The highest paying jobs in the United States are, almost without exception, medical specialties. Federal wage data covering roughly 830 occupations puts pediatric surgeons at the top with a mean annual wage of $502,050, and every one of the ten best-paid occupations is a physician or surgeon role.
That makes the headline list unhelpful for most people, since not everyone is heading to medical school. Below are the top-paying occupations overall, followed by the ten highest paying jobs outside healthcare, using mean annual wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 survey.
Highest Paying Jobs in the US at a Glance
| Rank | Occupation | Mean Annual Wage | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric surgeons | $502,050 | Surgery |
| 2 | Cardiologists | $454,940 | Internal medicine |
| 3 | Radiologists | $381,530 | Diagnostics |
| 4 | Orthopedic surgeons | $373,570 | Surgery |
| 5 | Surgeons, all other | $364,360 | Surgery |
| 6 | Anesthesiologists | $360,570 | Perioperative care |
| 7 | Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | $346,490 | Dental surgery |
| 8 | Dermatologists | $323,530 | Specialty medicine |
| 9 | Emergency medicine physicians | $317,480 | Acute care |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists | $304,650 | Specialty medicine |
Physicians Hold Every Spot in the Top 10
The concentration is total. Pediatric surgeons earn $502,050 on average, cardiologists $454,940, and that top figure is more than four and a half times the $108,700 average across all healthcare practitioner occupations. Even the tenth-ranked occupation, ophthalmologists at $304,650, clears $300,000.
The more revealing comparison is against everything else in the economy. The lowest-paid occupation in this top ten still out-earns the highest-paid job outside healthcare by $16,000 a year. No non-medical occupation cracks the list at any point.
Surgical specialties dominate the upper half, with four of the top seven being surgical roles. Procedural work bills at higher rates than consultative work, which is why surgeons consistently out-earn primary care physicians despite similar training lengths.
The 10 Highest Paying Jobs Outside Healthcare
| Rank | Occupation | Mean Annual Wage | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airline pilots and flight engineers | $288,650 | Aviation |
| 2 | Chief executives | $269,630 | Management |
| 3 | Athletes and sports competitors | $206,180 | Sports |
| 4 | Computer and information systems managers | $192,160 | Technology |
| 5 | Financial managers | $186,910 | Finance |
| 6 | Lawyers | $185,840 | Legal |
| 7 | Architectural and engineering managers | $181,540 | Engineering |
| 8 | Natural sciences managers | $180,250 | Science |
| 9 | Marketing managers | $177,770 | Marketing |
| 10 | Physicists | $171,180 | Science |
1. Airline Pilots: $288,650
Airline pilots lead every non-medical occupation at $288,650, which surprises people who assume the top of the list is all executives and bankers. Senior captains at major carriers earn well above the mean.
The path runs through flight training and thousands of logged hours rather than a graduate degree, since an airline transport pilot license requires 1,500 flight hours in most cases. Pay is heavily seniority-based, so early years are modest and the large numbers arrive later.
2. Chief Executives: $269,630
Chief executives average $269,630, a figure that sits far lower than most people expect because it covers every organization with a CEO, including small companies and nonprofits.
The handful of nine-figure pay packages at large public companies distort public perception badly. This is the occupation where the gap between the average and the extremes is widest.
3. Athletes and Sports Competitors: $206,180
Professional athletes average $206,180, which again reflects the full population of paid competitors rather than the household names. Minor league and lower-tier professional salaries pull the mean down sharply.
It is also the least accessible occupation on this list, since the number of roster spots is fixed and careers are short. Our breakdown of the highest paid athletes shows how far the top earners sit above this average.
4. Computer and Information Systems Managers: $192,160
IT managers earn $192,160 on average and represent the most attainable high-income path here for most people. The role requires a bachelor’s degree plus years of technical experience rather than a doctorate or licence.
Demand is spread across nearly every industry rather than concentrated in tech companies. Banks, hospitals, retailers, and government agencies all employ them, which makes the job market unusually resilient.
5. Financial Managers: $186,910
Financial managers average $186,910, covering controllers, treasurers, and finance directors across all sectors. Compensation skews high in investment banking and securities and considerably lower in nonprofits and small business.
Entry typically requires a finance or accounting degree, with many holding a CPA or MBA. It is one of the largest occupations on this list by headcount, so the openings are real rather than theoretical.
