- Pediatric surgeon was the highest-paying job in the US based on newly released average pay data.
- Business Insider ranked pay data for hundreds of occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Most of the top 20 best-paying gigs, on average, were healthcare jobs.
Pediatric surgeons get paid well on average.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics published on Wednesday new data that shows the average wages and employment estimates for over 800 occupations in May 2024.
With many people searching for jobs, Business Insider looked at the national data to see which jobs had the highest average annual wages. We excluded a set of catchall job categories covering miscellaneous titles because of the lack of specificity.
Most of the 20 top-paying jobs were healthcare occupations, including radiologists and emergency medicine physicians. Their annual averages far exceeded the overall annual average of $67,920.
Below are the top 20, including their annual pay and employment.
20. Orthodontists
Average annual wage: $254,620
Employment: 5,150
19. Family medicine physicians
Average annual wage: $256,830
Employment: 107,950
18. Prosthodontists
Average annual wage: $258,660
Employment: 760
17. Athletes and sports competitors
Average annual wage: $259,750
Employment: 14,370
16. General internal medicine physicians
Average annual wage: $262,710
Employment: 66,640
15. Chief executives
Average annual wage: $262,930
Employment: 211,850
14. Pathologists
Average annual wage: $266,020
Employment: 11,800
13. Psychiatrists
Average annual wage: $269,120
Employment: 24,800
12. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
Average annual wage: $280,570
Employment: 99,300
11. Obstetricians and gynecologists
Average annual wage: $281,130
Employment: 19,900
10. Neurologists
Average annual wage: $286,310
Employment: 7,700
9. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric
Average annual wage: $301,500
Employment: 12,110
8. Emergency medicine physicians
Average annual wage: $320,700
Employment: 33,680
7. Anesthesiologists
Average annual wage: $336,640
Employment: 41,890
6. Dermatologists
Average annual wage: $347,810
Employment: 10,080
5. Radiologists
Average annual wage: $359,820
Employment: 26,290
4. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Average annual wage: $360,240
Employment: 5,330
3. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric
Average annual wage: $365,060
Employment: 14,160
2. Cardiologists
Average annual wage: $432,490
Employment: 18,020
1. Pediatric surgeons
Average annual wage: $450,810
Employment: 1,050
