Highest paying careers in the US
Every career here has typical pay of $100,000 a year or more on its own page. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less, and starting pay is lower. Most of the top band needs ten or more years of school and training, so check the time to qualify before the pay.
139 careers in the United States
$200,000 a year and up
42NeurosurgeonOperate on the brain, spine and nerves. The longest training of any doctor in the country, the highest pay in medicine, and a tiny number of jobs.Typical pay$749kTo qualify15 to 16 yrsDemandModeratePediatric SurgeonSurgery on newborns, infants and children. Fifteen years of training for one of the smallest and hardest specialties in medicine.Typical pay$559kTo qualify15 to 16 yrsDemandLimitedPlastic SurgeonRebuild faces, hands and bodies after cancer, burns and accidents. Cosmetic work is only part of it.Typical pay$559kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateCardiologistA heart doctor who diagnoses and treats heart disease, often without ever opening the chest.Typical pay$496kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandGoodRadiation OncologistA cancer doctor who treats with radiation beams instead of a scalpel. Thirteen years of training for one of the highest paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$421kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateRadiologistYou read the scans other doctors order, and your report is what decides the next move.Typical pay$421kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateCardiac SurgeonOperate on hearts. The longest training on this site, and near the top of the pay scale.Typical pay$414kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateEar, Nose and Throat SurgeonEars, sinuses, voice, swallowing and head and neck cancer. One of the few surgical specialties where you also run a clinic.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodGeneral SurgeonThirteen years of training to become the person who opens someone up and fixes the problem.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModerateThoracic SurgeonOperate inside the chest: lungs, esophagus, airway and chest wall. One of the longest trainings in medicine.Typical pay$414kTo qualify14 to 16 yrsDemandModerateVascular SurgeonRepair the arteries and veins that keep people alive. Among the longest training and highest pay in medicine.Typical pay$414kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModerateAnesthesiologistYou keep people alive and unaware while someone else operates. Twelve years of training, and among the highest pay in medicine.Typical pay$391kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandGoodOrthopedic SurgeonFix broken bones, worn-out joints and torn ligaments. Thirteen years of training for one of the best paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$359kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandModerateOral and Maxillofacial SurgeonThe surgeon for the mouth, jaws and face. Dental school first, then four to six more years, and the highest pay of any dental specialty.Typical pay$352kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModerateEmergency PhysicianYou take whatever comes through the door, in the order it arrives. Eleven years of training for a job measured in shifts.Typical pay$336kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandGoodDermatologistA doctor for skin, hair and nails. Very well paid, and one of the hardest residencies to get.Typical pay$329kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandGoodPathologistThe doctor who names the disease. You read tissue and lab results, and other doctors act on what you write.Typical pay$312kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModerateOphthalmologistThe eye surgeon. Twelve years of training, operations measured in fractions of a millimeter, and patients who can see again the next morning.Typical pay$300kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandModerateObstetrician-GynecologistDelivers babies and treats everything from fertility to cancer of the reproductive organs. Twelve years of training, surgery, clinic, and births at 3am.Typical pay$293kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandModerateOrthodontistMove teeth and jaws into place with braces and aligners. A dentist first, then two or three more years of training.Typical pay$289kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandModeratePsychiatristA medical doctor for the mind. Twelve years of training, and the only mental health job that can prescribe in every state.Typical pay$282kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandVery highAllergist and ImmunologistThirteen years of training for one of the calmest schedules in medicine.Typical pay$266kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodSports Medicine DoctorYou keep athletes moving and get them back after injury. It is a full medical degree first, then a residency, then a fellowship.Typical pay$266kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandModerateUrologistThe surgeon for kidneys, bladders and prostates. Thirteen years of training, then some of the best pay in medicine.Typical pay$266kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateEndocrinologistThe doctor for hormones: diabetes, thyroid, bones, growth. A long training path for a job that is mostly thinking and talking.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodInfectious Disease DoctorThe doctor other doctors call when nobody can work out what the infection is. Thirteen years of training for one of medicine's lower paydays.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateInternal Medicine DoctorThe adult body, all of it, and the complicated patients nobody else can sort out. Eleven years of training.Typical pay$257kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandVery highNephrologistThe kidney doctor. Thirteen years of training, then you keep people alive on dialysis and get them to transplant.Typical pay$257kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandModerateNeurologistThe brain and nerve doctor who does not operate. Strokes, seizures, migraines, multiple sclerosis. Twelve years of training and a shortage almost everywhere.Typical pay$249kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandVery highFamily DoctorEleven years of training, then a career looking after the same people from birth to old age.Typical pay$244kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandGoodGeriatricianA doctor for people in their eighties and nineties, where the hard part is fewer pills, not more.Typical pay$244kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandVery highGastroenterologistThe doctor for everything between the mouth and the other end. Fourteen years of training, and one of the best paid jobs in medicine.