For some, a job is a fiery passion. For others, it is the answer to a plush lifestyle. Nevertheless, it’s a double benefit if the job you are passionate about turns out in this list of the highest-paying jobs in America.
About 70 percent of individuals seeking jobs today believe that salary is a major element when it comes to evaluating their options for employment. Let's take a look at 25 of the highest-paying jobs in America, based on data obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A majority of the 25 positions are in technology while a few include healthcare and finance.
1. Compensation Manager
Average national salary: $95,020 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Develop, analyze and maintain the systems of payment for companies. Responsibilities include understanding the current pay scales and salary levels for specific job roles, ensuring that the pay packages of employees are competitive, and overseeing the payment distribution to all employees on the payroll.
2. Midwife
Average national salary: $100,386 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Offer support to mothers and their families throughout the stages of labor, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Certain midwives also offer general women's health care that include gynecological services. Midwives assess and monitor their patients, support in labor, offer emotional as well as physical assistance and provide treatments or medication according to the need.
3. Aeronautical Engineer
Average national salary: $101,380 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Responsible for the operation of satellites, aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and the parts that comprise these craft. Aeronautical engineers use their knowledge and technical expertise to evaluate the requirements for design, develop and create new designs and processes to analyze the data and make interpretations, create documents like technical guides and reports, build components for aircraft, and assess the efficiency that their planes provide.
4. Physician Assistant
Average national salary: $106,452 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Provides medical care to patients, which includes examinations, diagnostic tests, and medication. In many locations, physician assistants are under the direction of doctors; however, they are able to operate independently in certain towns and state governments. Their responsibilities could include giving medication and vaccinations as well as keeping records of patients and advising patients to recommend changes in their lifestyles and behavior.
5. Actuary
Average national salary: $107,267 a year
Primary Responsibilities: Studies the financial costs that come with the risk. Their responsibilities include applying theories of finance and concepts of mathematics and statistics to determine the probability that an event could occur. After determining the probability of risk, an actuary can help develop an approach to reduce the risk. They typically are employed by insurance companies.
6. Rig Manager
Average national salary: $108,413 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Accountable for supervising the staff on an oil drilling rig. They are responsible for monitoring rig activities, implementing safety regulations and measures, educating new personnel in drilling, as well as overseeing other duties which are performed on the drilling rig.
7. Chief Executive Officer
Average national salary: $109,749 per year
Primary Responsibilities: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the top leader of a business. They are accountable for managing the operation and resources of the business, serving as the main point of contact between employees and shareholders (if appropriate) and also acting as the face of the organization.
8. Nurse Practitioner
Average national salary: $114,138 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Nurse practitioners are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who provide treatment and care for patients. Their daily duties are comparable to those of physician assistants and physicians. They are also able to diagnose illnesses as well as prescribe medication to their patients. Nurse practitioners usually pick a specialization and offer care in that specific area.
9. Pharmacy Manager
Average national salary: $115,120 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Supervises a pharmacy's day-to-day operations and manage the personnel. Their tasks include filling prescriptions, ensuring quality, collaborating with doctors and patients and administering vaccinations, ensuring the protocols for inventory management, and adhering to the laws and regulations governing controlled substances.
10. Optometrist
Average national salary: $122,540 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Diagnoses and treats vision issues, as well as eye injuries and disorders. Their main responsibilities include conducting eye tests and analyzing the results, offering post-operative and pre-operative treatment as well as diagnosing vision problems, screening patients for any other possible ailments and prescribing eye aids including contacts and glasses.
11. Data Scientist
Average national salary: $123,716 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Collects data, analyzes and understands the data they collect and uses their knowledge to come up with solutions for complex business issues. They employ a variety of technical skills and tools to gather and analyze data. This includes machine learning, coding, programming languages, databases, and reporting tools.
