Want to be a high earner? 25 of America’s highest paying jobs
For working Americans, a job can provide a number of meaningful benefits. Dignity, identity, and a sense of purpose, to name a few. For most, however, these intangible perks are of secondary importance to the regular paycheck a full-time job provides.
While the kind of work one finds fulfilling is subjective, there is no debate about which jobs pay the most. The typical American working full-time earns $860 per week — or about $44,700 a year. In more than a dozen occupations, median earnings are well more than double that amount.
High-paying jobs are high paying for a reason. They tend to be highly specialized, often requiring years of advanced — and often expensive — education beyond high school and even college. They are also almost always high pressure and challenging positions that are growing in demand at pace with or faster than the overall job growth across all occupations.
24/7 Wall Street reviewed the latest median pay data from the U.S. Department of Labor to identify America’s 25 highest paying jobs.
25. Management analysts
Median weekly earnings: $1,499
Number of workers: 606,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 14.3% (faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 78.3%
24. Marketing and sales managers
Median weekly earnings: $1,509
Number of workers: 994,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 8.4% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 69.5%
23. Physical scientists, all other
Median weekly earnings: $1,529
Number of workers: 270,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 7.2% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 100.0%
More: Career advice: 5 job trends to watch for in 2018
22. Financial analysts
Median weekly earnings: $1,530
Number of workers: 264,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 10.9% (faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 87.4%
21. Mechanical engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,534
Number of workers: 337,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 8.8% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 76.5%
20. Engineers, all other
Median weekly earnings: $1,561
Number of workers: 546,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 6.4% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 82.0%
19. Chemical engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,626
Number of workers: 78,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 7.5% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 90.5%
18. Computer network architects
Median weekly earnings: $1,636
Number of workers: 100,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 6.5% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 58.7%
17. Environmental scientists and geoscientists
Median weekly earnings: $1,639
Number of workers: 80,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 11.8% (faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 100.0%
16. Information security analysts
Median weekly earnings: $1,725
Number of workers: 94,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 28.5% (much faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 67.6%
15. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,736
Number of workers: 112,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 3.5% (slower than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 73.9%
14. Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers
Median weekly earnings: $1,742
Number of workers: 59,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 5.8% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 98.3%
13. Physician assistants
Median weekly earnings: $1,747
Number of workers: 97,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 37.3% (much faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 92.3%
12. Computer hardware engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,771
Number of workers: 73,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 5.5% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 76.1%
11. Software developers, applications and systems software
Median weekly earnings: $1,792
Number of workers: 1.4 million
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 11.1%-30.7% (much faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 84.5%
10. Electrical and electronics engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,803
Number of workers: 276,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 6.5% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 79.5%
9. Veterinarians
Median weekly earnings: $1,840
Number of workers: 60,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 18.8% (much faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 100.0%
8. Nurse practitioners
Median weekly earnings: $1,841
Number of workers: 141,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 36.1% (much faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 99.1%
7. Computer and information systems managers
Median weekly earnings: $1,843
Number of workers: 594,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 12.0% (faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 73.9%
6. Aerospace engineers
Median weekly earnings: $1,892
Number of workers: 137,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 6.1% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 86.3%
5. Lawyers
Median weekly earnings: $1,901
Number of workers: 781,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 8.2% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 98.3%
4. Physicians and surgeons
Median weekly earnings: $1,918
Number of workers: 815,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 12.8% (faster than average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 99.5%
3. Pharmacists
Median weekly earnings: $1,923
Number of workers: 254,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 5.6% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 97.6%
2. Architectural and engineering managers
Median weekly earnings: $1,999
Number of workers: 128,000
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: 5.5% (as fast as average)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 84.7%
1. Chief executives
Median weekly earnings: $2,296
Number of workers: 1.1 million
Projected job growth, 2016-2026: -3.9% (Decline)
Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree: 69.5%
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This article originally appeared in USA TODAY on April 24, 2018 , see the original article here