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandVery highHematologistThe blood doctor. Leukemia, lymphoma, clots, anemia and transfusions, with a microscope on the desk and thirteen years of training behind you.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandVery highOncologistThe cancer doctor. Thirteen years of training, some of the hardest conversations in medicine, and a field that gets better almost every year.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 15 yrsDemandVery highPalliative Care DoctorTreat pain, breathlessness and fear in people with serious illness, and help them decide what happens next.Typical pay$236kTo qualify12 to 14 yrsDemandGoodRespirologistThe lung doctor, called a pulmonologist in the United States. Thirteen years of training, and you often run the intensive care unit as well.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodRheumatologistThe doctor for joints and the immune system: arthritis, lupus, gout, vasculitis. Thirteen years of training, then a career of long puzzles.Typical pay$236kTo qualify13 to 14 yrsDemandGoodAirline PilotExpensive to train, slow to start, and then one of the best-paid jobs in the country.Typical pay$232kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandGoodEndodontistThe root canal specialist. Dental school, then two or three more years learning to save teeth other dentists would pull.Typical pay$228kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandLimitedPediatric DentistThe dentist for babies, children and teenagers. Two to three extra years after dental school, mostly spent learning how to handle a frightened kid.Typical pay$228kTo qualify10 to 11 yrsDemandModeratePeriodontistThe gum and dental implant specialist. Three extra years after dental school, and most of the work is surgery.Typical pay$228kTo qualify11 yrsDemandModeratePediatricianThe family doctor for children, from newborn checkups to teenagers. Eleven years of training, and the lowest pay of any doctor on this list.Typical pay$210kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandModerate
$150,000 to $200,000 a year
21IT Project ManagerYou do not write the code. You make sure the right thing gets built, on time, by people who do not report to you.Typical pay$175kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMedical PhysicistMake sure radiation used on patients is exactly right. Physics, a residency, and three board exams.Typical pay$172kTo qualify8 to 12 yrsDemandModeratePhysicistWork out how the universe behaves, then prove it. Almost everyone in this job holds a doctorate.Typical pay$172kTo qualify9 to 11 yrsDemandModerateDentistDiagnose and treat teeth and gums, usually in a practice you end up owning yourself.Typical pay$171kTo qualify8 to 10 yrsDemandModerateProduct ManagerDecide what a product should do next, then get engineers, designers and the business to agree.Typical pay$167kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodComputer EngineerDesign the chips, boards and machines that software runs on.Typical pay$162kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodPodiatristA doctor of the foot and ankle. Own doctorate, own schools, own licensing exam, and only eleven colleges in the country.Typical pay$160kTo qualify11 to 12 yrsDemandLimitedClinical PerfusionistRun the heart-lung machine during open heart surgery. While the heart is stopped, you are the circulation.Typical pay$160kTo qualify5 to 7 yrsDemandModerateCorporate LawyerHandle the deals, contracts and rules that companies run on. Long training, long hours, serious money.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateCriminal Defense LawyerStand between one person and the power of the state. Seven years of school, and the pay is nothing like television.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateEmployment LawyerFirings, harassment, unpaid wages and discrimination. You act for the worker or for the company, and the two jobs look very different.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateEnvironmental LawyerPermits, pollution and land. Most of the work is paperwork that stops a problem before it starts.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateFamily LawyerDivorce, custody and adoption. You handle the worst week of somebody's life, over and over.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateImmigration LawyerHelp people stay, work or become citizens, in a system where a paperwork mistake can end a life here.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateIntellectual Property LawyerProtect inventions, brands and creative work. The patent side is the one law job that wants your science degree.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateLawyerArgue, advise, negotiate and write. Seven years of school and one hard exam stand between you and the license.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModeratePersonal Injury LawyerYou represent people hurt in crashes, falls and accidents, and you usually only get paid if they win.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateProsecutorYou decide who gets charged with a crime and then you have to prove it. Government pay, courtroom experience nobody else gets this early.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateReal Estate LawyerProperty is contracts, title and land law. You are the person who makes sure the deal actually holds.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandModerateTax LawyerWork out what the tax code actually requires, and argue it when the government disagrees. Long training, and one of the better paid corners of law.Typical pay$160kTo qualify7 to 9 yrsDemandModerateJudgeTwenty years of law first, then you decide. There are only about 27,000 of these jobs in the whole country.Typical pay$154kTo qualify15 to 25 yrsDemandModerate
$100,000 to $150,000 a year
