What is the highest-paid profession in the U.S.?

The short answer

Pediatric Surgeons are the highest-paid occupation in the United States, with a median annual wage of $559,030 in May 2025. That is the figure half of them earn more than and half earn less than, as reported by employers to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

It is a small group: the survey counts about 1,190 jobs. The next places go to cardiologists ($496,010), radiologists ($420,860) and surgeons, all other ($414,010).

Why is the top of the list all doctors?

20 of the 20 best-paid occupations are in healthcare, and almost all of them are physician, surgeon or dental specialties. The pattern follows the training: all but one typically need a doctoral or professional degree to enter, and the physician specialties add years of residency. The first job outside medicine, airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, ranks 21.

The best-paid occupation that is not a physician, surgeon or dentist is nurse anesthetists, at $236,590, entered with a master’s degree.

What pays most outside healthcare?

• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: $232,140.
• Chief Executives: $213,990. About 26.6% of chief executives were self-employed in 2025 and are not in the wage figures.
• Computer and Information Systems Managers: $175,140, with about 670,570 jobs.
• Financial Managers: $166,570.
• Lawyers: $159,670, though the top 10% earn more than $351,600.

The full list is in highest-paying jobs outside healthcare.

What is the highest-paid job without a degree?

Commercial Pilots ($123,220), entered with a postsecondary certificate, followed by nuclear power reactor operators ($122,890) and elevator and escalator installers and repairers ($109,910), which typically need a high school diploma plus long training or an apprenticeship. See highest-paying jobs without a degree.

What about athletes, CEOs and other famous high earners?

Medians describe the typical worker, not the stars. Athletes and Sports Competitors have a median of $66,710, but an average of $206,180 and a top 10% earning over $742,310. A few very large salaries move the average, not the middle.

The survey also counts only pay that employers report as wages. It leaves out the self-employed, overtime, and bonuses not tied to production, so the very highest incomes in any field are not visible here. More on that in why salary numbers disagree.

Which measure should you use?

For “what will a typical person in this job earn,” the median is the better guide: it is not pulled up by a handful of top earners. In this dataset the average is above the median for 94% of ranked occupations. Each occupation page shows both, plus the 10th and 90th percentiles, so you can see how wide the range is.