Special Report
25 Highest Paying Jobs in America
March 13, 2020 6:38 pm
Last Updated: March 19, 2020 11:25 am
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25. Personal financial advisors
> Median annual earnings: $84,136
> Total number of workers: 448,000
> Projected employment change 2018-2028 7.0%
> Personal financial advisors with a bachelor’s degree: 80.5%
Personal financial advisors help their clients manage their money and plan for their financial future. This line of work tends to pay well, with median annual earnings eclipsing $84,000, nearly $37,000 more than the median income across all workers.
Like nearly all of America’s highest-paying jobs, personal financial advisors tend to be well educated. Over 80% of workers in this field 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree — well more than double the 37% of all American workers.
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24. Management analysts
> Median annual earnings: $84,344
> Total number of workers: 692,000
> Projected employment change 2018-2028 13.5%
> Management analysts with a bachelor’s degree: 77.9%
Management analysts help businesses run more efficiently, saving companies time and money. This job ranks as one of the highest paying, with median annual earnings of $84,344, likely in part because the services of these workers are in high demand. The BLS projects employment growth in this occupation of 13.5% from 2018 to 2028, much higher than the 5.2% growth projected across all occupations in that time.
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23. Mechanical engineers
> Median annual earnings: $84,500
> Total number of workers: 322,000
> Projected employment change 2018-2028 4.1%
> Mechanical engineers with a bachelor’s degree: 76.0%
There are roughly 322,000 mechanical engineers in the U.S. working to design and create machines and mechanical devices. Those working in the profession earn a median annual income of $84,500. Like many of the highest-paying jobs on this list, this occupation is dominated by men. More than 94% of mechanical engineers are male — the largest gender disparity among the 25 highest-paying jobs and one of the largest among all careers in America.
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22. Engineers, all other
> Median annual earnings: $85,072
> Total number of workers: 529,000
> Projected employment change 2018-2028 3.6%
> Engineers, all other with a bachelor’s degree: 81.1%
This segment of engineers includes those in biochemistry, wind and solar energy, nanosystems, and more. Like other types of engineers, these workers are highly educated, with a bachelor’s degree attainment rate of over 80% among adult workers in the field — more than double the rate among the American working population. These engineers typically make more than $85,000 in a year.
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21. Database administrators
> Median annual earnings: $85,384
> Total number of workers: 96,000
> Projected employment change 2018-2028 9.0%
> Database administrators with a bachelor’s degree: 72.3%
As the world grows increasingly dependent on technology, database administrators have become one of the most in-demand career fields. The number of workers in this occupation, who store and organize data, is expected to grow by about 9% over roughly the next decade — much faster than the typical job growth.
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