76Air Traffic ControllerOne federal employer, one hard test, and a hard age cutoff. Then some of the best pay in government.Typical pay$148kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandModeratePetroleum EngineerWork out how to get oil and gas out of rock, safely and cheaply. The highest paid bachelor's degree on this site, tied to a price you do not control.Typical pay$145kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandModerateForeign Service OfficerAn American diplomat, posted where the government sends you, for a career of two-year and three-year moves.Typical pay$142kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModeratePharmacistThe last person who checks a prescription before it reaches a patient. Eight years of school, and one of the highest starting floors on this site.Typical pay$141kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandModerateMachine Learning EngineerBuild the systems that learn from data, and keep them running once real people use them.Typical pay$140kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highOptometristTest eyes, catch disease early, prescribe glasses, contacts and medication. A four-year doctorate, no surgical residency, and clinics in every town.Typical pay$137kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandVery highDevOps EngineerBuild the pipes and servers other programmers ship on. Nobody starts here, everybody arrives here.Typical pay$136kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highGame DeveloperBuild the thing you grew up playing. Great work, hard industry, and a portfolio matters more than a diploma.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateMobile App DeveloperBuild the software people carry in their pocket, ship it to an app store, then keep fixing it on devices you have never held.Typical pay$136kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSoftware DeveloperYou write the thing, then spend most of your time working out why it does not do what you meant.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPhysician AssistantExamine patients, order tests and write prescriptions, after about seven years instead of a doctor's eleven.Typical pay$136kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highAerospace EngineerDesign the things that fly. Four years of hard math, then aircraft, rockets, satellites or missiles.Typical pay$135kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highCloud EngineerBuild and run the servers, networks and storage that other people's apps live on, without ever touching a physical machine.Typical pay$134kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highMidwifeLook after people through pregnancy, birth and the year after, and provide their everyday reproductive health care too.Typical pay$134kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highNuclear EngineerKeep reactors running safely and design the next ones. A small field, a long career, and almost no room for a careless day.Typical pay$134kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedNurse PractitionerA nurse with a graduate degree who can diagnose, order tests and prescribe. Six years of school, six figures, and one of the fastest growing jobs in the country.Typical pay$132kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highVeterinarianEight years of school to treat animals who cannot tell you what hurts. Loved by everyone, and heavy on debt.Typical pay$130kTo qualify7 to 9 yrsDemandVery highActuaryPut 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 highCybersecurity AnalystWatch a network for attacks and shut them down. Certifications count as much as a degree here.Typical pay$129kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandVery highPenetration TesterYou break into computer systems on purpose, with written permission, and then explain exactly how you did it.Typical pay$129kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highAstronomerStudy stars, planets and galaxies for a living. Very well paid, very few jobs, and a long road through a doctorate.Typical pay$129kTo qualify9 to 14 yrsDemandLimitedBiochemistWork out what molecules do inside living cells, then use that to make medicines and tests.Typical pay$127kTo qualify4 to 11 yrsDemandGoodMathematicianWork on the math itself. A tiny job title, a long training, and a skill that every other field wants.Typical pay$127kTo qualify6 to 10 yrsDemandLimitedChemical EngineerDesign and run the plants that turn raw material into fuel, medicine, plastic and food. Four years of hard math, then real money.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModerateEconomistMeasure how money, work and prices actually behave, then say what a policy or a merger will really do.Typical pay$125kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedHealth Information ManagerOwn the medical record. Who can see it, whether it is correct, how it gets coded and billed, and what happens when a hospital changes systems.Typical pay$124kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highDrone PilotA federal certificate you can earn at 16. The certificate is easy, the paid work is the hard part.Typical pay$123kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandGoodHelicopter PilotFly air ambulances, tours, news cameras, power line patrols and firefighting buckets. Cheap to get licensed, brutally expensive to become employable.Typical pay$123kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandGoodRobotics EngineerDesign machines that sense, decide and move. Half mechanical, half electrical, mostly code.Typical pay$123kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateElectrical EngineerDesign the circuits, chips, motors and power systems that everything else quietly depends on.Typical pay$121kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highPower Systems EngineerPlan and protect the grid: the substations, transmission lines and controls that keep the lights on.Typical pay$121kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highData AnalystTurn a company's messy data into answers people can act on. The most reachable job in the data field.Typical pay$120kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highData ScientistTurn messy company data into numbers a boss can act on, using code and statistics.Typical pay$120kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highBehavior AnalystWork out why a behavior happens, then change the conditions around it. Six to eight years of school, mostly working with children.Typical pay$118kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highNaturopathic DoctorA four year medical style doctorate in natural medicine. Licensed in about half the states, and unrecognized in the rest.Typical pay$115kTo qualify8 to 9 yrsDemandLimitedFire Protection EngineerDesign the sprinklers, alarms and escape routes that keep a building from killing the people inside it.Typical pay$115kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandModerateGeneral ContractorYou do not swing every hammer. You price the job, hire the trades, hold the schedule, and carry the risk.Typical pay$115kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMaterials EngineerDecide what things are made of, and find out why they broke. Four years of chemistry and physics, then good pay in industry.Typical pay$113kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMarine Engineering OfficerRun the engine room of a ship. Four years at a maritime academy, a Coast Guard license, then months at sea and months at home.