Wages by Occupation
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces annual wage estimates for over 800 occupations. Data comes from semi-annual surveys of approximately 200,000 nonfarm establishments. Wages shown are annual full-time equivalent rates, not actual earnings (which vary by hours worked).
Data vintage: OEWS 2023.
Highest-Paid Occupations (National Median)
| Occupation | P25 | Median | P75 | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $85,110 | $236,000 | — | 310,080 |
| Prosthodontists | $176,800 | $234,000 | — | 570 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $188,860 | $227,690 | — | 5,920 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $152,810 | $224,640 | — | 112,010 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $108,380 | $223,310 | — | 67,210 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $142,770 | $219,140 | — | 93,670 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $180,840 | $212,650 | — | 47,810 |
| Chief Executives | $130,840 | $206,680 | — | 211,230 |
| Pediatricians, General | $141,050 | $198,690 | — | 34,870 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $131,770 | $169,510 | $214,050 | 592,600 |
| Dentists, General | $123,670 | $166,300 | $218,030 | 121,640 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $132,890 | $165,370 | $203,030 | 207,800 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $109,300 | $157,740 | $212,080 | 96,520 |
| Marketing Managers | $108,000 | $157,620 | $208,000 | 368,940 |
| Financial Managers | $110,190 | $156,100 | $210,830 | 787,340 |
| Physicists | $112,610 | $155,680 | $186,330 | 18,350 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $84,300 | $148,910 | $182,200 | 24,470 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $90,100 | $147,420 | $219,410 | 1,030 |
| Lawyers | $98,030 | $145,760 | $217,360 | 731,340 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $109,990 | $145,080 | $185,160 | 35,210 |
Understanding Wage Percentiles
The 10th percentile is the wage below which 10% of workers fall — typically the entry-level floor. The median (50th percentile) is the midpoint — half earn more, half earn less. The 90th percentile is what top earners make. A wide spread between P10 and P90 indicates high wage inequality within the occupation — usually reflecting large returns to experience, skill level, or employer quality.