Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The average salary in the United States is $73,279 per year (median, 2025). This comprehensive statistics page covers 755 occupations across all 50 states, based on official Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Below you'll find the highest paying jobs, a state-by-state salary heatmap, and detailed breakdowns by industry.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 | Last updated: 2026-05-19
Color-coded by average median salary across all occupations. Darker green = higher pay. Click any state for detailed salary statistics.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown by state.
| # | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $489,121 | $455,270 | 15,200 |
| 2 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $426,083 | $412,908 | 9,430 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $399,418 | $367,642 | 30,430 |
| 4 | Pediatric Surgeons | $385,067 | $369,547 | 390 |
| 5 | Radiologists | $375,976 | $355,056 | 16,620 |
| 6 | Dermatologists | $371,995 | $357,028 | 6,650 |
| 7 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $353,789 | $329,640 | 29,800 |
| 8 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $307,216 | $294,796 | 19,660 |
| 9 | Neurologists | $305,645 | $288,689 | 9,250 |
| 10 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $302,181 | $294,755 | 1,830 |
| 11 | Orthodontists | $298,455 | $282,216 | 3,080 |
| 12 | Physicians, Pathologists | $290,307 | $284,111 | 9,610 |
| 13 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $282,512 | $293,365 | 6,560 |
| 14 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $260,282 | $267,739 | 65,870 |
| 15 | Family Medicine Physicians | $257,865 | $262,647 | 72,880 |
| 16 | Psychiatrists | $257,685 | $256,354 | 27,540 |
| 17 | Nurse Anesthetists | $245,258 | $247,215 | 48,950 |
| 18 | Pediatricians, General | $215,536 | $219,776 | 38,220 |
| 19 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $214,428 | $221,734 | 89,180 |
| 20 | Chief Executives | $212,619 | $263,025 | 152,570 |
| 21 | Podiatrists | $178,284 | $181,770 | 9,100 |
| 22 | Dentists, General | $175,707 | $190,476 | 121,960 |
| 23 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $166,076 | $172,302 | 216,520 |
| 24 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $162,905 | $171,097 | 670,540 |
| 25 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $157,250 | $138,915 | 100 |
| 26 | Physicists | $153,763 | $164,072 | 20,100 |
| 27 | Financial Managers | $150,742 | $168,792 | 841,710 |
| 28 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $149,009 | $143,956 | 23,210 |
| 29 | Marketing Managers | $146,438 | $159,179 | 390,880 |
| 30 | Medical Dosimetrists | $144,310 | $146,112 | 2,860 |
| 31 | Pharmacists | $142,891 | $140,172 | 321,960 |
| 32 | Nuclear Engineers | $140,937 | $141,359 | 9,460 |
| 33 | Natural Sciences Managers | $139,939 | $151,198 | 104,780 |
| 34 | Purchasing Managers | $139,843 | $146,959 | 84,300 |
| 35 | Sales Managers | $139,365 | $154,353 | 623,030 |
| 36 | Human Resources Managers | $138,551 | $151,023 | 220,670 |
| 37 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $136,905 | $150,262 | 21,540 |
| 38 | Optometrists | $136,108 | $138,788 | 42,810 |
| 39 | Physician Assistants | $136,050 | $137,335 | 162,150 |
| 40 | Lawyers | $134,712 | $160,797 | 754,500 |
| 41 | Nurse Practitioners | $133,771 | $135,412 | 323,030 |
| 42 | Air Traffic Controllers | $133,445 | $132,409 | 20,850 |
| 43 | Petroleum Engineers | $133,391 | $141,178 | 17,390 |
| 44 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $133,027 | $139,883 | 35,830 |
| 45 | Nurse Midwives | $132,814 | $133,339 | 7,190 |
| 46 | Database Architects | $132,518 | $134,524 | 66,690 |
| 47 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $130,164 | $134,723 | 69,170 |
| 48 | Aerospace Engineers | $130,131 | $134,024 | 66,650 |
| 49 | Public Relations Managers | $129,420 | $142,011 | 72,660 |
| 50 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $128,005 | $141,529 | 18,420 |
Color-coded by average median salary across all occupations. Darker green = higher pay. Click any state for detailed salary statistics.
The average American salary in 2025 is $73,279 per year (median across all occupations tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
The highest-paying job nationally is Cardiologists with a median salary of $489,121 — that's $415,843 above the national average.
District of Columbia has the highest average salary ($89,679), while Mississippi has the lowest ($57,873).
Our database covers 755 occupations across all 50 states, representing over 148,556,950 workers.
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All salary figures are based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. Median salary is used as the primary metric because it better represents typical earnings and is less skewed by outliers than mean salary. State averages are computed as the mean of all occupation medians within each state.
For full methodology details, see our Methodology page. View all Data Sources.