12. Chief Financial Officer
Average national salary: $132,293 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Collaborates with other executives of a company to oversee the organization’s finances, as well as all the required financial reporting. In this position, an executive is also involved in the formulation of high-level strategy and policy decisions, ensures compliance with regulations, identifies and manages financial risks, and supervises the organization's financial operations.
13. Clinical Pharmacist
Average national salary: $133,441 a year
Primary Responsibilities: Interacts directly with prescribers and patients to fill prescriptions and review patient records. They also provide advice on medicines dosages, substances and dosages, keep track of the progress of patients as well as medication regimens and evaluate the effectiveness of medications.
14. Senior Software Engineer
Average national salary: $139,148 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Responsible for the creation of software systems and information systems. They have to determine if the system can be operationally viable. They also design and implement solutions, keep up-to-date with the most current development tools, and modify an application or system according to the requirements of the user.
15. Software Architect
Average national salary: $139,586 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Responsible for the creation of software and systems through the development and design process. Their primary responsibility is to create software that meets the needs of a company, client, or consumer. They typically supervise or collaborate with a group of programmers and software developers.
16. Chief Marketing Officer
Average national salary: $143,648 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Accountable for overseeing all marketing activities for a company or brand. Their primary responsibilities include creating and implementing marketing strategies as well as conducting market research, directing employees of their marketing teams, directing the department's budget, as well as setting and monitoring goals that are related to growth in the business and the success of marketing.
17. Corporate Lawyer
Average national salary: $168,747 a year
Primary Responsibilities: Experts in commercial law who collaborate with an organization to make sure that all business transactions conform to corporate laws and regulations. They usually draft contract documents as well as legal documents. They also negotiate agreements or partnerships and provide legal representation.
18. Patent Attorney
Average national salary: $177,044 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Specializes in intellectual property law, which includes trademarks, patents, copyright law, as well as design rights. They represent creators, companies, or businesses in submitting patent applications and other legal protections and also act as litigators to defend their clients’ rights to their inventions and intellectual property.
19. Certified Nurse Anaesthetist
Average national salary: $181,297 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Collaborate with dentists, surgeons, as well as other medical service providers to ensure the safe and correct administration of anesthesia. They aid in the management of pain, stabilization procedures, and recovery of patients. Nurse anesthetists monitor patients throughout and after surgical procedures to ensure the safety of their patients.
20. Physician
Average national salary: $201,655 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Offers medical treatment and care to patients. Doctors select their field of expertise prior to entering practice, which determines what type of diseases they can treat. Their primary responsibilities include taking medical histories as well as conducting diagnostic tests, prescribing medicines and performing further treatment.
21. Dentist
Average national salary: $201,770 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Offers oral health care, which includes treatments for teeth, gums as well as other parts of the mouth. Their responsibilities include the removal of dental decay, filling in cavities, repairing damaged teeth, as well as administering anesthesia and prescribing medicines.
22. Psychiatrist
Average national salary: $220,525 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Specialized in the treatment of mental disorders, their responsibilities include diagnosing, treating, and assisting to prevent the development of these disorders. They also collect patient data, work with other healthcare professionals, and analyze test results and data.
23. Surgeon
Average national salary: $229,948 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Perform surgery on patients. Before he or she can enter the field, a surgeon decides their specialization including general surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedics, or other fields of medical practice. They develop treatment plans, perform procedures, observe patients before and after surgery, and deal with any concerns.
24. Orthodontist
Average national salary: $240,599 per annum
Primary Responsibilities: Orthodontists are medical professionals who examine and treat any anomalies in the mouth, as well as dental malocclusions. They straighten and realign teeth and jaws with retainers, braces and other orthodontic appliances.
25. Anesthesiologist
Average national salary: $353,162 per year
Primary Responsibilities: An anesthesiologist is a doctor who specializes in providing care to patients prior to, during as well as after surgical or medical procedures. The doctor administers anesthesia, checks patients for any reactions or complications, and offers pain management services.
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