Quick answer
The median annual wage across all U.S. occupations in 2025 is $50,980 (mean $69,770). The highest-paid occupation is Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030; the lowest is Cooks, Fast Food at $30,890.
This report ranks 830 detailed U.S. occupations on the real, published BLS median annual wage — the figure half of workers in an occupation earn above and half below. A pediatric surgeons earns a median roughly 18× that of a fast-food cook. Nineteen of the twenty highest-paid occupations are physicians or other healthcare practitioners; the lowest cluster in food preparation, personal care and entry-level service work. No figure is modelled, estimated or interpolated.
Verified salary data you can cite — cryptographically attested to the official source
Most “highest-paying jobs” lists online are unsourced scrapes that mix years, mix mean and median, and silently drop suppressed cells. This report is different: every figure is taken verbatim from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national file (national_M2025_dl), a U.S. federal public-domain source (17 U.S.C. §105). The underlying dataset (830 detailed occupations) is held under a Gera Vouch (Ed25519) attestation containing its content hash, row count, source and licence — and you can re-verify the national totals yourself, with no API key: the BLS public API v2 (series OEUN*, area 0000000) returns All-Occupations median $50,980, mean $69,770 and employment 155,495,730 — an exact match.
The national picture
All-Occupations figures, BLS OEWS May 2025. The mean sits about 37% above the median — the statistical signature of a top-heavy wage distribution.
| Median annual wage, all occupations | $50,980 |
| Mean annual wage, all occupations | $69,770 |
| Total employment | 155,495,730 |
| Detailed occupations ranked | 830 |
| Occupations with a published median | 825 |
The 20 highest-paid occupations (median annual wage)
Every occupation in the top twenty is a healthcare practitioner. Nurse Anesthetists are the highest-paid non-physician clinical role; Chief Executives ($213,990) sit just outside the top twenty.
| # | Occupation | SOC | Median | Mean | US employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | 29-1243 | $559,030 | $502,050 | 1,190 |
| 2 | Cardiologists | 29-1212 | $496,010 | $454,940 | 17,290 |
| 3 | Radiologists | 29-1224 | $420,860 | $381,530 | 26,770 |
| 4 | Surgeons, All Other | 29-1249 | $414,010 | $373,930 | 25,140 |
| 5 | Anesthesiologists | 29-1211 | $391,490 | $360,570 | 38,760 |
| 6 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 29-1242 | $358,550 | $373,570 | 14,100 |
| 7 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | 29-1022 | $352,220 | $346,490 | 4,910 |
| 8 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 29-1214 | $335,550 | $317,480 | 32,880 |
| 9 | Dermatologists | 29-1213 | $328,730 | $323,530 | 11,370 |
| 10 | Physicians, Pathologists | 29-1222 | $312,400 | $285,420 | 11,110 |
| 11 | Prosthodontists | 29-1024 | $311,180 | $268,630 | 870 |
| 12 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 29-1241 | $300,080 | $304,650 | 8,950 |
| 13 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 29-1218 | $292,910 | $279,040 | 21,260 |
| 14 | Orthodontists | 29-1023 | $289,140 | $259,400 | 6,210 |
| 15 | Psychiatrists | 29-1223 | $281,870 | $269,940 | 27,980 |
| 16 | Physicians, All Other | 29-1229 | $265,930 | $262,040 | 342,720 |
| 17 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 29-1216 | $256,560 | $267,200 | 67,150 |
| 18 | Neurologists | 29-1217 | $248,560 | $267,630 | 10,590 |
| 19 | Family Medicine Physicians | 29-1215 | $244,180 | $255,820 | 107,510 |
| 20 | Nurse Anesthetists | 29-1151 | $236,590 | $248,320 | 51,840 |
The 20 lowest-paid occupations (median annual wage)
The lowest-paid roles concentrate in food preparation and serving, personal care and entry-level service work — many tipped or part-time, so treat these as wage rates, not take-home earnings.
