Highest-paying jobs in the US
Compare occupations by median annual pay, with education and training requirements.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment ProjectionsPeriod: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wagesRetrieved 2026-10-05T08:25:31+00:00
Ranked by the annual median wage supplied in the BLS Employment Projections dataset. National BLS detailed occupations only. Wages are median annual employee wages, not starting salaries or self-employed earnings. Missing wages are excluded from pay rankings. A “+” means a lower bound, not an exact wage; equal reported bounds share a rank. Education describes the typical entry requirement, not a guarantee of eligibility. Training, licensing, and experience may still be needed.
| Rank | Name | Typical education | Median annual wage | Projected growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Software developers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $135,980 | 10.2% |
| 52 | Physician assistants DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $135,880 | 21.1% |
| 53 | Aerospace engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $134,960 | 8.3% |
| 54 | Computer network architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $134,050 | 7.7% |
| 55 | Nurse midwives DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $134,040 | 11.5% |
| 56 | Nuclear engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $133,970 | 0.4% |
| 57 | Advertising and promotions managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $133,660 | -3.7% |
| 58 | Training and development managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $133,000 | 6.4% |
| 59 | Nurse practitioners DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $132,300 | 41.0% |
| 60 | Electronics engineers, except computer DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $130,220 | 3.7% |
| 61 | Veterinarians DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $130,100 | 9.4% |
| 62 | Actuaries DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Long-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $130,000 | 9.2% |
| 63 | Information security analysts DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $129,180 | 21.0% |
| 64 | Astronomers DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $128,820 | 7.8% |
| 65 | Law teachers, postsecondary DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $128,500 | 2.6% |
| 66 | Biochemists and biophysicists DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $127,410 | 12.3% |
| 67 | Mathematicians DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $126,710 | 0.6% |
| 68 | Industrial production managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $126,060 | 2.6% |
| 69 | Fundraising managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $125,470 | 5.4% |
| 70 | Chemical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $125,040 | 4.7% |
| 71 | Sales engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $124,900 | 2.8% |
| 72 | Economists DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $124,720 | 4.7% |
| 73 | Economics teachers, postsecondary DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $123,920 | 2.4% |
| 74 | Medical and health services managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $123,860 | 24.2% |
| 75 | Commercial pilots DetailsEducation: Postsecondary nondegree award. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Postsecondary nondegree award | $123,220 | 5.2% |
| 76 | Engineers, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $122,930 | 3.7% |
| 77 | Nuclear power reactor operators DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Long-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $122,890 | -5.9% |
| 78 | Physical scientists, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $122,570 | 2.1% |
| 79 | Electrical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $120,630 | 9.9% |
| 80 | Data scientists DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $120,230 | 34.6% |
| 81 | Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $117,860 | 0.0% |
| 82 | Materials scientists DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $117,790 | 8.3% |
| 83 | Financial risk specialists DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $117,330 | 7.4% |
| 84 | Computer occupations, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $116,580 | 5.1% |
| 85 | Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $115,210 | 5.5% |
| 86 | Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $115,160 | 5.4% |
| 87 | Construction managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $114,990 | 9.1% |
| 88 | Art directors DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $114,850 | 4.2% |
| 89 | Administrative services managers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $114,130 | 5.2% |
| 90 | Materials engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $112,860 | 7.5% |
| 91 | Marine engineers and naval architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $112,230 | 6.7% |
| 92 | Psychologists, all other DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: Internship/residency. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $110,840 | 2.3% |
| 93 | Nuclear technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $110,240 | 1.1% |
| 94 | Elevator and escalator installers and repairers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Apprenticeship. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $109,910 | 5.7% |
| 95 | Ship engineers DetailsEducation: Postsecondary nondegree award. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Postsecondary nondegree award | $109,530 | 2.7% |
| 96 | Bioengineers and biomedical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $109,370 | 7.6% |
| 97 | Engineering teachers, postsecondary DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $109,270 | 7.8% |
| 98 | Health specialties teachers, postsecondary DetailsEducation: Doctoral or professional degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Doctoral or professional degree | $107,310 | 17.9% |
| 99 | Transportation, storage, and distribution managers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $107,230 | 6.1% |
| 100 | Environmental engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $107,110 | 6.3% |
Wages marked + are top-coded: the published figure is the lower bound of the capped wage.
825 ranked entries.