Highest Paying Jobs
Doctor postings advertised the highest typical pay of the 117 roles we can rank in October 2026, $250k to $384k, followed by machine learning engineer and lawyer.
From 525,092 US postings at 16,264 employers' career sites we crawl, first seen October 1 to 31, 2026. From our US Job Postings Report: October 2026. These are advertised ranges, which can differ from what people end up earning.
The 25 highest paying jobs in October 2026
Show as a table
| Role | Bottom | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor | $250k | $384k | - |
| Machine learning engineer | $153k | $222k | - |
| Lawyer | $150k | $213k | - |
| Backend engineer | $147k | $210k | - |
| Software architect | $146k | $209k | - |
| AI engineer | $145k | $215k | - |
| Product manager | $144k | $204k | - |
| Sales engineer | $142k | $200k | - |
| Hardware engineer | $140k | $208k | - |
| Sales manager | $140k | $198k | - |
| Program manager | $137k | $200k | - |
| Full-stack engineer | $135k | $195k | - |
| DevOps engineer | $130k | $187k | - |
| Data engineer | $130k | $180k | - |
| Software engineer | $129k | $194k | - |
| Data scientist | $128k | $194k | - |
| Business development manager | $128k | $175k | - |
| Investment professional | $125k | $175k | - |
| Nurse practitioner | $125k | $160k | - |
| Embedded engineer | $120k | $181k | - |
| Cloud engineer | $120k | $179k | - |
| Marketing manager | $120k | $163k | - |
| General manager | $120k | $162k | - |
| Cybersecurity specialist | $115k | $179k | - |
| Systems engineer | $114k | $184k | - |
Ranked by the bottom of the typical advertised range. Each bar runs from the median bottom of the range to its median top. 24% to 79% of each role's postings state pay, and the chart is of those.
Highest paying jobs where most postings do not ask for a bachelor's degree
Show as a table
| Role | Bottom | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site manager | $100k | $140k | - |
| Facilities manager | $81k | $104k | - |
| Logistics manager | $80k | $105k | - |
| Nurse | $79k | $114k | - |
| Imaging technologist | $79k | $110k | - |
| Field sales representative | $79k | $108k | - |
| Executive assistant | $75k | $108k | - |
| Electrician | $73k | $94k | - |
| Field service engineer | $70k | $100k | - |
| Financial advisor | $68k | $90k | - |
Roles where under half of the postings that state education ask for a bachelor's or more, ranked the same way.
All 117 roles, ranked by salary
| 1 | Doctor | $250k to $384k | 44% | 3,803 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiology | $500k to $635k | 33% | 93 | |
| Cardiology | $460k to $623k | 33% | 107 | |
| Anesthesiology | $520k to $585k | 42% | 69 | |
| Gastroenterology | $493k to $508k | 33% | 61 | |
| Surgery (general and other) | $400k to $537k | 77% | 341 | |
| Dermatology | $413k to $530k | 35% | 77 | |
| Emergency medicine | $356k to $450k | 60% | 114 | |
| Oncology and hematology | $375k to $451k | 28% | 80 | |
| Obstetrics and gynecology | $300k to $374k | 41% | 131 | |
| Neurology | $290k to $375k | 26% | 92 | |
| Urgent care | $314k to $387k | 64% | 33 | |
| Hospital medicine | $269k to $329k | 28% | 138 | |
| Psychiatry | $262k to $340k | 57% | 266 | |
| Internal medicine | $225k to $314k | 58% | 139 | |
| Family medicine and primary care | $248k to $312k | 48% | 321 | |
| Physical medicine and rehabilitation | $229k to $302k | 53% | 59 | |
| Pediatrics | $220k to $302k | 29% | 132 | |
| 2 | Machine learning engineer | $153k to $222k | 67% | 1,318 |
| 3 | Lawyer | $150k to $213k | 66% | 2,332 |
| 4 | Backend engineer | $147k to $210k | 70% | 1,480 |
| 5 | Software architect | $146k to $209k | 68% | 1,867 |
| 6 | AI engineer | $145k to $215k | 72% | 1,626 |
| 7 | Product manager | $144k to $204k | 73% | 4,618 |
| 8 | Sales engineer | $142k to $200k | 70% | 1,933 |