| # | Occupation | SOC | Median | Mean | US employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooks, Fast Food | 35-2011 | $30,890 | $32,390 | 641,070 |
| 2 | Fast Food and Counter Workers | 35-3023 | $31,200 | $32,150 | 3,854,050 |
| 3 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 35-9031 | $31,200 | $32,690 | 432,690 |
| 4 | Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 39-3091 | $32,150 | $32,640 | 397,830 |
| 5 | Shampooers | 39-5093 | $32,600 | $31,980 | 8,070 |
| 6 | Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other | 39-3099 | $32,640 | $34,980 | 7,060 |
| 7 | Cashiers | 41-2011 | $32,880 | $33,180 | 3,089,410 |
| 8 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 39-3031 | $32,910 | $33,080 | 121,770 |
| 9 | Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | 33-9092 | $33,580 | $34,470 | 157,550 |
| 10 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 35-9011 | $33,980 | $34,230 | 542,750 |
| 11 | Gambling Dealers | 39-3011 | $34,320 | $42,550 | 83,910 |
| 12 | Bartenders | 35-3011 | $34,340 | $40,790 | 756,390 |
| 13 | Dishwashers | 35-9021 | $34,810 | $34,310 | 477,450 |
| 14 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 51-6011 | $34,890 | $34,920 | 198,040 |
| 15 | Childcare Workers | 39-9011 | $34,980 | $35,030 | 518,910 |
| 16 | Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 39-3012 | $34,980 | $36,450 | 8,950 |
| 17 | Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 51-6021 | $35,060 | $34,640 | 26,120 |
| 18 | Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | 43-4081 | $35,070 | $35,550 | 261,420 |
| 19 | School Bus Monitors | 33-9094 | $35,100 | $35,150 | 78,420 |
| 20 | Parking Attendants | 53-6021 | $35,150 | $34,990 | 137,880 |
Unlock the full report — all the ranked tables
The free preview above covers the national figures and the 20 highest- and lowest-paid occupations. Enter a work email to unlock the rest: the 25 largest occupations and what they pay, the full 22 SOC occupational-family breakdown, the remaining highest/lowest ranks, the suppressed-wage occupations, and a downloadable JSON of the dataset. Every figure is taken verbatim from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release and held under a Gera Vouch attestation — verified salary data you can cite. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Free. We email occasional Gera data-report updates. The BLS source data is U.S. public domain (17 U.S.C. §105); you can re-verify the national totals yourself against the keyless BLS public API.
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Citation
GeraJobs (2026). US Salaries by Occupation 2025: Highest & Lowest-Paid Jobs. Retrieved from https://gerajobs.com/reports/us-salaries-by-occupation-2025Embed (HTML)
<blockquote>The highest-paid U.S. occupation is Pediatric Surgeons (median $559,030), the lowest is Cooks, Fast Food ($30,890); national median $50,980 — BLS OEWS May 2025 — <a href="https://gerajobs.com/reports/us-salaries-by-occupation-2025">US Salaries by Occupation 2025: Highest & Lowest-Paid Jobs</a>, GeraJobs.</blockquote>Explore the data
- UK Salary by Occupation — the equivalent ONS ASHE breakdown for the United Kingdom.
- Remote Salary Directory — median pay by role from real remote job listings.
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Methodology, source & licence
Every monetary figure is taken verbatim from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national cross-industry estimates (national_M2025_dl). Three fields are used per occupation: median annual wage (A_MEDIAN), mean annual wage (A_MEAN) and employment (TOT_EMP). No figure is modelled, estimated or interpolated. Coverage is all 830 detailed SOC occupations in the national release; of these, 825 have a published median and 5 are suppressed by BLS (emitted as null, never zero-filled). Reference period May 2025. Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/. OEWS data is a work of the U.S. federal government and is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). This is independent analysis and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BLS or any U.S. government agency. Figures are for general information and do not constitute financial or career advice; always confirm current figures with the BLS at bls.gov/oes.
Analysis and presentation © Gera Systems Ltd. The report and its figures are free to cite and embed with attribution and a link back to this page.