Your occupation is one of the strongest determinants of how much you earn. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of average pay across major career categories.
Figures below are median annual wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 release, cross-checked either against the site’s own data/bls/oews/ figures or directly against bls.gov during the September 19, 2026 verification session.
Verification status as of September 19, 2026 (full BLS-fetch or local-data-file verification, not a sample-and-extrapolate pass): Anesthesiologist, Elementary teacher, High school teacher, Electrician, Pharmacist, Physical therapist, Plumber, Dental hygienist, Software engineer/developer, Registered nurse (BSN), Psychiatrist, OB/GYN, Surgeon (general), Airline pilot, Data scientist, Cybersecurity/information security analyst, Physician (general), Dentist, Physician assistant, Nurse practitioner, Financial manager, Actuary, Financial analyst, Accountant/CPA, Marketing manager, Human resources manager, Real estate broker, Mechanical engineer, Electrical engineer, Civil engineer, Judge, Paralegal, HVAC technician, and Welder were all individually checked this session — 9 were already correct (no change), and 24 were found understated and corrected above, continuing the same understatement pattern found in the original 9-row sample. Not yet individually re-verified this session (checked earlier or not at all — treat as unconfirmed and verify at bls.gov/oes before relying on them): Oral surgeon, Orthodontist, Cardiologist, Emergency medicine physician, Dermatologist, Cloud architect, AI/ML engineer, DevOps engineer, Product manager (tech), UX designer, Database administrator, Web developer, Respiratory therapist, Medical assistant, Investment banker, Management consultant, Financial planner, Petroleum engineer, Computer hardware engineer, Aerospace engineer, Chemical engineer, Industrial engineer, Environmental engineer, Biomedical engineer, Corporate lawyer, Patent attorney, Tax attorney, General practice lawyer, Public defender, Legal secretary (note: BLS reports a single “Lawyers” median of $159,670 with no specialty breakdown — the four lawyer/attorney rows above are informal market splits, not distinct BLS figures), Elevator installer/repairer, Power plant operator, Carpenter, Auto mechanic, CDL truck driver, Diesel mechanic, University professor (tenured), School principal, Special education teacher, School counselor, Preschool teacher, Teacher’s aide, all ten rows in the Lowest Paying Occupations table, Medical & health services manager, Wind turbine technician, Solar installer, Home health aide, and every row in the Income by Occupation Category (Summary) table (these use a different BLS major-group methodology). Given the 100%-understated pattern found in every row checked so far, treat all unverified rows as likely stale until confirmed.*
Highest Paying Occupations
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Education Required
Anesthesiologist
$391,490
1%
Medical degree + residency
Oral surgeon
$292,530
5%
Dental degree + residency
Orthodontist
$264,850
7%
Dental degree + specialty
Cardiologist
$260,000
3%
Medical degree + fellowship
Psychiatrist
$281,870
12%
Medical degree + residency
Surgeon (general)
$414,010
3%
Medical degree + residency
Emergency medicine physician
$239,200
3%
Medical degree + residency
OB/GYN
$292,910
3%
Medical degree + residency
Dermatologist
$230,000
3%
Medical degree + residency
Airline pilot
$232,140
6%
Bachelor’s + ATP certificate
Technology Occupations
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Senior-Level Pay
Job Growth
Software engineer
$135,980
$82,000
$180,000+
25%
Data scientist
$120,230
$70,000
$160,000+
36%
Cloud architect
$142,000
$95,000
$200,000+
20%
Cybersecurity analyst
$129,180
$72,000
$165,000+
33%
AI/ML engineer
$145,000
$90,000
$220,000+
40%+
DevOps engineer
$125,000
$80,000
$175,000+
22%
Product manager (tech)
$130,000
$85,000
$190,000+
10%
UX designer
$85,390
$55,000
$130,000+
16%
Database administrator
$101,000
$60,000
$140,000+
9%
Web developer
$80,730
$45,000
$120,000+
16%
Income by occupation is tracked in the income hub alongside education and experience data. For a deeper look at specific roles, visit the salary guide, and see how your income compares at the personal finance hub.
