Highest paying business careers in the US
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
29 careers in the United States
Ranked by typical pay
291ActuaryPut a price on risk. A math degree, a long ladder of exams, and one of the best paid desk jobs in the country.Typical pay$130kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandVery high2EconomistMeasure how money, work and prices actually behave, then say what a policy or a merger will really do.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandLimited3Financial PlannerHelp people decide what to do with their money over a whole life. Half technical, half sitting with someone while they panic.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGood4Investment AdvisorYou manage other people's money and their nerves. Licenses first, then years of slowly earning trust.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGood5Sales RepresentativeSell technical products to businesses. No license, no set degree, and your pay is partly up to you.Typical pay$105kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerate6Financial AnalystWork out what a company or an investment is really worth, and explain it to people betting money on your answer.Typical pay$103kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGood7Project ManagerKeep a big piece of work on schedule and on budget, across a team that does not report to you.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high8Management ConsultantCompanies hire you to study a problem they cannot fix themselves, then tell them what to do about it. Long hours, fast learning, good pay.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high9Accountant (CPA)Count, check and explain the money. A four year degree, one hard exam, and a job in every town.Typical pay$84kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high10Supply Chain AnalystWork out how a product gets from a factory to a shelf on time and for less money, then prove it with numbers.Typical pay$82kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high11Customs BrokerGet imported goods legally into the country. One federal exam stands between you and a licensed career.Typical pay$81kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerate12Market Research AnalystFind out what people actually buy and why, using surveys and data, then tell a company what to do about it.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high13Marketing SpecialistPlan and run the campaigns that get a product in front of people, then prove with numbers whether it worked.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high14Social Media ManagerYou run the accounts a company talks to the world through. Judged on numbers, not on vibes.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood15Insurance AdjusterDecide what a claim is worth and what the policy actually covers. No degree required in most states, a license in nearly all of them.Typical pay$78kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited16Mortgage BrokerTake somebody's income, debts and credit file, find a lender who will say yes, and get paid when the house closes.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited17Executive AssistantRun a senior leader's calendar, travel, inbox and information. One of the best paid jobs you can reach without a degree.Typical pay$77kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimited18Office AdministratorRun the machinery of an organization: schedules, records, vendors, payroll, the people at the front desk. You can start at eighteen and work your way up.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited19Human Resources SpecialistHire people, pay them right and keep the company on the correct side of employment law.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery high20RecruiterMatch people to jobs for a living. No license and no set degree, but your pay rises and falls with the hires you make.Typical pay$76kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery high21Public Relations SpecialistYou decide what an organization says in public and who it says it to. No license, so your work samples are the whole interview.Typical pay$75kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery high22Property ManagerYou run buildings other people own: tenants, rent, repairs, budgets. You can start at 18 and learn on the job.Typical pay$70kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate23Real Estate AppraiserYou put a defensible number on what a property is worth, and a lender bets money on your answer.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimited24Insurance BrokerSell and manage the policies that cover people's cars, homes, health and businesses. Cheap to start, brutal in year one.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerate25Payroll AdministratorYou make sure everybody gets paid the right amount, on time, with the right tax taken off. Get it wrong and the whole company notices.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited26Real Estate AgentFast to get licensed, and paid only when a deal closes. Most people who start quit inside two years.Typical pay$53kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate27BookkeeperKeep a business's money records straight so the owner, the bank and the tax office all see the same numbers.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerate28Procurement SpecialistBuy everything an organization needs, on time and for the right price. An office career you can start without a degree.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited29Retail Store ManagerRun a shop: the staff, the stock, the takings and the targets. No degree needed, and you can be doing it two years out of high school.Typical pay$49kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandGood