The highest-paid profession is pediatric surgeon
Ranked by median annual wage in the federal government’s latest wage survey, pediatric surgeons earn $559,030 a year, 11 times the $50,980 median for all workers. The survey counts only about 1,190 jobs in this occupation, so the top of the list is a small group. Below are all 825 ranked occupations, what it takes to enter them, and where they pay most.
See all 825 occupations Without a degree
The short answers
- Highest-paid with a bachelor’s degree to enter
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
- $232,140
The 25 highest-paying occupations
22 of the top 25 are healthcare occupations. Wages are what employers report paying employees; self-employed workers, such as many practice owners, are not in the survey.
| Rank | Occupation | Median | Top 10% earn over | Typical entry | Jobs 2025–35 | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | $559,030 | $726,660 | Doctoral/prof. | +2.0% | 1,190 |
| 2 | Cardiologists | $496,010 | $712,130 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.8% | 17,290 |
| 3 | Radiologists | $420,860 | $594,410 | Doctoral/prof. | +3.4% | 26,770 |
| 4 | Surgeons, All Other | $414,010 | $655,320 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.0% | 25,140 |
| 5 | Anesthesiologists | $391,490 | $557,130 | Doctoral/prof. | +3.6% | 38,760 |
| 6 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $358,550 | $659,290 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.0% | 14,100 |
| 7 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $352,220 | $622,640 | Doctoral/prof. | +5.6% | 4,910 |
| 8 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $335,550 | $495,910 | Doctoral/prof. | +3.2% | 32,880 |
| 9 | Dermatologists | $328,730 | $578,560 | Doctoral/prof. | +6.8% | 11,370 |
| 10 | Physicians, Pathologists | $312,400 | $449,970 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.8% | 11,110 |
| 11 | Prosthodontists | $311,180 | $344,750 | Doctoral/prof. | +5.8% | 870 |
| 12 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $300,080 | $489,710 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.5% | 8,950 |
| 13 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $292,910 | $437,300 | Doctoral/prof. | +1.7% | 21,260 |
| 14 | Orthodontists | $289,140 | $416,000 | Doctoral/prof. | +6.0% | 6,210 |
| 15 | Psychiatrists | $281,870 | $446,520 | Doctoral/prof. | +7.2% | 27,980 |
| 16 | Physicians, All Other | $265,930 | $452,360 | Doctoral/prof. | +3.4% | 342,720 |
| 17 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $256,560 | $475,430 | Doctoral/prof. | +4.0% | 67,150 |
| 18 | Neurologists | $248,560 | $450,780 | Doctoral/prof. | +6.4% | 10,590 |
| 19 | Family Medicine Physicians | $244,180 | $428,550 | Doctoral/prof. | +3.3% | 107,510 |
| 20 | Nurse Anesthetists | $236,590 | $339,500 | Master's | +9.7% | 51,840 |
| 21 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $232,140 | $463,830 | Bachelor's | +8.3% | 103,560 |
| 22 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $224,990 | $402,700 | Doctoral/prof. | +1.3% | 5,230 |
| 23 | Chief Executives | $213,990 | $507,730 | Bachelor's | +3.2% | 204,350 |
| 24 | Pediatricians, General | $210,040 | $338,500 | Doctoral/prof. | +1.5% | 39,390 |
| 25 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $193,950 | $247,220 | Master's | +6.5% | 790 |
Rankings by what it takes to get in
- Ranking · No degree
Highest-paying jobs without a degree
Occupations whose typical entry is a high school diploma, some college or a certificate.
- Ranking · Trades
Highest-paying trade jobs
Construction, repair and production occupations needing an associate’s degree or less.
- Ranking · Healthcare
Highest-paying healthcare jobs
Physicians, nurses, therapists, technologists and support roles.
- Ranking · Non-medical
Highest-paying jobs outside healthcare
What tops the list once medicine is set aside: pilots, executives, managers, scientists.
- States · Cost of living
Where pay goes furthest
Every state’s median wage, adjusted with federal price-level data.
Why this list may differ from others you have seen
Lists online mix averages and medians, different years, and estimates from job postings. This site uses one source and one measure: the median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of about 1.1 million employers. Read why salary numbers disagree.