High Pay Topic

High-Paying Careers

The highest-paying careers on the federal wage data, how many clear six figures, and what it actually takes to reach the top of the pay scale.

By US College Data · Last updated June 2026

By the Numbers

$496,010 Top-paying career: Cardiologist

113 Careers that pay $100,000 or more

$92,827 Average median wage across all careers

The highest-paying careers in America

Median annual wage, top occupations

Cardiologist$496,010

Radiologists$420,860

Anesthesiologists$391,490

Orthopedic Surgeons$358,550

Emergency Medicine Physicians$335,550

Dermatologists$328,730

The Highest-Paying Careers Median annual wage, top occupations

#	Career	Median wage	10-yr growth
1	Cardiologist	$496,010	+4.1%
2	Radiologists	$420,860	+2.7%
3	Anesthesiologists	$391,490	+3.2%
4	Orthopedic Surgeons	$358,550	+4.1%
5	Emergency Medicine Physicians	$335,550	+2.7%
6	Dermatologists	$328,730	+6.4%
7	Physicians	$312,400	+4.2%
8	Ophthalmologists	$300,080	+4.3%
9	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$292,910	+1.2%
10	Orthodontists	$289,140	+4.4%

Which Careers Pay the Most?

The top of the wage scale is dominated by medicine. Family medicine physicians lead at about 238,000 dollars a year, followed closely by internal medicine physicians and then airline pilots near 227,000, nurse anesthetists, pediatricians, and chief executives near 206,000. Dentists, computer and engineering managers, and physicists round out the top tier. In all, about 93 occupations pay a median of at least 100,000 dollars. The pattern is clear: the highest paychecks go to roles that combine deep specialization with high responsibility, whether in a clinic, a cockpit, or a corner office.

The Price of Admission to High Pay

High pay is rarely free. Most of the careers at the top of the table are gated by years of training, expensive licensure, or a long climb through an organization. Physicians spend a decade or more in education and residency; pilots accumulate costly flight hours; executives reach the top after decades of experience. That entry price is the real story behind the salary numbers. A high median wage is not an offer anyone can accept, it is the reward at the end of a specific and demanding path, and the wage only makes sense alongside the time and cost required to earn it.

High Pay Beyond Medicine

Medicine dominates, but it is not the only route to a large paycheck. Aviation, executive leadership, and technology all reach into the six figures and beyond without medical school. Airline pilots and chief executives sit near the top, and technology and engineering managers clear 170,000 dollars while their fields keep growing. Several of these paths reward licensure and experience rather than a specific advanced degree, which makes them worth knowing for students who want high pay without a decade of graduate school. The lesson is that the top of the wage table has more than one on-ramp.

The Findings on This Topic

Original data analyses built from the same federal sources. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.

The Best-Paid Careers You Can Start Out of High School

The careers that list a high school diploma as the only entry credential top out at $122,610, and just three of the 72 reach six figures. Here is the full ranking.
- High school diploma jobs
- No degree careers
- Median wage
- Trades pay
- Entry education
10 Six-Figure Careers That Do Not Need a Bachelor's Degree

Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
- No bachelor degree
- High paying careers
- Associate degree
- Trades
- Median wage
The Careers With the Widest Pay Gap, p25 to p75

In some careers the bottom quarter and top quarter of earners are separated by more than $100,000. Same job title, very different pay. Here is the ranking.
- Wage gap
- Pay percentiles
- Median wage
- Career earnings
- Pay range
What a High-Stress Job Actually Pays Extra

High-stress careers pay about 14 percent more than moderate-stress ones, a real premium that survives even after you control for the degree required.
- Job stress
- Median wage
- Stress premium
- Career pay
- Hazard pay
The Careers Where Pay Does Not Match the Degree

Across 385 careers, the credential a job requires barely predicts what it pays. The top high-school-only career out-earns 123 of 148 bachelor's-degree careers.
- Entry education
- Median wage
- Career pay
- No degree
- Bachelor's degree
The Healthcare Pay Ladder, Rung by Rung

From a $37,000 dietetic technician to a $238,000 family physician, healthcare pay climbs with required schooling. But one rung breaks the pattern.
- Healthcare careers
- Median wage
- Entry education
- Nursing
- Physician pay

Tools for This Topic

Career Path Explorer Start with a career, find the majors and colleges that lead there. College ROI Calculator See whether a degree pays off, on real earnings and net-price data.

What This Means for You

Chase a high-paying field only if you are willing to pay its entry price in schooling, licensure, or time, because the top of the wage table is gated by training, not luck. Match the salary you want to the years of preparation you will actually commit to.

Career Path Explorer →

Questions you might still have

What is the highest-paying career?

Family medicine physicians top the federal wage data at about 238,000 dollars a year, with other physicians, airline pilots, and chief executives close behind. Medicine dominates the very top of the pay scale.

How many careers pay over 100,000 dollars?

About 93 occupations have a median wage of at least 100,000 dollars a year. They are concentrated in medicine, management, engineering, aviation, and technology, and most require advanced training or years of experience to reach.

What jobs pay the most without medical school?

Outside medicine, the top earners include airline pilots near 227,000 dollars, chief executives near 206,000, and computer and engineering managers near 170,000. Several of these reward experience and leadership rather than a specific advanced degree.

Do high-paying careers require advanced degrees?

Most do, but not all. The highest tier is dominated by physicians and other roles requiring doctoral or professional degrees, yet airline pilots, executives, and some technical managers reach the top through licensure and experience instead.

What is the highest-paying job in tech?

Computer and information systems managers lead technology pay at about 171,000 dollars, paired with strong projected growth. Specialized roles in data and security also pay well above average while expanding quickly.

Are high-paying careers worth the schooling?

Often, but the answer depends on the field and the cost. Medicine and other licensed paths reliably repay their long training, while some advanced degrees add years and debt without a matching pay bump. Weigh the entry price against the field's actual return.