These Are The 25 Highest Paying Jobs In America

Management analysts study businesses and their work processes and flows in order to design systems and procedures that would improve efficiency and productivity. This career field is one of just 25 jobs in America in which most workers earn over $84,000 per year. For context, the median annual earnings for the typical full-time, year round U.S. job is $51,168.

There were over 650,000 management analysts in the U.S. as of 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it one of the most commonly held jobs in the country. This figure is expected to increase significantly over the next decade as companies seek to tamp down costs and reduce inefficiencies. The BLS projects a 10.7% increase in the number of management analysts from 2019 to 2029, nearly triple the projected 3.7% increase for the typical American job during that time.

Personal financial advisors help their clients plan investment strategies. Like many workers in the finance sector, these advisors also tend to be well compensated — most earn over $85,000 per year.

Like every other job on this list for which there is data, personal financial advisors are much more likely to have a college degree than workers at the typical job. Among advisors 25 and older, 82.8% have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 38.9% of all workers that age. These workers are also more likely to have a master’s degree and a doctorate degree than the typical worker as well.

Human resources managers direct and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. Employed in nearly every industry, HR managers are projected to be in consistent demand, with the BLS projecting an average of over 13,000 openings each year over the next decade.

Nearly every job that ranks among the highest paying in the country is male dominated, with men accounting for as much as 91% of the workforce in some occupations. Human resources managers is an exception — it is one of six occupations on this list that are female dominated. Women account for 73.5% of human resource managers.

The typical computer programmer earns nearly $86,000 annually, one of the highest paying jobs in America. Computer programmers write and test code that allows computers, applications, and software programs to run and function.

Though the occupation ranks among the highest paying in America,, the workforce is projected to contract by over 9% over the next decade due to a trend of outsourcing the jobs to places with lower wages.

Software quality assurance analysts and testers ensure that computer programs function properly. It is one of just 21 career fields — many of which involve computers or technology — in which most workers earn over $88,000 annually.

Men tend to have higher earnings than women in the majority of jobs, and this disparity is larger for software quality assurance analysts than in any other job to rank among the highest paying jobs in America. Women in this job make less than 86% of what men do, according to BLS data.

Mechanical engineers design and create tools, engines, machines, and other equipment. The typical mechanical engineer earns just over $89,000 annually, one of 20 jobs in which most workers earn at least that amount. Of the 240 jobs considered, the field of mechanical engineering has one of the largest workforces, with nearly 350,000 workers.

Six of the 25 highest paying jobs in America are in the engineering field. Many others are also in STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — fields.

Database administrators and architects create and use software to organize data on computers. The career field has one of the highest median annual earnings of any job in America, with the median worker earning $89,700 per year.

In every job field that ranks among the highest paying for which there is data, workers are much more likely to hold at least a bachelor’s degree compared to the typical American worker. Many high-paying jobs require high levels of specialization and training that come with a college education, and database administrators are no exception. Some 73.6% of these workers hold at least a bachelor’s degree, nearly double the bachelor’s degree attainment rate for all year-round, full-time jobs, which is 38.9%.

Sales managers are responsible for coordinating the distribution of a product or a service to customers. These workers, like many other managers or executives in advanced positions at their companies, tend to be well compensated. The typical sales manager earns over $93,000 annually.

Most jobs that rank among the highest paying in America are in STEM fields, frequently involving computers, health care, or engineering. Sales management is an exception — as such, sales managers are less likely to have a college degree than almost any other career on this list. It is one of just two careers to rank among the 25 highest paying in which fewer than 60% of workers do not have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Veterinarians are some of the highest paid workers in America, with median annual earnings of $93,340 .Veterinarians provide animals — be it pets, wild, or farm animals — with medical care. Because they need a doctorate degree to practice, they are some of the better-educated workers in the country. It is one of just a handful of career fields in which 100% of workers hold advanced degrees.

Americans have spent increasing amounts of money on the well-being of their pets’ health. As a result, the number of veterinarians are projected to increase by nearly 16%, well beyond the 3.7% projected growth for the all U.S. career fields.

Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers apply and oversee the legal process in places like courts. It is one of just 16 jobs in America in which the majority of workers earn over $96,000 per year.

Judges and other judicial workers tend to be much older than the typical U.S. worker as they typically earn their law degree and often spend years practicing before they are considered for the position. The median age of judges is 54.4 — the oldest median age of any job on this list, and the second oldest of all jobs in the U.S. The typical U.S. worker is 42.5 years old.

Chemical engineers use scientific principles to create and improve products and compounds like fuel, drugs, food, and more. The typical chemical engineer earns $96,824 per year. This is nearly double the U.S. median earnings for all jobs, which is just over $51,000.

Like many other jobs that rank among the highest paying, chemical engineering generally requires a high level of education from prospective workers, and 88.8% of working chemical engineers have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Electrical and electronics engineers build, design and repair electronic items, as well as electrical systems used to provide power. It is one of six engineering jobs to rank among the 25 highest paying jobs in America. The typical electrical engineer earns nearly $97,000 per year.

There were 243,000 working electrical engineers in America as of 2020, and just 30,000 were women. The remaining 87.7% were men, making the career field one of the most heavily skewed along gender lines. Of the 25 highest paying jobs, 20 have significantly more men than women.

Nurse practitioners provide and coordinate health care for patients. These workers are among the highest paid in America, with the typical nurse practitioner earning over $97,000 per year. Nearly 85% of nurse practitioners in the U.S. are women, making it the most female-dominated job to rank among the highest paying occupations.

The total number of nurse practitioners is projected to surge by over 50% over the next decade, by far the most of any career field in America. No other job’s workforce is projected to grow by even 35% during that time. As the large baby boomer generation hits retirement age, many will need additional medical care that nurse practitioners can provide.

