Jobs that pay $50 an hour
The 36 occupations whose BLS national median hourly wage is from $50.00 to $59.99, ranked by how many people do the job.
36 occupations have a BLS national median hourly wage from $50.00 to $59.99 (May 2025). By employment, the largest is Operations Manager: 3,503,020 people, median $50.85. 8 of the 36 typically need less than a bachelor's degree to enter, and 5 need a high school diploma or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections).
36 occupations, largest first
Data BLS OEWS May 2025 national medians; education from BLS Employment Projections.
| # | Occupation | Median hourly | Median annual (BLS) | Typical entry-level education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Operations Manager | $50.85 | $105,770 | Bachelor's degree | 3,503,020 |
| 2 | Hospital Administrator | $59.55 | $123,860 | Bachelor's degree | 597,080 |
| 3 | Computer Systems Analyst | $50.89 | $105,850 | Bachelor's degree | 519,530 |
| 4 | Construction Manager | $55.28 | $114,990 | Bachelor's degree | 380,360 |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineer | $50.05 | $104,110 | Bachelor's degree | 296,810 |
| 6 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $50.44 | $104,920 | Bachelor's degree | 284,800 |
| 7 | Financial Advisor | $50.51 | $105,070 | Bachelor's degree | 266,800 |
| 8 | Administrative Services Managers | $54.87 | $114,130 | Bachelor's degree | 263,960 |
| 9 | Data Scientist | $57.80 | $120,230 | Bachelor's degree | 262,440 |
| 10 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $51.55 | $107,230 | High school diploma | 221,180 |
| 11 | Electrical Engineer | $58.00 | $120,630 | Bachelor's degree | 198,750 |
| 12 | QA Tester | $50.14 | $104,300 | Bachelor's degree | 186,740 |
| 13 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $50.29 | $104,590 | Master's degree | 180,470 |
| 14 | Facilities Manager | $51.28 | $106,660 | Bachelor's degree | 156,180 |
| 15 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $50.98 | $106,040 | High school diploma | 154,610 |
| 16 | UX Designer | $50.00 | $104,000 | Bachelor's degree | 113,330 |
| 17 | Database Administrator | $50.30 | $104,620 | Bachelor's degree | 69,990 |
| 18 | Financial Risk Specialists | $56.41 | $117,330 | Bachelor's degree | 63,850 |
| 19 | Creative Director | $55.22 | $114,850 | Bachelor's degree | 53,070 |
| 20 | Environmental Engineer | $51.50 | $107,110 | Bachelor's degree | 38,340 |
| 21 | Statistician | $50.79 | $105,650 | Master's degree | 29,030 |
| 22 | Elevator Mechanic | $52.84 | $109,910 | High school diploma | 23,790 |
| 23 | Biomedical Engineer | $52.58 | $109,370 | Bachelor's degree | 23,480 |
| 24 | Materials Engineer | $54.26 | $112,860 | Bachelor's degree | 22,770 |
| 25 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $55.36 | $115,160 | Bachelor's degree | 21,450 |
| 26 | Economist | $59.96 | $124,720 | Master's degree | 17,790 |
| 27 | Radiation Therapist | $50.63 | $105,310 | Associate's degree | 17,070 |
| 28 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $56.67 | $117,860 | Doctoral or professional degree | 16,370 |
| 29 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $51.31 | $106,730 | High school diploma | 8,520 |
| 30 | Materials Scientists | $56.63 | $117,790 | Bachelor's degree | 8,470 |
| 31 | Ship Engineers | $52.66 | $109,530 | Postsecondary certificate | 8,400 |
| 32 | Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | $53.96 | $112,230 | Bachelor's degree | 8,250 |
| 33 | Nuclear Technician | $53.00 | $110,240 | Associate's degree | 6,470 |
| 34 | Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | $51.07 | $106,220 | Bachelor's degree | 6,080 |
| 35 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | $59.08 | $122,890 | High school diploma | 5,150 |
| 36 | Sociologist | $50.98 | $106,030 | Master's degree | 2,260 |
Data Calculated, not BLS data: at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks (2,080 hours), $50 an hour is $104,000 a year before tax. Try your own hours in the pay calculator.
Who these jobs are
Data Together these 36 occupations employ 8,036,660 people (calculated sum of BLS employment). The fields with the most of them: architecture and engineering (8), management (7), computer and mathematical (6). Fewer than half of them (8 of 36, 22%) typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
Data The best-paid occupation in this group is Economist ($59.96 median); the one with the fewest people is Sociologist (2,260 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 hourly wage from $50.00 to $59.99. 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. 52 occupations, such as teachers and airline pilots, have only an annual median from BLS and are not converted to hourly, 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.