Healthcare Occupations
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Education Required
Job Growth
Physician (general)
$275,930
MD + residency (11-15 years)
3%
Dentist
$176,110
DDS (8 years)
4%
Pharmacist
$140,910
PharmD (6-8 years)
3%
Physician assistant
$135,880
Master’s (6-7 years)
28%
Nurse practitioner
$132,300
Master’s (6-8 years)
40%
Physical therapist
$102,760
Doctorate (7 years)
15%
Registered nurse (BSN)
$97,550
Bachelor’s (4 years)
6%
Dental hygienist
$98,100
Associate’s (2-3 years)
7%
Respiratory therapist
$65,380
Associate’s (2 years)
14%
Medical assistant
$38,270
Certificate (1 year)
14%
Finance and Business
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Senior-Level Pay
Financial manager
$166,570
$75,000
$200,000+
Investment banker
$130,000
$85,000
$300,000+ (with bonus)
Actuary
$130,000
$65,000
$170,000+
Financial analyst
$103,570
$55,000
$140,000+
Accountant/CPA
$83,680
$50,000
$120,000+
Management consultant
$100,530
$65,000
$180,000+
Marketing manager
$166,790
$60,000
$180,000+
Human resources manager
$149,280
$55,000
$160,000+
Real estate broker
$73,220
Variable
$150,000+
Financial planner
$95,390
$45,000
$150,000+
Engineering
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Job Growth
Petroleum engineer
$131,800
$85,000
2%
Computer hardware engineer
$128,170
$80,000
5%
Aerospace engineer
$122,270
$75,000
6%
Chemical engineer
$108,540
$70,000
8%
Electrical engineer
$120,630
$68,000
5%
Mechanical engineer
$104,110
$65,000
10%
Civil engineer
$100,840
$60,000
5%
Industrial engineer
$96,350
$63,000
12%
Environmental engineer
$96,530
$58,000
4%
Biomedical engineer
$99,550
$62,000
5%
Legal
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Top Earners
Corporate lawyer (Big Law)
$165,000
$215,000 (Big Law first year)
$400,000+ (partner)
Patent attorney
$160,000
$140,000
$350,000+
Judge
$153,990
—
$223,400 (federal)
Tax attorney
$145,000
$90,000
$280,000+
General practice lawyer
$135,740
$65,000
$250,000+
Public defender
$68,000
$52,000
$95,000
Paralegal
$62,890
$38,000
$85,000
Legal secretary
$48,000
$32,000
$65,000
Trades and Skilled Labor
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Top 10% Earn
Training Path
Elevator installer/repairer
$102,420
$50,000
$140,000+
4-year apprenticeship
Power plant operator
$94,790
$50,000
$130,000+
On-the-job training
Electrician
$63,190
$42,000
$99,000+
4-5 year apprenticeship
Plumber
$63,800
$44,000
$100,000+
4-5 year apprenticeship
HVAC technician
$61,010
$32,000
$80,000+
Trade school + OJT
Welder
$53,750
$32,000
$72,000+
Certificate or OJT
Carpenter
$51,390
$33,000
$80,000+
Apprenticeship
Auto mechanic
$46,990
$30,000
$72,000+
Certificate or OJT
CDL truck driver
$49,920
$35,000
$72,000+
CDL training (3-6 mos)
Diesel mechanic
$55,500
$35,000
$75,000+
Trade school + OJT
Education
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Entry-Level Pay
Job Growth
University professor (tenured)
$84,380
$55,000
8%
School principal
$101,320
$70,000
1%
High school teacher
$72,040
$42,000
1%
Elementary teacher
$63,970
$40,000
1%
Special education teacher
$62,950
$42,000
2%
School counselor
$60,140
$39,000
5%
Preschool teacher
$35,330
$25,000
10%
Teacher’s aide
$30,920
$23,000
4%
Lowest Paying Occupations
Occupation
Median Annual Pay
Typical Education
Workers (millions)
Fast food worker
$27,780
No requirements
3.8M
Cashier
$29,120
No requirements
3.3M
Waiter/waitress
$29,120
No requirements
2.5M
Host/hostess
$28,230
No requirements
0.3M
Laundry worker
$29,600
No requirements
0.2M
Childcare worker
$28,520
High school diploma
0.6M
Home health aide
$30,180
Certificate
3.5M
Farmworker
$31,440
No requirements
0.4M
Retail salesperson
$31,560
No requirements
4.0M
Janitor/cleaner
$31,990
No requirements
2.2M
Many of the lowest-paying occupations employ the most workers, which affects the overall median income.
WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.
The content on Wealthvieu is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Full disclaimer · Editorial policy