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highNaval ArchitectDesign ships. Hulls, stability, structure and propulsion, for the Navy, shipyards and offshore industry.Typical pay$112kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodElevator MechanicBuild and maintain the machines that move millions of people a day, for the best pay in any trade you can enter from high school.Typical pay$110kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highBiomedical EngineerDesign the machines and implants that keep people alive, then prove they are safe.Typical pay$109kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodLogistics CoordinatorKeep freight, trucks and warehouses moving, and fix it when they stop.Typical pay$107kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highEnvironmental EngineerDesign the systems that keep water drinkable, air breathable and contaminated ground safe. Four years of school, then a license.Typical pay$107kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodGeological EngineerWork out what the ground will do before anyone digs into it, and design the mine or tunnel around the answer.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedMining EngineerWork out how to get rock out of the ground safely, cheaply and without wrecking the place, then keep the people underground alive.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedSchool PrincipalRun a school: the staff, the budget, the discipline, the buses and the blame. You teach first, then you lead.Typical pay$106kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandLimitedStatisticianDesign the study, run the numbers, and say honestly how sure you are. One of the best paid math jobs that is not finance.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highRadiation TherapistYou run the machine that treats cancer, and you see the same patients every weekday for weeks. A two year degree for six figure pay.Typical pay$105kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedFinancial 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 yrsDemandGoodInvestment AdvisorYou manage other people's money and their nerves. Licenses first, then years of slowly earning trust.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodSales RepresentativeSell technical products to businesses. No license, no set degree, and your pay is partly up to you.Typical pay$105kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateDatabase AdministratorKeep a company's data fast, backed up and locked down, so nobody ever notices it.Typical pay$105kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedSoftware TesterYou try to break things before customers do, then prove exactly how you broke them.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGoodMechanical EngineerDesign anything that moves, heats, cools or carries a load. The broadest engineering degree there is.Typical pay$104kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highUX DesignerDecide how an app or a website actually works. UX (user experience) design is well paid and nobody licenses it.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highPhysical TherapistGet people moving again after injury, surgery or stroke. Seven years of school for a job that exists in every town.Typical pay$103kTo qualify7 to 8 yrsDemandVery highFinancial 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 yrsDemandGoodIndustrial EngineerMake a factory, hospital or warehouse work better. Four years of school and no licensing gauntlet.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery highProject 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 highAnimatorYour reel gets you hired, not your diploma. Great pay in a small number of cities, and the work comes in waves.Typical pay$102kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedGeologistRead the rock. Find the water, the metal or the fault line, and tell people what is under their feet.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerateOceanographerStudy the ocean: its currents, its chemistry, its floor and the life in it. Long schooling, real ships, and a lot of the work happens on a laptop.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandModerateBusiness AnalystWork out what a company actually needs, then write it down clearly enough to build.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highManagement 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 highPolicy AnalystWork out whether a law or a program actually does what it promised, and write the memo that decides it.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodNuclear Medicine TechnologistGive a patient a tiny radioactive tracer, then image how the body is working, not just what it looks like. Two to four years of school and one national exam.Typical pay$101kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateCivil EngineerDesign the roads, bridges, water systems and buildings everyone uses without thinking about them.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodGeotechnical EngineerEvery building, bridge and dam sits on soil. You are the one who decides whether the soil can take it.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodStructural EngineerWork out whether a building, a bridge or a stadium will stand up, then sign your name to the answer.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodTransportation EngineerDesign the roads, intersections, transit lines and traffic signals that a whole city depends on.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodWater Resources EngineerDesign the systems that move, store, clean and hold back water. Floods, dams, storm drains, drinking water and rivers.Typical pay$101kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandGoodPsychologistYou test, diagnose and treat what is happening in someone's mind. A doctorate, an internship and a national exam stand between you and the title.Typical pay$101kTo qualify9 to 12 yrsDemandVery highPsychotherapistTalk therapy as a job. Most people get here with a master's degree and two years of supervised hours, not a doctorate.Typical pay$101kTo qualify6 to 8 yrsDemandVery highOccupational TherapistHelp people do the ordinary things again: dress, cook, write, drive, go back to work. Six years of school, a license, and work in almost every town.Typical pay$100kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery highGenetic CounselorRead a family's DNA results, then sit with them and explain what it means for their lives.Typical pay$100kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandVery high