Special Report
48 Jobs With Six-Figure Salaries
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The average American worker earns just under $50,000 annually. While relatively few families, and even fewer individuals, earn over $100,000 a year, Americans employed in some professions are far more likely to make the coveted six-figure salary.
There are highly paid workers in every profession across all industries. But six-figure salaries are the norm in only 48 occupations. To determine the jobs that normally pay six figures, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed average annual salaries for occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of jobs in these occupations is approximately 11.2 million, or about 8% of the more than 140 million workers employed in jobs considered for this ranking.
Certain fields are more likely than others to have high paying jobs. Management, health care, and engineering occupations account for 31 of the 48 six-figure occupations.
These high paying jobs almost always require a high level of education. For example, while some types of nurse practitioners are paid less than others, all must meet the minimum qualifications of many years of education and experience.
The 48 high-paying jobs may be highly coveted, but they might not be growing like other careers. The largest growth is likely to be in nurse practitioner jobs, with a projected increase in employment of 35%. The projected employment growth for 28 of the 48 six-figure occupations exceeds the average projected growth across all occupations of 7%.
On the other hand, six of the 48 six-figure occupations will shrink by 2024. The largest decline will be in the number of air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists, with an expected decrease of 6%.
Click here to see America’s 48 six-figure jobs.
To identify America’s six-figure jobs, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2016 annual average pay data for the 457 jobs tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the broad occupation level of aggregation. The pay figures as well as employment totals for each occupations are from data released for May 2016 — the latest period for which data is available. The projected change in employment between 2014-2024 are also from the BLS. Projected job openings are calculated by adding the job growth over the 10 year period to the estimated amount of replacements needed to fill the jobs when a worker retires or permanently leaves an occupation.
Source: Thinkstock
48. Software Developers and Programmers
> Average annual wage: $100,080
> 10% of workers earn less than: $53,300
> May 2016 employment: 1,604,570
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 12.5%
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Source: Thinkstock
47. Air Traffic Controllers and Airfield Operations Specialists
> Average annual wage: $100,190
> 10% of workers earn less than: $36,910
> May 2016 employment: 32,000
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: -5.8%
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Source: Thinkstock
46. Veterinarians
> Average annual wage: $100,560
> 10% of workers earn less than: $52,470
> May 2016 employment: 67,650
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 8.9%
Source: Thinkstock
45. Electrical and Electronics Engineers
> Average annual wage: $100,770
> 10% of workers earn less than: $61,240
> May 2016 employment: 315,870
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 0.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
44. Physician Assistants
> Average annual wage: $102,090
> 10% of workers earn less than: $65,620
> May 2016 employment: 104,050
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 30.4%
Source: Thinkstock
43. Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
> Average annual wage: $102,260
> 10% of workers earn less than: $33,340
> May 2016 employment: 353,780
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 9.5%
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Source: Thinkstock
42. Nurse Midwives
> Average annual wage: $102,390
> 10% of workers earn less than: $66,660
> May 2016 employment: 6,270
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 24.6%
Source: Thinkstock
41. Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
> Average annual wage: $103,010
> 10% of workers earn less than: $55,490
> May 2016 employment: 6,940
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 6.4%
Source: Thinkstock
40. Financial Analysts and Advisors
> Average annual wage: $103,050
> 10% of workers earn less than: $44,690
> May 2016 employment: 575,110
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 15.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
39. Judges, Magistrates, and Other Judicial Workers
> Average annual wage: $103,740
> 10% of workers earn less than: $36,530
> May 2016 employment: 48,050
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 0.7%
Source: Thinkstock
38. Nurse Practitioners
> Average annual wage: $104,610
> 10% of workers earn less than: $72,420
> May 2016 employment: 150,230
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 35.2%
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Source: Phovoir / Shutterstock.com
37. Engineering and Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary
> Average annual wage: $105,120
> 10% of workers earn less than: $46,940
> May 2016 employment: 45,370
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 12.5%
Source: Thinkstock
36. Chemical Engineers
> Average annual wage: $105,420
> 10% of workers earn less than: $60,770
> May 2016 employment: 31,990
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 1.8%
Source: Thinkstock
35. Mathematicians
> Average annual wage: $105,600
> 10% of workers earn less than: $54,890
> May 2016 employment: 2,730
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 21.4%
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Source: Thinkstock
34. Nuclear Engineers
> Average annual wage: $105,950
> 10% of workers earn less than: $65,570
> May 2016 employment: 17,680
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: -4.0%
Source: Thinkstock
33. Industrial Production Managers
> Average annual wage: $107,060
> 10% of workers earn less than: $58,610
> May 2016 employment: 168,400
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: -3.7%
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Source: Pressmaster / Shutterstock.com
32. Sales Engineers
> Average annual wage: $108,880
> 10% of workers earn less than: $56,990
> May 2016 employment: 74,330
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 7.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
31. Medical and Health Services Managers
> Average annual wage: $109,370
> 10% of workers earn less than: $56,970
> May 2016 employment: 332,150
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 16.9%
Source: Thinkstock
30. Aerospace Engineers
> Average annual wage: $112,010
> 10% of workers earn less than: $69,150
> May 2016 employment: 68,510
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: -2.3%
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Source: Thinkstock
29. Miscellaneous Managers
> Average annual wage: $112,150
> 10% of workers earn less than: $52,860
> May 2016 employment: 403,670
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: N/A
Source: Pressmaster / Shutterstock.com
28. Economists
> Average annual wage: $112,860
> 10% of workers earn less than: $55,150
> May 2016 employment: 19,380
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 5.7%
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Source: Thinkstock
27. Health Teachers, Postsecondary
> Average annual wage: $113,770
> 10% of workers earn less than: $42,660
> May 2016 employment: 242,940
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 19.1%
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Source: Thinkstock
26. Actuaries
> Average annual wage: $114,120
> 10% of workers earn less than: $58,910
> May 2016 employment: 19,940
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 18.1%
Source: Thinkstock
25. Training and Development Managers
> Average annual wage: $115,180
> 10% of workers earn less than: $57,760
> May 2016 employment: 32,880
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 7.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
24. Computer and Information Research Scientists
> Average annual wage: $116,320
> 10% of workers earn less than: $64,950
> May 2016 employment: 26,580
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 10.7%
Source: Thinkstock
23. Optometrists
> Average annual wage: $117,580
> 10% of workers earn less than: $52,810
> May 2016 employment: 36,430
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 27.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
22. Purchasing Managers
> Average annual wage: $117,720
> 10% of workers earn less than: $63,380
> May 2016 employment: 71,750
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 1.0%
Source: Thinkstock
21. Advertising and Promotions Managers
> Average annual wage: $117,810
> 10% of workers earn less than: $44,950
> May 2016 employment: 28,860
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 4.7%
Source: Thinkstock
20. Computer Hardware Engineers
> Average annual wage: $118,700
> 10% of workers earn less than: $66,870
> May 2016 employment: 72,950
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 3.1%
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Source: Thinkstock
19. Human Resources Managers
> Average annual wage: $120,210
> 10% of workers earn less than: $63,140
> May 2016 employment: 129,810
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 8.8%
Source: Thinkstock
18. Pharmacists
> Average annual wage: $120,270
> 10% of workers earn less than: $87,120
> May 2016 employment: 305,510
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 3.1%
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Source: Thinkstock
17. Astronomers and Physicists
> Average annual wage: $120,650
> 10% of workers earn less than: $57,310
> May 2016 employment: 18,510
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 7.4%
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Source: Thinkstock
16. General and Operations Managers
> Average annual wage: $122,090
> 10% of workers earn less than: $44,290
> May 2016 employment: 2,188,870
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 7.1%
Source: Thinkstock
15. Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
> Average annual wage: $123,360
> 10% of workers earn less than: $59,070
> May 2016 employment: 63,970
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 7.1%
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Source: Thinkstock
14. Compensation and Benefits Managers
> Average annual wage: $126,900
> 10% of workers earn less than: $66,150
> May 2016 employment: 15,230
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 6.5%
Source: Thinkstock
13. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
> Average annual wage: $131,250
> 10% of workers earn less than: $51,130
> May 2016 employment: 120,500
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 4.5%
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Source: Thinkstock
12. Natural Sciences Managers
> Average annual wage: $136,150
> 10% of workers earn less than: $66,920
> May 2016 employment: 54,780
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 3.3%
Source: Thinkstock
11. Lawyers and Judicial Law Clerks
> Average annual wage: $138,190
> 10% of workers earn less than: $55,460
> May 2016 employment: 632,940
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 5.4%
Source: Thinkstock
10. Marketing and Sales Managers
> Average annual wage: $138,350
> 10% of workers earn less than: $59,280
> May 2016 employment: 571,120
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 6.5%
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Source: Thinkstock
9. Financial Managers
> Average annual wage: $139,720
> 10% of workers earn less than: $65,000
> May 2016 employment: 543,300
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 6.8%
8. Architectural and Engineering Managers
> Average annual wage: $143,870
> 10% of workers earn less than: $86,000
> May 2016 employment: 178,390
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 2.0%
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Source: Thinkstock
7. Podiatrists
> Average annual wage: $144,110
> 10% of workers earn less than: $48,830
> May 2016 employment: 9,800
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 14.1%
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Source: Thinkstock
6. Computer and Information Systems Managers
> Average annual wage: $145,740
> 10% of workers earn less than: $82,360
> May 2016 employment: 352,510
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 15.4%
Source: Thinkstock
5. Petroleum Engineers
> Average annual wage: $147,030
> 10% of workers earn less than: $73,000
> May 2016 employment: 32,780
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 9.8%
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Source: Thinkstock
4. Nurse Anesthetists
> Average annual wage: $164,030
> 10% of workers earn less than: $107,960
> May 2016 employment: 39,860
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 19.3%
Source: Thinkstock
3. Dentists
> Average annual wage: $178,670
> 10% of workers earn less than: $67,660
> May 2016 employment: 122,330
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 17.6%
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Source: Thinkstock
2. Chief Executives
> Average annual wage: $194,350
> 10% of workers earn less than: $69,780
> May 2016 employment: 223,260
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: -1.2%
Source: Thinkstock
1. Physicians and Surgeons
> Average annual wage: $210,170
> 10% of workers earn less than: $61,870
> May 2016 employment: 649,850
> Projected employment chg. 2014-2024: 14.0%
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