dominate the highest-paying positions, reflecting extensive education requirements.
Among the top 50, the average median salary is $210,758.
This page is part of our comprehensive Salary Statistics data collection.
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Rankings based on median annual salary from BLS OEWS survey, May 2025. Median is used rather than mean because it better represents typical earnings.
For full methodology details, see our Methodology page. View all Data Sources.