The highest-paid medical specialty in the US averages over $800,000 a year. Some essential workers earn 1/30th that.
How to Play: Guess if the profession on the right has a HIGHER or LOWER median annual salary than the one on the left.
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Top 10 Highest-Paid US Professions
US median salaries by profession from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics. Medicine, finance, and tech leadership dominate top positions.
| # | Name | Median Annual Salary (USD) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tech CEO (top quartile) | 2,000,000 | USD |
| 2 | Hedge Fund Manager (sr) | 1,000,000 | USD |
| 3 | Neurosurgeon | 850,000 | USD |
| 4 | Cardiothoracic Surgeon | 750,000 | USD |
| 5 | Orthopedic Surgeon | 650,000 | USD |
| 6 | Big Tech VP | 600,000 | USD |
| 7 | Plastic Surgeon | 550,000 | USD |
| 8 | Anesthesiologist | 500,000 | USD |
| 9 | Radiologist | 475,000 | USD |
| 10 | Investment Banker (MD) | 450,000 | USD |
Salary Stratification
Medical specialties dominate top tier. Neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and orthopedic surgery are the most lucrative due to long training (15+ years) and procedure complexity.
FAANG (Facebook/Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) software engineers can earn $250K+ in salary plus stock. Senior staff engineers easily exceed $400K with equity.
Bottom of list — fast food, retail, food service — pays barely above minimum wage. Despite essential work during COVID, wages have not kept pace with inflation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Highest-paying job?
Neurosurgeons at ~$850K median. Top hedge fund managers and tech CEOs go higher but are exceptions.
Why do doctors make so much?
Long training (8+ years post-college), high stakes, malpractice insurance costs, and AMA-controlled residency slots create supply scarcity.
Is FAANG salary really that high?
Yes for senior engineers. Total comp (salary + stock + bonus) regularly exceeds $400K for L6/L7 levels at top tech companies.
Are these median or top?
Median for the profession. Top earners in any field can make far more than median.
Note: Median annual salaries per BLS and Glassdoor as of 2024.
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