| 9 | Hardware engineer | $140k to $208k | 66% | 1,601 |
| 10 | Sales manager | $140k to $198k | 62% | 2,655 |
| 11 | Program manager | $137k to $200k | 66% | 4,645 |
| 12 | Full-stack engineer | $135k to $195k | 72% | 2,149 |
| 13 | DevOps engineer | $130k to $187k | 71% | 1,566 |
| 14 | Data engineer | $130k to $180k | 71% | 2,130 |
| 15 | Software engineer | $129k to $194k | 66% | 5,289 |
| 16 | Data scientist | $128k to $194k | 71% | 1,582 |
| 17 | Business development manager | $128k to $175k | 60% | 2,800 |
| 18 | Investment professional | $125k to $175k | 73% | 1,256 |
| 19 | Nurse practitioner | $125k to $160k | 55% | 1,875 |
| 20 | Embedded engineer | $120k to $181k | 71% | 1,034 |
| 21 | Cloud engineer | $120k to $179k | 69% | 1,031 |
| 22 | Marketing manager | $120k to $163k | 65% | 2,783 |
| 23 | General manager | $120k to $162k | 60% | 1,140 |
| 24 | Cybersecurity specialist | $115k to $179k | 72% | 4,040 |
| 25 | Systems engineer | $114k to $184k | 79% | 2,543 |
| 26 | Account executive | $113k to $154k | 67% | 3,955 |
| 27 | Management consultant | $112k to $176k | 67% | 1,129 |
| 28 | Electrical engineer | $100k to $151k | 63% | 3,118 |
| 29 | Quality engineer | $100k to $152k | 63% | 2,651 |
| 30 | ERP and CRM specialist | $100k to $150k | 66% | 2,580 |
| 31 | Mechanical engineer | $100k to $150k | 63% | 2,618 |
| 32 | QA engineer | $100k to $150k | 68% | 1,135 |
| 33 | Account manager | $100k to $140k | 66% | 5,062 |
| 34 | Site manager | $100k to $140k | 40% | 1,082 |
| 35 | Accountant | $100k to $135k | 57% | 4,367 |
| 36 | Customer success manager | $100k to $133k | 67% | 2,500 |
| 37 | Network engineer | $99k to $150k | 68% | 1,377 |
| 38 | Test engineer | $99k to $150k | 66% | 1,834 |
| 39 | Project manager | $98k to $140k | 57% | 8,305 |
| 40 | Sales operations specialist | $97k to $140k | 65% | 1,139 |
| 41 | Risk analyst | $97k to $146k | 71% | 1,788 |
| 42 | Project engineer | $96k to $136k | 52% | 1,345 |
| 43 | Systems administrator | $94k to $143k | 69% | 1,698 |
| 44 | Communications specialist | $94k to $128k | 70% | 1,497 |
| 45 | Industrial engineer | $93k to $138k | 59% | 2,566 |
| 46 | Financial analyst | $93k to $135k | 66% | 4,226 |
| 47 | Digital marketer | $92k to $120k | 63% | 1,862 |
| 48 | Compliance specialist | $91k to $134k | 67% | 1,958 |
| 49 | Research scientist | $90k to $125k | 59% | 3,763 |
| 50 | Healthcare manager | $90k to $124k | 42% | 3,054 |
| 51 | Health and safety specialist | $90k to $120k | 48% | 1,684 |
| 52 | HR generalist | $90k to $120k | 56% | 3,030 |
| 53 | Procurement specialist | $89k to $130k | 59% | 3,124 |
| 54 | Data analyst | $88k to $127k | 67% | 2,272 |
| 55 | Operations manager | $88k to $120k | 60% | 11,085 |
| 56 | Business analyst | $85k to $128k | 63% | 2,407 |
| 57 | Civil engineer | $85k to $117k | 42% | 2,071 |
| 58 | Payroll and benefits specialist | $85k to $116k | 57% | 1,279 |
| 59 | Rehabilitation therapist | $85k to $104k | 41% | 5,949 |
| 60 | Recruiter | $81k to $110k | 58% | 2,563 |
| 61 | Lecturer | $81k to $96k | 24% | 1,792 |
| 62 | Facilities manager | $81k to $104k | 57% | 1,127 |
| 63 | Logistics manager | $80k to $105k | 54% | 1,959 |
| 64 | Nurse | $79k to $114k | 36% | 27,945 |
| 65 | Imaging technologist | $79k to $110k | 28% | 3,958 |
| 66 | Mental health professional | $79k to $102k | 67% | 4,071 |
| 67 | Field sales representative | $79k to $108k | 69% | 6,507 |
| 68 | Executive assistant | $75k to $108k | 60% | 1,324 |
| 69 | Clinical research associate | $75k to $112k | 55% | 1,243 |
| 70 | Technical support specialist | $73k to $102k | 65% | 1,167 |
| 71 | Electrician | $73k to $94k | 49% | 1,240 |
| 72 | Supply chain planner | $71k to $103k | 55% | 2,509 |
| 73 | Trainer | $70k to $93k | 59% | 1,901 |
