Highest-paying jobs in the US
Updated Oct 31, 2026
Occupations ranked by median annual wage (BLS OEWS). The 90th percentile shows what the top earners in each job make.
Highest median annual wage(50 occupations)
| # | Occupation | Median pay | In 10 yrs | Outlook | AI risk | Growth (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists Healthcare · 17K workers |
$496,010 | $686,400est. | 71/100 | 15% | +4.8% |
| 2 | Radiologists Healthcare · 27K workers |
$420,860 | $565,200est. | 58/100 | 47% | +3.4% |
| 3 | Surgeons, All Other Healthcare · 25K workers |
$414,010 | $570,700est. | 65/100 | 15% | +4.0% |
| 4 | Anesthesiologists Healthcare · 39K workers |
$391,490 | $536,300est. | 66/100 | 21% | +3.6% |
| 5 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric Healthcare · 14K workers |
$358,550 | $494,300est. | 69/100 | 15% | +4.0% |
| 6 | Emergency Medicine Physicians Healthcare · 33K workers |
$335,550 | $455,500est. | 62/100 | 31% | +3.2% |
| 7 | Dermatologists Healthcare · 11K workers |
$328,730 | $456,700est. | 72/100 | 23% | +6.8% |
| 8 | Physicians, Pathologists Healthcare · 11K workers |
$312,400 | $416,600est. | 59/100 | 54% | +4.8% |
| 9 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric Healthcare · 8,950 workers |
$300,080 | $408,700est. | 64/100 | 35% | +4.5% |
| 10 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists Healthcare · 21K workers |
$292,910 | $396,400est. | 59/100 | 25% | +1.7% |
| 11 | Orthodontists Healthcare · 6,210 workers |
$289,140 | $396,700est. | 66/100 | 35% | +6.0% |
| 12 | Psychiatrists Healthcare · 28K workers |
$281,870 | $386,700est. | 67/100 | 43% | +7.2% |
| 13 | Physicians, All Other Healthcare · 343K workers |
$265,930 | $365,500est. | 63/100 | 15% | +3.4% |
| 14 | General Internal Medicine Physicians Healthcare · 67K workers |
$256,560 | $347,800est. | 62/100 | 38% | +4.0% |
| 15 | Neurologists Healthcare · 11K workers |
$248,560 | $339,200est. | 66/100 | 45% | +6.4% |
| 16 | Family Medicine Physicians Healthcare · 108K workers |
$244,180 | $332,800est. | 61/100 | 26% | +3.3% |
| 17 | Nurse Anesthetists Healthcare · 52K workers |
$236,590 | $332,100est. | 72/100 | 28% | +9.7% |
| 18 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Aviation · 104K workers |
$232,140 | $315,800est. | 74/100 | 53% | +8.3% |
| 19 | Dentists, All Other Specialists Healthcare · 5,230 workers |
$224,990 | $306,100est. | 56/100 | 15% | +1.3% |
| 20 | Chief Executives Management & Consulting · 204K workers |
$213,990 | $281,500est. | 64/100 | 56% | +3.2% |
| 21 | Pediatricians, General Healthcare · 39K workers |
$210,040 | $284,000est. | 57/100 | 25% | +1.5% |
| 22 | Computer and Information Systems Managers Management & Consulting · 671K workers |
$175,140 | $238,600est. | 68/100 | 65% | +15.8% |
| 23 | Physicists Engineering & Science · 20K workers |
$172,250 | $220,500est. | 60/100 | 72% | +7.2% |
| 24 | Architectural and Engineering Managers Management & Consulting · 220K workers |
$171,270 | $225,900est. | 62/100 | 59% | +5.5% |
| 25 | Dentists, General Healthcare · 124K workers |
$170,950 | $236,200est. | 69/100 | 23% | +5.7% |
| 26 | Natural Sciences Managers Management & Consulting · 109K workers |
$167,220 | $220,200est. | 68/100 | 64% | +8.2% |
| 27 | Marketing Managers Marketing & PR · 395K workers |
$166,790 | $218,900est. | 64/100 | 63% | +6.9% |
| 28 | Financial Managers Management & Consulting · 842K workers |
$166,570 | $220,300est. | 65/100 | 65% | +9.7% |
| 29 | Computer Hardware Engineers Engineering & Science · 77K workers |
$161,740 | $209,600est. | 60/100 | 71% | +9.1% |
| 30 | Podiatrists Healthcare · 9,680 workers |
$160,300 | $215,800est. | 56/100 | 34% | +2.0% |
| 31 | Lawyers Legal · 754K workers |
$159,670 | $204,900est. | 55/100 | 67% | +4.7% |
| 32 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Legal · 24K workers |
$153,990 | $192,900est. | 49/100 | 72% | +2.8% |
| 33 | Human Resources Managers Management & Consulting · 221K workers |
$149,280 | $196,300est. | 62/100 | 60% | +5.5% |
| 34 | Compensation and Benefits Managers Management & Consulting · 23K workers |
$149,230 | $187,100est. | 47/100 | 69% | +1.1% |
| 35 | Sales Managers Marketing & PR · 637K workers |
$148,270 | $191,200est. | 58/100 | 65% | +4.5% |
| 36 | Purchasing Managers Management & Consulting · 84K workers |
$148,080 | $189,900est. | 57/100 | 66% | +4.0% |
| 37 | Air Traffic Controllers Aviation · 23K workers |
$148,080 | $190,600est. | 52/100 | 61% | +1.7% |
| 38 | Public Relations Managers Marketing & PR · 75K workers |
$146,910 | $187,200est. | 60/100 | 71% | +5.7% |
| 39 | Petroleum Engineers Engineering & Science · 18K workers |
$144,910 | $183,000est. | 47/100 | 68% | +2.0% |
| 40 | Political Scientists · 5,540 workers |
$142,080 | $161,000est. | 35/100 | 98% | −2.0% |
| 41 | Managers, All Other Management & Consulting · 622K workers |
$141,900 | $194,300est. | 78/100 | 30% | +4.9% |
| 42 | Pharmacists Healthcare · 322K workers |
$140,910 | $189,400est. | 59/100 | 52% | +5.2% |
| 43 | Computer and Information Research Scientists IT & Software · 37K workers |
$140,300 | $187,800est. | 64/100 | 81% | +21.8% |
| 44 | Database Architects IT & Software · 67K workers |
$139,500 | $175,800est. | 58/100 | 81% | +9.4% |
| 45 | Optometrists Healthcare · 43K workers |
$136,570 | $188,800est. | 65/100 | 48% | +9.5% |
| 46 | Software Developers IT & Software · 1.7M workers |
$135,980 | $174,600est. | 59/100 | 76% | +10.2% |
| 47 | Physician Assistants Healthcare · 162K workers |
$135,880 | $191,700est. | 72/100 | 39% | +21.1% |
| 48 | Aerospace Engineers Engineering & Science · 68K workers |
$134,960 | $176,800est. | 58/100 | 66% | +8.3% |
| 49 | Computer Network Architects IT & Software · 180K workers |
$134,050 | $170,500est. | 58/100 | 75% | +7.7% |
| 50 | Nurse Midwives Healthcare · 7,920 workers |
$134,040 | $189,100est. | 71/100 | 27% | +11.5% |
Pay and employment figures are national statistics (U.S.: BLS OEWS and Employment Projections; Japan: MHLW job tag). Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. How to read the data