SALARY DATA

Average Salary by Occupation 2024

All 116 occupation categories ranked by national median salary — official BLS OES May 2024 data. Click any occupation for a full state-by-state breakdown.

The spread between the highest- and lowest-paying occupations in the United States is enormous. Physicians and surgeons earn a national median of $229,300 — more than seven times the $32,000 median for food servers and waitstaff. Three sectors dominate the top of the table: healthcare (physicians, dentists, pharmacists), management (executives, IT managers, financial managers), and technology (software developers, data scientists, cybersecurity).

The 10th–90th percentile range shown below illustrates how wide wage distributions are within a single occupation category. Software developers span from $74,620 (10th percentile) to $208,000+ (90th percentile) — a nearly 3x range that reflects differences in specialization, employer size, and geography. Knowing your median isn’t enough; knowing your percentile within that occupation tells you far more about your market position.

All figures are national estimates from BLS OES May 2024. State-level wages differ significantly — California and Washington salaries can run 20–30% above national medians in technology roles, while Southern and Midwestern states often pay 10–20% below national for the same occupations. Click any occupation in the table to see the full state breakdown and calculate your exact percentile.

#	Occupation	Median	10th Pct	90th Pct
1	Physicians & Surgeons	$229,300	$109,280	$414,000
2	Top Executives & CEOs	$189,520	$71,930	$208,000
3	Airline Pilots & Flight Crew	$171,000	$80,000	$208,000
4	IT & Technology Managers	$169,510	$88,710	$208,000
5	Dentists & Orthodontists	$162,750	$82,000	$208,000
6	Marketing & Sales Managers	$158,280	$68,030	$208,000
7	Financial Managers	$156,100	$74,040	$208,000
8	Judges, Hearing Officers & Magistrates	$143,360	$54,000	$208,000
9	Human Resources Managers	$136,350	$68,060	$208,000
10	Air Traffic Controllers	$136,190	$67,000	$208,000
11	Pharmacists	$136,030	$99,000	$170,560
12	Lawyers & Attorneys	$135,740	$61,000	$208,000
13	Optometrists	$127,410	$76,000	$195,000
14	Software Developers & Engineers	$127,260	$74,620	$208,000
15	Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants	$127,000	$89,000	$174,000
16	Aerospace Engineers	$126,880	$78,000	$197,000
17	Cybersecurity & Information Security	$120,360	$64,480	$196,000
18	Veterinarians	$119,100	$68,000	$208,000
19	Chemical Engineers	$112,090	$65,000	$187,000
20	Healthcare & Medical Managers	$110,680	$58,060	$208,000
21	Data Scientists & ML Engineers	$108,020	$63,000	$183,000
22	Electrical & Electronics Engineers	$107,390	$62,850	$174,000
23	General & Operations Managers	$107,360	$46,760	$208,000
24	Construction & Facilities Managers	$103,050	$60,870	$208,000
25	UX/UI Designers & Product Designers	$103,000	$57,000	$170,000
26	Computer & Business Systems Analysts	$102,240	$58,420	$164,000
27	Education Administrators & Principals	$101,810	$61,760	$167,000
28	Financial Analysts & Advisors	$99,890	$55,000	$186,000
29	Ship Captains, Sailors & Marine Workers	$99,670	$52,000	$179,000
30	Mechanical Engineers	$99,510	$61,300	$161,000
31	Industrial & Manufacturing Engineers	$99,380	$58,670	$156,000
32	Elevator & Escalator Installers & Repairers	$97,860	$62,000	$148,000
33	Physical & Occupational Therapists	$96,000	$62,000	$140,000
34	Civil & Structural Engineers	$95,890	$59,930	$159,920
35	Management Consultants & Analysts	$95,290	$52,440	$177,000
36	Architects & Urban Planners	$93,310	$50,660	$172,000
37	Network & Systems Administrators	$90,520	$51,200	$148,000
38	Speech-Language Pathologists	$90,410	$55,000	$142,000
39	Clinical Psychologists	$90,020	$47,000	$160,000
40	Chemists, Physicists & Material Scientists	$89,000	$48,000	$172,000
41	Financial Services & Securities Sales	$89,000	$40,000	$208,000
42	Registered Nurses	$86,480	$63,000	$131,530
43	Postsecondary Professors & Lecturers	$84,380	$50,760	$185,000
44	Rail & Subway Operators	$82,790	$52,000	$120,000
45	Biologists & Life Scientists	$80,000	$42,000	$148,000
46	Film & TV Producers, Directors & Editors	$80,000	$40,000	$173,000
47	Accountants & Auditors	$79,880	$45,860	$140,620
48	Logistics, Supply Chain & Purchasing	$79,380	$43,210	$132,000
49	Farmers, Ranchers & Agricultural Managers	$78,490	$44,000	$153,000
50	Environmental & Geoscientists	$76,530	$43,000	$134,000
51	Aircraft Mechanics & Avionics Technicians	$75,620	$50,000	$112,000
52	Market Research & Data Analysts	$74,680	$40,750	$134,160
53	Writers, Authors & Journalists	$73,690	$36,000	$152,000
54	Economists, Psychologists & Social Scientists	$72,000	$38,000	$137,000
55	Sales Representatives (B2B / Wholesale)	$71,650	$41,000	$141,000
56	Respiratory Therapists	$70,540	$47,000	$102,000
57	Police Officers & Detectives	$70,500	$43,000	$117,000
58	Radiologic & Diagnostic Technologists	$70,000	$48,000	$108,000
59	HR Specialists & Recruiters	$67,650	$38,650	$117,000
60	High School Teachers	$65,220	$43,060	$99,000
61	Elementary & Middle School Teachers	$64,000	$40,000	$96,000
62	Food Service Managers	$63,060	$38,000	$107,000
63	Graphic Designers & Art Directors	$63,000	$37,000	$132,000
64	Special Education Teachers	$62,950	$40,600	$97,000
65	School Counselors & Instructional Coordinators	$62,000	$36,000	$99,000
66	Electricians	$61,590	$38,000	$102,000
67	Plumbers, Pipefitters & Gas Fitters	$61,550	$37,000	$108,000
68	Carpenters	$61,370	$36,000	$104,000
69	Paralegals & Legal Assistants	$60,970	$37,680	$99,000
70	Chefs & Head Cooks	$60,900	$36,000	$107,000
71	Industrial & Commercial Machinery Mechanics	$60,750	$38,000	$97,000
72	IT Support Specialists & Technicians	$59,660	$35,000	$100,000
73	Social Workers	$58,380	$34,020	$99,000
74	Insurance Sales Agents	$57,860	$32,000	$133,000
75	Construction Equipment Operators	$57,660	$34,000	$99,000
76	HVAC Technicians	$57,300	$36,000	$97,000
77	Firefighters & Fire Prevention	$57,120	$35,000	$97,000
78	Masons, Roofers & Sheet Metal Workers	$57,000	$35,000	$99,000
79	Real Estate Agents & Brokers	$56,620	$27,000	$142,000
80	Bus Drivers & School Bus Drivers	$56,000	$36,000	$93,000
81	Mental Health & Substance Abuse Counselors	$53,710	$31,000	$91,000
82	Massage Therapists	$52,890	$26,000	$107,000
83	Correctional Officers	$52,470	$35,000	$88,000
84	Heavy Truck & Tractor-Trailer Drivers	$51,220	$37,000	$79,000
85	Plant & Machine Operators	$51,000	$32,000	$86,000
86	Machinists & Metal Workers	$50,530	$33,000	$80,000
87	Musicians, Actors & Performing Artists	$50,000	$25,000	$123,000
88	EMTs & Paramedics	$49,750	$29,000	$86,000
89	Painters & Construction Finishers	$48,970	$30,000	$83,000
90	Community Health & Social Service Workers	$48,860	$28,000	$79,000
91	Welders, Cutters & Fabricators	$48,770	$33,000	$77,000
92	Photographers & Videographers	$48,000	$26,000	$109,000
93	Automotive Service Technicians & Mechanics	$47,930	$29,000	$79,000
94	Bookkeepers & Accounting Clerks	$47,440	$31,000	$72,000
95	Administrative Assistants & Secretaries	$46,820	$31,000	$72,000
96	Fitness Trainers & Recreational Workers	$46,480	$24,000	$100,000
97	Construction Laborers & Helpers	$45,600	$30,000	$78,000
98	Printing & Bindery Workers	$44,000	$29,000	$74,000
99	Delivery & Light Truck Drivers	$43,710	$30,000	$69,000
100	Medical & Dental Assistants	$42,000	$31,000	$61,000
101	Phlebotomists & Lab Technicians	$42,000	$32,000	$58,000
102	Assemblers & Fabricators	$40,000	$28,000	$64,000
103	Customer Service Representatives	$38,880	$27,000	$61,000
104	Nursing Assistants & Orderlies	$38,130	$29,000	$55,000
105	Landscapers & Groundskeeping Workers	$38,100	$25,000	$63,000
106	Security Guards & Surveillance	$37,960	$26,000	$65,000
107	Receptionists & Information Clerks	$37,250	$26,000	$57,000
108	Agricultural & Farm Workers	$37,000	$26,270	$64,000
109	Preschool & Early Childhood Teachers	$36,970	$22,310	$64,000
110	Hairdressers, Stylists & Cosmetologists	$36,870	$22,000	$67,000
111	Janitors, Maids & Building Cleaners	$35,360	$24,000	$59,000
112	Cooks & Kitchen Workers	$35,020	$23,000	$55,000
113	Home Health & Personal Care Aides	$33,530	$26,000	$46,000
114	Retail Salespersons	$33,210	$22,000	$60,000
115	Waitstaff, Bartenders & Counter Workers	$32,000	$22,000	$57,000
116	Childcare Workers	$29,780	$22,000	$46,000

Source: BLS OES May 2024 national estimates. 116 occupation groups covering all major SOC categories. Click an occupation to see state breakdowns and calculate your personal percentile.

BLS OES 2024 · 116 Occupations

Salary Percentile Calculator

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Based on official BLS data for 116 occupations across all 50 US states.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A salary percentile tells you what percentage of workers in a given occupation earn less than you. For example, if you're at the 70th percentile, you earn more than 70% of workers in that field. It's a more useful benchmark than a simple average because it shows where you stand across the full distribution of wages.

We use linear interpolation between the BLS wage anchor points (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) to estimate your exact percentile rank. State figures are derived by applying BLS regional wage indices to the national data. For salaries below the 10th or above the 90th percentile, we flag this clearly rather than extrapolating an unreliable estimate.

All data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) program, May 2024 release. This is the most comprehensive, official source of US occupational wage data, covering over 800 occupations and nearly every industry. We cover 116 occupation groups across all 50 states and Washington D.C.

If you're below the median (50th percentile) for your occupation in your state, you have a data-backed argument for a raise. Come prepared with your percentile result and the BLS benchmark figures from the table below the gauge. Framing your ask around official government data — rather than salary sites — is often more persuasive to employers and hiring managers.

According to BLS OES May 2024 data, the median annual wage across all occupations in the United States is approximately $49,500. However, this varies enormously by occupation — from around $30,000 for food preparation workers to over $236,000 for physicians and surgeons. That's why comparing within your specific occupation is far more meaningful than a national cross-occupation average.