Highest-Paying Jobs in United States
The 77 best-paid careers in United States we track, ranked by average annual salary. Radiologist tops the list at $518,000 per year.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
| # | Job | Average / yr | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologist | $518,000 | $43,200/mo |
| 2 | Surgeon | $433,000 | $36,100/mo |
| 3 | Psychiatrist | $301,000 | $25,100/mo |
| 4 | Physician | $269,000 | $22,400/mo |
| 5 | Dentist | $215,000 | $17,900/mo |
| 6 | Corporate Attorney | $199,000 | $16,600/mo |
| 7 | Cloud Architect | $196,000 | $16,300/mo |
| 8 | AI Engineer | $194,000 | $16,200/mo |
| 9 | Investment Banker | $189,000 | $15,800/mo |
| 10 | Machine Learning Engineer | $180,000 | $15,000/mo |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | $174,000 | $14,500/mo |
| 12 | Product Manager | $170,000 | $14,200/mo |
| 13 | Lawyer | $166,000 | $13,800/mo |
| 14 | Pharmacist | $159,000 | $13,300/mo |
| 15 | Physician Assistant | $159,000 | $13,300/mo |
| 16 | DevOps Engineer | $157,000 | $13,100/mo |
| 17 | Nurse Practitioner | $156,000 | $13,000/mo |
| 18 | Actuary | $156,000 | $13,000/mo |
| 19 | Aerospace Engineer | $154,000 | $12,800/mo |
| 20 | Optometrist | $152,000 | $12,700/mo |
| 21 | Data Engineer | $151,000 | $12,600/mo |
| 22 | Backend Developer | $148,000 | $12,300/mo |
| 23 | Management Consultant | $146,000 | $12,200/mo |
| 24 | Full-Stack Developer | $143,000 | $11,900/mo |
| 25 | Frontend Developer | $142,000 | $11,800/mo |
| 26 | Sales Manager | $140,000 | $11,700/mo |
| 27 | Software Engineer | $136,000 | $11,300/mo |
| 28 | Data Scientist | $132,000 | $11,000/mo |
| 29 | Cybersecurity Analyst | $130,000 | $10,800/mo |
| 30 | Veterinarian | $129,000 | $10,800/mo |
| 31 | Chemical Engineer | $129,000 | $10,800/mo |
| 32 | UX Designer | $123,000 | $10,300/mo |
| 33 | Electrical Engineer | $123,000 | $10,300/mo |
| 34 | School Principal | $123,000 | $10,300/mo |
| 35 | Marketing Manager | $121,000 | $10,100/mo |
| 36 | Project Manager | $120,000 | $10,000/mo |
| 37 | Financial Advisor | $120,000 | $10,000/mo |
| 38 | Psychologist | $118,000 | $9,800/mo |
| 39 | Database Administrator | $117,000 | $9,800/mo |
| 40 | Biomedical Engineer | $116,000 | $9,700/mo |
| 41 | Professor | $115,000 | $9,600/mo |
| 42 | Network Engineer | $113,000 | $9,400/mo |
| 43 | Industrial Engineer | $113,000 | $9,400/mo |
| 44 | Mechanical Engineer | $112,000 | $9,300/mo |
| 45 | Physical Therapist | $110,000 | $9,200/mo |
| 46 | Web Developer | $110,000 | $9,200/mo |
| 47 | QA Engineer | $110,000 | $9,200/mo |
| 48 | Operations Manager | $110,000 | $9,200/mo |
| 49 | Civil Engineer | $108,000 | $9,000/mo |
| 50 | Architect | $108,000 | $9,000/mo |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | $107,000 | $8,900/mo |
| 52 | Environmental Engineer | $107,000 | $8,900/mo |
| 53 | Occupational Therapist | $106,000 | $8,800/mo |
| 54 | Business Analyst | $105,000 | $8,800/mo |
| 55 | Data Analyst | $101,000 | $8,400/mo |
| 56 | Registered Nurse | $101,000 | $8,400/mo |
| 57 | HR Manager | $101,000 | $8,400/mo |
| 58 | Dental Hygienist | $97,300 | $8,100/mo |
| 59 | Systems Administrator | $95,800 | $8,000/mo |
| 60 | Recruiter | $91,100 | $7,600/mo |
| 61 | Auditor | $89,400 | $7,500/mo |
| 62 | Real Estate Agent | $88,100 | $7,300/mo |
| 63 | Chef | $81,600 | $6,800/mo |
| 64 | Accountant | $79,200 | $6,600/mo |
| 65 | Copywriter | $78,300 | $6,500/mo |
| 66 | Plumber | $77,400 | $6,500/mo |
| 67 | Electrician | $76,600 | $6,400/mo |
| 68 | Social Media Manager | $73,100 | $6,100/mo |
| 69 | Paralegal | $72,400 | $6,000/mo |
| 70 | HVAC Technician | $72,300 | $6,000/mo |
| 71 | Video Editor | $71,900 | $6,000/mo |
| 72 | Graphic Designer | $71,500 | $6,000/mo |
| 73 | Teacher | $67,400 | $5,600/mo |
| 74 | IT Support Specialist | $66,600 | $5,600/mo |
| 75 | Carpenter | $65,500 | $5,500/mo |
| 76 | Photographer | $63,500 | $5,300/mo |
| 77 | Welder | $62,500 | $5,200/mo |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest-paying job in United States?
- Of the roles we track, Radiologist is the highest paid in United States, with an average salary of about $518,000 per year.
- What are the top 3 highest-paying jobs in United States?
- The top three on this list are Radiologist ($518,000), Surgeon ($433,000), and Psychiatrist ($301,000) per year.
- How many high-paying careers are covered for United States?
- This ranking covers 77 careers with real salary data in United States, all shown in USD and refreshed automatically.
- What does a typical top career pay in United States?
- The median of this ranked list is Database Administrator at roughly $117,000 per year — a useful midpoint for the better-paid roles in United States.
- How wide is the pay gap among high-paying jobs in United States?
- Radiologist at the top earns about $518,000 while Welder at the bottom of this list averages $62,500 — roughly a 729% spread across the ranked roles.
- Are these salaries before or after tax?
- Figures are gross (pre-tax) annual averages in USD. Use the Pay by Role salary calculator for a simplified take-home estimate.