Jobs that pay $100K a year or more
The 128 occupations whose BLS national median annual wage is $100,000 or more, ranked by how many people do the job.
128 occupations have a BLS national median annual wage $100,000 or more (May 2025). By employment, the largest is Operations Manager: 3,503,020 people, median $105,770. 13 of the 128 typically need less than a bachelor's degree to enter, and 6 need a high school diploma or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections).
The 50 largest of 128 occupations
Data BLS OEWS May 2025 national medians; education from BLS Employment Projections.
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly (BLS) | Typical entry-level education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Operations Manager | $105,770 | $50.85 | Bachelor's degree | 3,503,020 |
| 2 | Software Engineer | $135,980 | $65.38 | Bachelor's degree | 1,687,890 |
| 3 | Project Manager | $102,320 | $49.19 | Bachelor's degree | 1,066,670 |
| 4 | Management Consultant | $101,860 | $48.97 | Bachelor's degree | 898,280 |
| 5 | Financial Managers | $166,570 | $80.08 | Bachelor's degree | 841,710 |
| 6 | Lawyer | $159,670 | $76.76 | Doctoral or professional degree | 754,500 |
| 7 | IT Manager | $175,140 | $84.20 | Bachelor's degree | 670,570 |
| 8 | Sales Manager | $148,270 | $71.28 | Bachelor's degree | 637,080 |
| 9 | Hospital Administrator | $123,860 | $59.55 | Bachelor's degree | 597,080 |
| 10 | Computer Systems Analyst | $105,850 | $50.89 | Bachelor's degree | 519,530 |
| 11 | Marketing Manager | $166,790 | $80.19 | Bachelor's degree | 395,240 |
| 12 | Construction Manager | $114,990 | $55.28 | Bachelor's degree | 380,360 |
| 13 | Civil Engineer | $100,840 | $48.48 | Bachelor's degree | 367,840 |
| 14 | Industrial Engineer | $102,440 | $49.25 | Bachelor's degree | 365,740 |
| 15 | Financial Analyst | $102,740 | $49.40 | Bachelor's degree | 361,980 |
| 16 | Principal | $105,870 | hourly not published | Master's degree | 328,330 |
| 17 | Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 | $63.61 | Master's degree | 323,040 |
| 18 | Pharmacist | $140,910 | $67.75 | Doctoral or professional degree | 321,970 |
| 19 | Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 | $50.05 | Bachelor's degree | 296,810 |
| 20 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $104,920 | $50.44 | Bachelor's degree | 284,800 |
| 21 | Physical Therapist | $102,760 | $49.40 | Doctoral or professional degree | 267,330 |
| 22 | Financial Advisor | $105,070 | $50.51 | Bachelor's degree | 266,800 |
| 23 | Administrative Services Managers | $114,130 | $54.87 | Bachelor's degree | 263,960 |
| 24 | Data Scientist | $120,230 | $57.80 | Bachelor's degree | 262,440 |
| 25 | Industrial Production Manager | $126,060 | $60.61 | Bachelor's degree | 246,250 |
| 26 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $107,310 | hourly not published | Doctoral or professional degree | 221,270 |
| 27 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $107,230 | $51.55 | High school diploma | 221,180 |
| 28 | HR Manager | $149,280 | $71.77 | Bachelor's degree | 220,660 |
| 29 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $171,270 | $82.34 | Bachelor's degree | 220,260 |
| 30 | CEO | $213,990 | $102.88 | Bachelor's degree | 204,350 |
| 31 | Electrical Engineer | $120,630 | $58.00 | Bachelor's degree | 198,750 |
| 32 | Cyber Security Analyst | $129,180 | $62.11 | Bachelor's degree | 190,650 |
| 33 | QA Tester | $104,300 | $50.14 | Bachelor's degree | 186,740 |
| 34 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $104,590 | $50.29 | Master's degree | 180,470 |
| 35 | Network Engineer | $134,050 | $64.45 | Bachelor's degree | 179,740 |
| 36 | Medical Scientist | $103,410 | $49.72 | Doctoral or professional degree | 172,340 |
| 37 | Occupational Therapist | $100,330 | $48.24 | Master's degree | 162,450 |
| 38 | Physician Assistant | $135,880 | $65.33 | Master's degree | 162,150 |
| 39 | Facilities Manager | $106,660 | $51.28 | Bachelor's degree | 156,180 |
| 40 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $106,040 | $50.98 | High school diploma | 154,610 |
| 41 | Dentist | $170,950 | $82.19 | Doctoral or professional degree | 124,390 |
| 42 | UX Designer | $104,000 | $50.00 | Bachelor's degree | 113,330 |
| 43 | Natural Sciences Managers | $167,220 | $80.39 | Bachelor's degree | 108,690 |
| 44 | Family Medicine Physician | $244,180 | $117.39 | Doctoral or professional degree | 107,510 |
| 45 | Airline Pilot | $232,140 | hourly not published | Bachelor's degree | 103,560 |
| 46 | Electronics Engineer | $130,220 | $62.60 | Bachelor's degree | 96,900 |
| 47 | Computer Programmer | $100,390 | $48.26 | Bachelor's degree | 92,230 |
| 48 | Purchasing Manager | $148,080 | $71.19 | Bachelor's degree | 84,320 |
| 49 | Veterinarian | $130,100 | $62.55 | Doctoral or professional degree | 83,900 |
| 50 | Computer Hardware Engineer | $161,740 | $77.76 | Bachelor's degree | 76,660 |
Who these jobs are
Data Together these 128 occupations employ 21,597,570 people (calculated sum of BLS employment). The fields with the most of them: healthcare practitioners (33), management (23), architecture and engineering (16). Fewer than half of them (13 of 128, 10%) typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
Data The best-paid occupation in this group is Pediatric Surgeon ($559,030 median); the one with the fewest people is Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (790 employed).
How this page is built
All 748 BLS detailed occupations with a published national median (OEWS May 2025), leaving out 70 residual “all other” categories. Included: a median annual wage $100,000 or more. Ranked by national employment. A median means half the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; it is not a starting wage or an offer. 4 occupations (performers such as actors and dancers) have only an hourly median from BLS and are not converted to annual, so they cannot appear here.
- What a particular employer pays, or pay in your state or city.
- Starting pay: medians include experienced workers.
- Self-employed earnings (OEWS covers employees).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; public domain): typical entry-level education, work experience, on-the-job training, projected change and annual openings.