Highest Paying Jobs in America: Top 50 (2026 Data)

Top 15 jobs by average salary

Ranking: average annual salary nationwide, BLS OEWS national estimates (May 2025); jobs with at least 5,000 U.S. jobs and 20 metro areas covered.

Full ranking

#	Job	U.S. average	U.S. jobs	Best-paying city
1	Cardiologists	$454,940	17,290	Corpus Christi, TX
2	Radiologists	$381,530	26,770	Minneapolis, MN
3	Surgeons, All Other	$373,930	25,140	Milwaukee, WI
4	Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric	$373,570	14,100	Springfield, MO
5	Anesthesiologists	$360,570	38,760	Seattle, WA
6	Dermatologists	$323,530	11,370	Seattle, WA
7	Emergency Medicine Physicians	$317,480	32,880	Huntington, WV
8	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$304,650	8,950	San Jose, CA
9	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$288,650	103,560	Atlanta, GA
10	Physicians, Pathologists	$285,420	11,110	Tampa, FL
11	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$279,040	21,260	Portland, ME
12	Psychiatrists	$269,940	27,980	Miami, FL
13	Chief Executives	$269,630	204,350	Medford, OR
14	Neurologists	$267,630	10,590	Buffalo, NY
15	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$267,200	67,150	South Bend, IN
16	Physicians, All Other	$262,040	342,720	Chattanooga, TN
17	Family Medicine Physicians	$255,820	107,510	Knoxville, TN
18	Nurse Anesthetists	$248,320	51,840	Jacksonville, FL
19	Dentists, All Other Specialists	$247,930	5,230	Orlando, FL
20	Pediatricians, General	$212,110	39,390	Sacramento, CA
21	Athletes and Sports Competitors	$206,180	15,070	Colorado Springs, CO
22	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$192,160	670,570	San Jose, CA
23	Dentists, General	$191,350	124,390	St. Louis, MO
24	Financial Managers	$186,910	841,710	San Jose, CA
25	Lawyers	$185,840	754,500	San Jose, CA
26	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$181,540	220,260	San Jose, CA
27	Natural Sciences Managers	$180,250	108,690	Boston, MA
28	Marketing Managers	$177,770	395,240	San Jose, CA
29	Podiatrists	$175,480	9,680	Minneapolis, MN
30	Physicists	$171,180	20,430	Miami, FL
31	Public Relations Managers	$164,760	74,850	San Jose, CA
32	Sales Managers	$164,350	637,080	New York, NY
33	Human Resources Managers	$164,230	220,660	San Jose, CA
34	Computer Hardware Engineers	$162,670	76,660	San Jose, CA
35	Compensation and Benefits Managers	$162,640	22,940	Bridgeport, CT
36	Petroleum Engineers	$157,150	18,060	Anchorage, AK
37	Personal Financial Advisors	$156,670	266,800	Staunton, VA
38	Purchasing Managers	$156,360	84,320	San Jose, CA
39	Advertising and Promotions Managers	$154,280	21,470	San Jose, CA
40	Computer and Information Research Scientists	$153,930	37,200	Portland, OR
41	Managers, All Other	$153,890	622,190	San Jose, CA
42	Training and Development Managers	$148,370	48,050	San Jose, CA
43	Software Developers	$148,100	1,687,890	San Jose, CA
44	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$147,570	221,270	San Francisco, CA
45	Air Traffic Controllers	$146,490	22,510	San Francisco, CA
46	Commercial Pilots	$146,080	47,630	Waterbury, CT
47	Law Teachers, Postsecondary	$144,770	20,060	Minneapolis, MN
48	Database Architects	$144,440	67,140	San Francisco, CA
49	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$143,830	24,030	Providence, RI
50	Veterinarians	$142,680	83,900	Anchorage, AK

More rankings

Sources and how to read this page

Ranking: average annual salary nationwide, BLS OEWS national estimates (May 2025); jobs with at least 5,000 U.S. jobs and 20 metro areas covered.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas.
Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.

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