These are the 50 Highest-Paying Jobs in America

Many American workers dream of landing a six-figure job. Believe it or not, data suggests such high-paying roles are more common than most think. According to a November 2024 study from ADP Research, more than 1 million jobs in the United States pay upward of $500,000.

Of course, most workers aren't anywhere near that income bracket. The average salary in the nation was around $62,000 as of the first quarter of 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And while September 2025 BLS data also shows salaries have increased by 3.5% year over year, raises have slowed compared to 2024.

Salary Trends and Expectations for 2026

Of all the companies surveyed by Payscale for its 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report, most said they aim to increase employees' base pay by 3.5% on average, the same as the 3.5% average salary increase given in 2025. The exact amount of those raises varies by industry—contruction workers might expect a salary increase of 5% this year, for example, while those in finance and insurance may see a 3.5% raise. Notably, more than 40% of organizations are now using or considering across-the-board "peanut butter" pay increases rather than merit-based raises, a trend driven by concerns about bias and administrative complexity.

With that said, there are still quite a few positions out there that promise a hefty salary even before taking raises into account. So, what jobs are the highest paid in the country? Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs in America using wage estimates from the BLS for 2024, released in May 2025.

Top High-Paying Professions in America

Various engineering fields dot this list, as do those working in the world of computers and technology. As expected, medical professionals, as well as managers, make a strong showing. There are surprises, too. For example, an airline pilot earns more, on average, than a chief executive.

In the list below, jobs are ranked according to their mean annual wage. Mean hourly wages and nationwide employment numbers have also been included. Positions that reported only hourly wages because of the nature of the work were excluded from this analysis. Additionally, any occupation that listed "all other" in the name was excluded since the data may not accurately reflect every individual job in the grouping.

Navigating Career Paths to High Salaries

Stacker breaks down what the jobs entail, the skills required, and how interested people can get started in those fields. Click through to find out which professions offer the best-paying positions.

Written by Aine Givens, Ali Hickerson, Seth Berkman. Data reporting by Wade Zhou. Additional writing by Cu Fleshman. Copy editing by Paris Close.