Pediatric surgeons are the highest-paid job in America, making $439,320 per year, on average.
Cardiologists and orthopedic surgeons rank second and third, averaging $423,250 and $378,250 annually.
Analysis of 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveals the highest-paid jobs across the United States.
A new study has revealed the highest and lowest-paid jobs in the nation, with some surprising trends.
QR code generation service QR Code Generator analyzed 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, looking at the average yearly wage for over 830 occupations across the nation.
In first place are pediatric surgeons, who make an average of $439,320 per year - a figure that is 656% higher than the average American salary of $59,384. There were found to be just 1,180 pediatric surgeons currently employed across the U.S, making it the nation’s tenth-least common job, accounting for just 0.0003% of the American workforce.
Second place goes to cardiologists, who were found to make an average of $423,250 per year. Compared to the average annual salary in America, cardiologists make 612% more on average. They were also found to be relatively scarce, with just 15,190 employed across the country.
Orthopedic surgeons rank third on the list, making, on average, $378,250 annually - 536 % more than the average American salary. Across America, there were found to be 14,820 orthopedic surgeons employed, working out to just 0.009% of the entire American workforce.
In fourth place are radiologists, who make $353,960 a year on average, which is 496% higher than the average American salary. There are approximately 31,960 radiologists employed nationwide, the second highest figure for any job within the top ten.
Surgeons, all other ranks in fifth place, making an average yearly salary of $343,990, which is 479% higher than the average American salary. Nationwide, 26,370 surgeons were found to be employed under the ‘all other’ bracket, with New York seeing the most surgeons employed, at 4,030 - or 15% of all Surgeons across the country.
The remainder of the top ten features dermatologists in sixth place, who were found to make an average of $342,860 annually. Across the country, there were found to be just 12,040 dermatologists employed. Dermatologists make 477% more on average compared to the average American salary.
Anesthesiologists take the seventh spot on the list, with an average yearly salary of $339,470. Notably, anesthesiologists were found to be the most common of any occupation in the top ten, with 33,470 employed nationwide.
In eighth place are oral and maxillofacial surgeons, making $334,310 a year on average. These occupations were found to be the second-least common of any job in the top ten, with just 4,160 people employed in these professions nationwide.
Ninth place goes to athletes and sports competitors, which is the only non-medical-related job in the top ten. While pay can vary, these occupations were found to make on average $328,830 per year. There were found to be just 14,930 people employed in these professions throughout the U.S.
Rounding out the list in tenth place are ophthalmologists, except pediatricians, who were recorded to make an average of $312,120 annually.
Interestingly, the least common job across the U.S was found to be wooden patternmakers. This job involves planning, laying out, and constructing wooden units or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings, and just 260 people were employed in this field. A wooden patternmaker's average salary was found to be approximately $52,330 per year.
The most common job across the United States was found to be home and personal care aides, with 3,689,350 workers employed. In fact, just over 1 in 50 people across the U.S. workforce were found to be employed in this role.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American workforce is estimated to comprise of 151,853,170 workers. The ten highest-paid jobs make up just 165,650 of those workers, accounting for 0.1% of America’s workforce.
The Ten Highest-Paid Jobs in the America:
Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator, commented on the findings, saying:
“These findings indicate just how well paid these extremely specialized roles are, particularly within the medical field, highlighting the crucial contributions to the country’s health and wellbeing these roles provide. The list comprising of almost completely medical-related roles demonstrates the ongoing demand for medical professionals and support staff, vital for the public health and well-being of the country.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics - May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Methodology: Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates was analyzed, filtering the data to the most detailed roles and figures available. The ranking was completed by compiling the list of all 831 roles from within the data, ranking by ordering from the largest to the smallest mean wage of each role. The data did not include any information for self-employed people.
