- The highest-paying job varies across the United States.
- Using data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, we found the highest-paying occupation in every state and DC.
- Doctors and surgeons top the ranking in almost every state.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Doctors make a lot of money across the United States.
Using data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics program, we found the job in each state with the highest average annual salary as of May 2019, the latest available data. For our calculations, we considered jobs employing at least 1,000 people in the state for which the BLS reported annual mean salaries.
Medical jobs are extremely common among well-compensated occupations. Various types of doctors were the highest-paying occupation in 39 states and DC.
Doctors and other medical professionals are currently on the frontlines of the novel coronavirus pandemic where they have been treating infected patients and providing other medical assistance over the past few months.
Because so many of these jobs were the highest paying in multiple states, we’ve arranged the list in alphabetical order of the 11 jobs that appear on the above map. We’ve also included a list of the states for which that job is the highest paying, along with the job’s average annual salary in those states:
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
What they do, according to O*NET: Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo.
Alaska: $US171,030
Michigan: $US238,270
Nevada: $US234,750
Architectural and engineering managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
Idaho: $US145,860
Anesthesiologists
What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who administer anesthetics prior to, during, or after surgery or other medical procedures.
Florida: $US268,470
Illinois: $US262,890
Texas: $US241,090
Chief executives
What they do, according to O*NET: Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organisations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body.
District of Columbia: $US235,450
Oregon: $US212,010
Pennsylvania: $US228,620
Virginia: $US225,950
Family medicine physicians
What they do, according to BLS: Diagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan.
Arizona: $US222,230
Arkansas: $US218,870
Iowa: $US235,980
Missouri: $US209,990
Nebraska: $US233,480
North Carolina: $US217,690
Oklahoma: $US217,520
South Carolina: $US229,710
Wisconsin: $US251,710
Financial managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate financial activities.
North Dakota: $US133,980
Vermont: $US105,160
General and operations managers
What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of public or private organisations.
South Dakota: $US128,890
Wyoming: $US102,040
General internal medicine physicians
What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems.
Maryland: $US203,270
Minnesota: $US242,390
Obstetricians and gynecologists
What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who provide medical care related to pregnancy or childbirth and those who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women, particularly those affecting the reproductive system.
New York: $US216,760
Physicians, all other, and ophthalmologists (except pediatric)
This occupational category is a catchall for various medical specialisations that are not classified under any other group. According to the Labour Department’s O*NET occupational database, some of the specialisations in this category include radiologists, hospitalists, and pathologists, among others.
Alabama: $US196,650
Colorado: $US220,710
Connecticut: $US208,310
Delaware: $US224,130
Georgia: $US236,530
Hawaii: $US229,310
Indiana: $US244,980
Kansas: $US182,180
Kentucky: $US225,240
Louisiana: $US193,670
Maine: $US251,930
Mississippi: $US171,050
Montana: $US247,720
New Hampshire: $US257,220
New Mexico: $US229,770
Rhode Island: $US205,090
Tennessee: $US192,190
Utah: $US209,420
Washington: $US238,350
West Virginia: $US207,040
Surgeons
What they do, according to O*NET: Physicians who treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive, minimally-invasive, or non-invasive surgical methods, such as using instruments, appliances, or by manual manipulation.
California: $US248,100
Massachusetts: $US242,310
New Jersey: $US279,660
Ohio: $US280,030
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