Computer hardware engineers design and create computers and related equipment. These kinds of workers tend to be highly paid, with most engineers earning over $98,000 per year, the 12th highest median earnings of any career in America.

Though jobs in the computer and tech industry are largely expanding, the number of computer hardware engineering jobs is projected to increase relatively slowly. The BLS projects there will be a 1.6% increase in those jobs from 2019 to 2029. The projected growth for all jobs over that time is 3.7%. The relatively slow growth projected for this job may be due in part to the fact that centralized networking services are likely to cover larger networks and areas, requiring fewer engineers.

Computer network architects design and implement data communications networks so people can connect and exchange information. The occupation is one of the highest paying jobs in America, with a median annual earning of $98,904, nearly double the U.S. median earnings of $51,168.

Though companies generally require tha computer network architects have a college degree in a related field, a relatively high share of these workers have not completed college. Just 55.6% have at least a bachelor’s degree, the lowest percentage of any job on this list. Companies like Cisco offer their own certifications that can teach prospective workers the skills they need to work as computer network architects without attending college.

Physician assistants, who help doctors provide medical care and can provide many of the services that physicians do, are one of the 10 highest paying jobs in America. The typical physician assistant earns $99,372 per year. This career field generally requires a high level of education — more than 90% of physician assistants hold at least a bachelor’s degree, and nearly three-quarters have at least a master’s degree.

Of the 25 highest paying jobs, none has a labor force as young as physician assistants. The typical worker in this field is 39.0 years old, younger than the typical American worker by 3.5 years. As a growing share of the American population reaches age 65 and older, medical care providers like physician assistants will become more and more in demand. The career field is projected to grow by 31.3% from 2019 to 2029, the fourth highest rate of any job in America.

Software developers design and create applications and systems that operate on computers, smart phones, and other devices. The majority of these workers earn over $99,000 a year, nearly double the median annual earnings for all jobs in the U.S., which is $51,168.

Software developers tend to be younger than workers in many of the highest paying jobs in America. The median age of a software developer is 39.1 years old, well below the median age for all American workers of 42.5 years old.

Aerospace engineers are employed in one of just eight career fields in which the majority of workers earn six-figure salaries. These workers design and build devices like aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles.

For most jobs on this list, there projected to be well over 10,000 job openings a year over the next decade. Yet aerospace engineering could be a difficult field to break into, with the BLS projecting fewer than 4,000 job openings per year for aerospace engineers from 2019 to 2029.

Computer and information systems managers are responsible for overseeing an organization’s electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming. The job requires both the special training needed to run computer systems as well as the increased responsibility of serving in a management role. These managers typically need five or more years of on-the-job training with IT systems before they are considered for management. Because of the skills and experience needed, computer and information systems managers tend to be very well compensated, with a median annual income of nearly $105,000.

As organizations move increasingly large shares of their businesses online, the demand for computer and information systems managers is expected to be much greater than the demand for a typical job. The BLS projects employment of systems managers to increase by 10.4% from 2019 to 2029, nearly triple the projected growth rate for all jobs.

Information security analysts work to secure computer systems from data breaches. About 125,000 people work as information security analysts in America, most of whom earn over $108,000 per year.

Information security analysis is one of the fastest growing career fields in the U.S. The BLS projects the number of jobs in the field to increase by 31.2% from 2019 to 2029, higher than all but four other jobs. As people and companies put more and more information online, cyber attacks have grown more common, and companies will increasingly rely on these security analysts to keep data secure.

Dentists are in one of the five most lucrative fields in America. The typical dentist earns over $108,000 per year, well more than double the median annual income for all American workers of over $51,000.

Dentists tend to be much older than the typical worker, with a median age of 48.4 years old — nearly six years older than the typical U.S. worker. Dentistry is a much less common profession than nearly every other field on this list, with just 58,000 such workers as of 2020.

Lawyers, who provide a wide range of legal services and representations, are some of the highest paid workers in America. Most lawyers earn over $109,000 per year. The field of law is one of the largest career fields in America. With 821,000 lawyers, it is the 12th largest field in the U.S.

Like most other jobs on this list, people generally need years of higher education to become attorneys. Of all the lawyers practicing in the U.S., 98% have at least a bachelor’s degree, and nearly 89% have a professional degree like a law degree.

Pharmacists dispense prescriptions and answer any questions patients might have about their medication. It is one of just three careers in America in which the typical worker earns over $115,000 — more than double the $51,168 median annual earnings for all jobs.

Unlike most other careers on this list, the number of pharmacists is projected to decline over the next decade — by 3.3%. This contraction is expected as many people opt to use delivery services to get their prescriptions. Also, pharmacy technicians are increasingly taking over responsibilities of pharmacists, like collecting patient information and preparing medications.

Chief executives, who provide the overall direction and set the agenda for their companies and organizations, are the second-highest paid workers in America, with a median annual earnings of $124,904.

While the BLS projects a 3.7% growth for all jobs, the number of chief executives is projected to decline by 10% by 2029, compared to 2019. The decline is projected in part because larger, more established companies are now taking up a larger share of the total economic activity in the U.S., which will likely reduce the number of total companies and chief executives needed to run them.

The highest paying job in America is architectural and engineering manager. These workers oversee building and engineering projects and research. Most workers in this occupation earn over $125,000 per year, nearly 2.5 times higher than the median annual earnings for all U.S. jobs.

Many architectural and engineering managers only reach this position after years of working as engineers and architects so they tend to be much older than those in other careers. The median age of someone in this career field is 49.1 years — nearly seven years higher than the median age of all workers, and the 12h highest median age of any job in America.