6. Lawyers: $185,840
Lawyers average $185,840, though few occupations have a more bimodal pay distribution. Large-firm associates start at $235,000 under the scale that took effect in July 2026, while public defenders and small-practice attorneys earn a fraction of that.
Three years of law school plus bar admission is the standard route, and debt loads are substantial. The average conceals two largely separate professions sharing one job title.
7. Architectural and Engineering Managers: $181,540
Engineering managers earn $181,540, supervising design and development teams in construction, manufacturing, aerospace, and infrastructure. Most arrive after a decade or more as practicing engineers.
The role rewards technical depth combined with people management, a combination that stays scarce. Many engineers prefer to remain individual contributors, which keeps competition for these posts lower than the pay suggests.
8. Natural Sciences Managers: $180,250
Natural sciences managers average $180,250, directing research programs in pharmaceuticals, biotech, energy, and environmental science. An advanced degree is close to mandatory.
Pharmaceutical and biotech employers pay at the top of this range, while academic and government labs pay meaningfully less for similar responsibility.
9. Marketing Managers: $177,770
Marketing managers earn $177,770 and are the only occupation on this list without a technical or licensed entry requirement. Progression depends on demonstrated results rather than credentials.
That openness makes it the most accessible entry point of the ten, though it also means the widest performance-based spread. Strong performers in high-margin industries can exceed the mean considerably.
10. Physicists: $171,180
Physicists round out the list at $171,180, working in national laboratories, defence, semiconductors, and increasingly in quantitative finance and machine learning. A PhD is the standard requirement.
The occupation is small, so openings are limited even though pay is high. Many physics doctorates end up applying their training in adjacent, better-funded fields.
What the Best-Paid Occupations Share
Three patterns explain nearly every entry above. The first is a restricted supply of qualified people, enforced through licensing, residency slots, or genuinely difficult training that most candidates do not complete.
The second is direct responsibility for large sums of money or for human lives, which is why surgeons, pilots, and financial managers all appear. The third is leverage, meaning the work affects outcomes far larger than one person’s output. A marketing manager influences an entire revenue line, and an engineering manager shapes what a hundred-person team builds.
The Training Cost Behind the Top Salaries
The headline figures ignore what it takes to reach them. Physicians complete four years of medical school followed by a residency of three to seven years, with surgical specialties at the longer end, often finishing training in their early thirties.
That means a decade of deferred earnings plus substantial education debt before the large salaries begin. Airline pilots face a smaller but real version of the same problem, funding their own flight training and hour-building at low pay. Measured over a full career rather than at peak salary, the gap between medicine and the better-paid non-medical roles narrows considerably.
Mean Wages Versus What You Will Actually Earn
These are mean wages, meaning simple averages, and averages are pulled upward by top earners. For occupations with extreme outliers, such as chief executives and athletes, the typical worker earns noticeably less than the figure shown.
Location matters just as much. The same job can pay 40% more in a major metropolitan area than in a rural one, though higher living costs usually absorb much of that difference. State taxes shift take-home pay further, and our guide to states with no income tax covers where high earners keep the most.
How We Ranked the Highest Paying Jobs
Rankings use mean annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, which surveys around 830 occupations nationally. The May 2025 release is the most recent comprehensive federal wage data available.
The second list excludes physician, surgeon, dentist, and other healthcare practitioner occupations to show what leads outside medicine. Self-employment income is not fully captured, so occupations with many independent practitioners may be understated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest paying job in the US?
Pediatric surgeon, with a mean annual wage of $502,050 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 data. Cardiologists rank second at $454,940.
What is the highest paying job that is not in healthcare?
Airline pilot, at a mean annual wage of $288,650, ahead of chief executives at $269,630. No non-healthcare occupation appears in the overall top ten.
Which high paying jobs do not require a doctorate?
Airline pilots, computer and information systems managers, financial managers, engineering managers, and marketing managers all pay above $177,000 without requiring a doctoral degree, though most need substantial experience.
Do lawyers really earn $185,840 on average?
That is the mean, but legal pay is strongly bimodal. Large-firm associates start at $235,000 while public sector and small-practice attorneys earn far less, so relatively few lawyers actually earn close to the average.
Why is the average CEO salary lower than expected?
The $269,630 figure covers chief executives at organizations of every size, including small businesses and nonprofits. The very large pay packages reported in the news come from a small number of major public companies.