Jobs that pay $150K a year or more
The 33 occupations whose BLS national median annual wage is $150,000 or more, ranked by how many people do the job.
33 occupations have a BLS national median annual wage $150,000 or more (May 2025). By employment, the largest is Financial Manager: 841,710 people, median $166,570. 0 of the 33 typically need less than a bachelor's degree to enter, and 0 need a high school diploma or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections).
33 occupations, largest first
Data BLS OEWS May 2025 national medians; education from BLS Employment Projections.
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly (BLS) | Typical entry-level education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial Managers | $166,570 | $80.08 | Bachelor's degree | 841,710 |
| 2 | Lawyer | $159,670 | $76.76 | Doctoral or professional degree | 754,500 |
| 3 | IT Manager | $175,140 | $84.20 | Bachelor's degree | 670,570 |
| 4 | Marketing Manager | $166,790 | $80.19 | Bachelor's degree | 395,240 |
| 5 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $171,270 | $82.34 | Bachelor's degree | 220,260 |
| 6 | CEO | $213,990 | $102.88 | Bachelor's degree | 204,350 |
| 7 | Dentist | $170,950 | $82.19 | Doctoral or professional degree | 124,390 |
| 8 | Natural Sciences Managers | $167,220 | $80.39 | Bachelor's degree | 108,690 |
| 9 | Family Medicine Physician | $244,180 | $117.39 | Doctoral or professional degree | 107,510 |
| 10 | Airline Pilot | $232,140 | hourly not published | Bachelor's degree | 103,560 |
| 11 | Computer Hardware Engineer | $161,740 | $77.76 | Bachelor's degree | 76,660 |
| 12 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $256,560 | $123.35 | Doctoral or professional degree | 67,150 |
| 13 | CRNA | $236,590 | $113.75 | Master's degree | 51,840 |
| 14 | Pediatrician | $210,040 | $100.98 | Doctoral or professional degree | 39,390 |
| 15 | Anesthesiologist | $391,490 | $188.22 | Doctoral or professional degree | 38,760 |
| 16 | Emergency Medicine Physician | $335,550 | $161.32 | Doctoral or professional degree | 32,880 |
| 17 | Psychiatrist | $281,870 | $135.51 | Doctoral or professional degree | 27,980 |
| 18 | Radiologist | $420,860 | $202.34 | Doctoral or professional degree | 26,770 |
| 19 | Judge | $153,990 | $74.03 | Doctoral or professional degree | 24,030 |
| 20 | OB-GYN | $292,910 | $140.82 | Doctoral or professional degree | 21,260 |
| 21 | Physicist | $172,250 | $82.81 | Doctoral or professional degree | 20,430 |
| 22 | Cardiologist | $496,010 | $238.47 | Doctoral or professional degree | 17,290 |
| 23 | Orthopedic Surgeon | $358,550 | $172.38 | Doctoral or professional degree | 14,100 |
| 24 | Dermatologist | $328,730 | $158.04 | Doctoral or professional degree | 11,370 |
| 25 | Pathologist | $312,400 | $150.19 | Doctoral or professional degree | 11,110 |
| 26 | Neurologist | $248,560 | $119.50 | Doctoral or professional degree | 10,590 |
| 27 | Podiatrist | $160,300 | $77.07 | Doctoral or professional degree | 9,680 |
| 28 | Ophthalmologist | $300,080 | $144.27 | Doctoral or professional degree | 8,950 |
| 29 | Orthodontist | $289,140 | $139.01 | Doctoral or professional degree | 6,210 |
| 30 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $352,220 | $169.34 | Doctoral or professional degree | 4,910 |
| 31 | Pediatric Surgeon | $559,030 | $268.76 | Doctoral or professional degree | 1,190 |
| 32 | Prosthodontist | $311,180 | $149.61 | Doctoral or professional degree | 870 |
| 33 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 | $93.24 | Master's degree | 790 |
Who these jobs are
Data Together these 33 occupations employ 4,054,990 people (calculated sum of BLS employment). The fields with the most of them: healthcare practitioners (21), management (6), legal (2). Fewer than half of them (0 of 33, 0%) 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 $150,000 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.