- New data showed which US jobs pay the best on average.
- Pediatric surgeons had the highest average annual wage in 2025.
- Top-paying jobs were largely in healthcare, but pilots and flight engineers ranked highly.
Years of schooling in healthcare usually pay off.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data showing the pay of hundreds of occupations as of May 2025. Many positions earn six figures, exceeding the national average of $69,770.
Pay can be one factor job seekers consider when they're applying for work. A lot of people are actively seeking jobs in the US: 7.2 million people were unemployed in March, outpacing the number of openings. It's also graduation season, so more people may be tweaking their résumés, building a network, and scouring postings in the coming months.
Studying to become an ophthalmologist, a pediatric surgeon, or a pilot can lead to high compensation.
Business Insider ranked the new occupation estimates by average annual wage, excluding catchall job categories, such as "Surgeons, all other." Almost all of the 13 top-paying jobs typically require a doctoral or professional degree. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers usually need a bachelor's.
Below are the 13 highest-paying jobs, alongside estimates of how many Americans are employed in them.
13. Psychiatrists
Average annual wage: $269,940
Employment: 27,980
12. Obstetricians and gynecologists
Average annual wage: $279,040
Employment: 21,260
11. Pathologists
Average annual wage: $285,420
Employment: 11,110
10. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
Average annual wage: $288,650
Employment: 103,560
9. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric
Average annual wage: $304,650
Employment: 8,950
8. Emergency medicine physicians
Average annual wage: $317,480
Employment: 32,880
7. Dermatologists
Average annual wage: $323,530
Employment: 11,370
6. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Average annual wage: $346,490
Employment: 4,910
5. Anesthesiologists
Average annual wage: $360,570
Employment: 38,760
4. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric
Average annual wage: $373,570
Employment: 14,100
3. Radiologists
Average annual wage: $381,530
Employment: 26,770
2. Cardiologists
Average annual wage: $454,940
Employment: 17,290
1. Pediatric surgeons
Average annual wage: $502,050
Employment: 1,190
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Madison Hoff is a reporter on Business Insider’s economy team. She covers the labor market, inflation, spending, and other data. In addition to covering new estimates and trends, her workforce reporting includes career pivots, job searching, and side hustles.She also covers downsizing, particularly people selling their houses to pursue RV living. She has also reported on how much teachers spend out of pocket and what it’s like being a caregiver.Her stories often cover the state of the economy, what experts are saying, and how people are navigating the workplace or their careers.Previously, she was a junior reporter and data editorial fellow on the Strategy team.A few of her stories:
- Job-market trend: Welcome to the 'Great Freeze': Why companies aren't firing, workers can't grow, and the unemployed can't get jobs
- Job-market trend: Everyone's focused on AI — but it's aging Americans who are quietly rewiring the job market
- Career pivot: I retired early from my federal job and took a part-time job at TJ Maxx. I'm happier and less stressed.
- Downsizing/RV living: An empty-nester couple who traded in a $400K house for an $80K RV explain their favorite parts of retirement on the road
- Job searching: People who haven't had steady work for at least a year are networking, doing temporary jobs, and soul-searching
- Side hustles: A millennial who used side hustles to pay off debt explains the lucrative and easy ones she recommends
- Teacher spending: A teacher who spent more than $5,000 of her own money to make a cozy classroom explains why it helps kids learn