| 74 | Field service engineer | $70k to $100k | 63% | 1,091 |
| 75 | Financial advisor | $68k to $90k | 60% | 1,055 |
| 76 | Insurance specialist | $67k to $98k | 46% | 3,228 |
| 77 | Allied health professional | $63k to $85k | 35% | 6,271 |
| 78 | Plumber or HVAC technician | $62k to $90k | 55% | 1,499 |
| 79 | Dental professional | $62k to $73k | 49% | 1,052 |
| 80 | Paralegal | $60k to $80k | 60% | 1,013 |
| 81 | IT support specialist | $59k to $79k | 58% | 1,874 |
| 82 | School administrator | $57k to $65k | 65% | 1,237 |
| 83 | Machinist | $56k to $71k | 56% | 1,037 |
| 84 | Truck driver | $56k to $62k | 54% | 3,317 |
| 85 | Event coordinator | $55k to $65k | 54% | 1,459 |
| 86 | Mechanic | $54k to $73k | 55% | 5,174 |
| 87 | Quality control inspector | $54k to $71k | 48% | 2,319 |
| 88 | Maintenance technician | $54k to $69k | 52% | 9,980 |
| 89 | Social worker | $54k to $64k | 58% | 2,388 |
| 90 | Care coordinator | $54k to $73k | 52% | 3,710 |
| 91 | Inside sales representative | $52k to $73k | 48% | 2,961 |
| 92 | Bookkeeper | $50k to $62k | 51% | 1,528 |
| 93 | Inspector | $49k to $67k | 46% | 1,111 |
| 94 | Installer | $48k to $70k | 59% | 1,082 |
| 95 | Banker | $48k to $64k | 47% | 10,050 |
| 96 | Lab technician | $48k to $60k | 53% | 1,612 |
| 97 | Construction worker | $46k to $56k | 39% | 1,272 |
| 98 | Administrative assistant | $45k to $56k | 51% | 4,909 |
| 99 | Behavior technician | $44k to $56k | 64% | 2,109 |
| 100 | Production worker | $44k to $50k | 53% | 10,734 |
| 101 | Medical assistant | $42k to $58k | 35% | 5,297 |
| 102 | Customer support agent | $42k to $50k | 56% | 3,914 |
| 103 | Real estate agent | $42k to $48k | 59% | 1,238 |
| 104 | Security officer | $42k to $48k | 58% | 3,222 |
| 105 | Warehouse worker | $42k to $46k | 57% | 11,176 |
| 106 | Teaching assistant | $42k to $45k | 72% | 1,381 |
| 107 | Hotel receptionist | $42k to $44k | 41% | 1,312 |
| 108 | Medical administrator | $40k to $52k | 38% | 11,864 |
| 109 | Care worker | $40k to $48k | 40% | 15,513 |
| 110 | Call centre agent | $40k to $46k | 53% | 1,536 |
| 111 | Cook or chef | $40k to $44k | 47% | 3,890 |
| 112 | Housekeeper | $37k to $42k | 42% | 1,255 |
| 113 | Merchandiser | $37k to $42k | 71% | 2,228 |
| 114 | Early childhood educator | $35k to $44k | 79% | 1,430 |
| 115 | Sales associate | $35k to $42k | 62% | 23,245 |
| 116 | Cleaner | $35k to $38k | 56% | 6,308 |
| 117 | Server or bartender | $33k to $37k | 47% | 3,707 |
Postings read is a sample size for this role and month, not a count of US jobs. Roles with fewer postings, or whose pay we hold this month, are left out. Under Doctor, 17 specialties read from the job title. They count each employer once and show from 20 postings stating pay at 5 or more employers, so they are not ranked with the roles; see Doctor Salaries by Specialty.
US postings only, from the career sites of employers we crawl, first seen October 1 to 31, 2026. This is not all US jobs: we read employers with an online career site, which leans toward tech and toward mid-size and large companies, and we keep adding employers. So we report pay and shares, and a posting count is only a sample size. Role, level, work mode and education are read from each posting by our AI and were checked against the postings on a sample of 1,049: role 96% right, level 94%, work mode 85%, education 98%, years 99%. Skills are read the same way and have had a lighter check: a second model, on 108 postings, found 96% named in the posting and 87% really skills. Visa sponsorship is read the same way and was checked against the postings: 129 of 150 that our AI counted as sponsoring say so, and most of the others only accept people who already hold a visa. Of 3,350 postings it did not count that mention a visa, 3 say they sponsor. So the visa shares run a little high.