A new year is upon us and the U.S. News Best Jobs report for 2024 has been released. According to the survey, the best jobs have a few things in common: “They pay well, challenge us year after year, match our talents and skills, aren’t too stressful, offer room to advance throughout our careers, and provide a satisfying work-life balance.”
But let’s face it—the average salary is one of the first things we look at. Below, we’ll consider the top-paying jobs from this year’s report.
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Best Paying Jobs for 2024
This year, each of the 25 best-paying jobs has an average salary of more than $100,000 per year. You will find them listed below, ranked from the highest to the lowest salaries.
1-3. Anesthesiologist, OBGYN, and Oral Surgeon
Three of the top-paid medical roles are tied for first place with a median salary of $239,200. All three roles require a doctorate degree. While the pay is good, job growth is slow. Anesthesiologists, who manage drugs and monitor vital signs during surgery or illness, can expect 1,000 new openings by 2031. Obstetricians and gynecologists, who care for women’s health and pregnancies, will see only 500 new jobs, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, who specialize in surgeries of the mouth and head, will see only 200 new openings. This represents the smallest job growth of all the careers on this list.
4. Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists enjoy a median salary of $226,880. You’ll find psychologists later on this list, but psychiatrists get the big bucks because they also have to have medical training and licensure to prescribe medication. A doctorate is the minimum education requirement, a commitment of eight years or more.
5. Nurse Anesthetist
Anesthesiologists made our top spot, but nurse anesthetists also made the list. They can expect a median salary of just over $200,000. Instead of the anesthesiologist’s Ph.D., nurse anesthetists require just a master’s degree.
6. Pediatrician
Pediatricians average just over $190,000 per year. They focus on the treatment of infants, children, and young adults. A doctorate degree is required.
7. Orthodontist
If you had braces growing up, you helped your orthodontist earn an average salary of $174,000. Like most medical professionals on our list, a doctorate is required.
8. IT Manager
The tech sector enters at No. 8. IT managers can expect an average salary of $164,000. Their educational requirements are more attainable—a bachelor’s degree in information technology or a related field.
9. Dentist
Dentists don’t make quite as much as orthodontists at $155,000 per year. They still need a doctorate degree to care for your teeth, gums, and mouth.
10. Podiatrist
Podiatrists focus on the medical care of the feet and lower legs. Again, a Ph.D. is required. The median salary for podiatrists is $148,000.
11. Marketing Manager
Marketing managers maximize profits by determining prices and publicity strategies. They are needed in virtually every industry. Marketing managers can expect an average of $140,000 with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
12. Financial Manager
Financial managers help businesses and individuals navigate investments, Fintech, and long-term financial strategies. They need a bachelor’s degree in finance or a related field and can expect $139,000 per year.
13. Industrial Psychologist
Industrial psychologists use their expertise to analyze and solve organizational problems. They need a master’s degree and make just over $139,000. Interestingly, many industrial psychologists are self-employed, working gig-style for government entities, hospitals, and large businesses.
14. Lawyer
Lawyers have long been known as top earners, and this is still true in 2024. They can expect a median salary of $135,000. There is a lot of job growth expected in the law field—more than 62,000 new jobs in the next decade. It’s a long path to pursue educationally, requiring a doctorate and licensure.
Other Top Paying Careers
We’ve taken a detailed look at 14 of the top 25 paying jobs for 2024. Pharmacists, petroleum engineers, sales managers, political scientists, software developers, computer network architects, physician assistants, optometrists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and actuaries also made the list.
Key Takeaways
What did you learn from this list of high-paying jobs? First, in order to earn a high salary, one must pursue higher education. All of the jobs on the list require at least a bachelor’s degree, some a master’s or doctorate.
Second, the medical field boasts a high concentration of well-paying jobs. Fifteen of the 25 fields are related to medicine, and medical careers occupy the top seven slots.
Technological expertise is also important. Several careers are in the field of computer technology, and all sectors employ it.