Looking for a higher income? You're not alone, as older workers still struggle to catch up to where they were before the Great Recession and younger ones battle loads of student debt. But how much you can make could be limited by the career path you've chosen.
That said, you might want to check out recruiting marketplace Glassdoor's most recent report on the highest-paying jobs to be had in the U.S. — and perhaps reconsider your ambitions. If you've a mind to go back to school and retrain for a different field, or even if you don't, you might find it interesting to see where the money and the opportunities lie.
Recommended For You
One of the trends in finding a new place to work, says Glassdoor in a recent survey, is that jobseekers are doing more research — and it appears that they're treating it more the way they would look for a restaurant or the best place to shop — and even doing that research on mobile devices rather than on desktop or even laptop computers.
Related: Employees are expecting a raise
In fact, the survey finds that 77 percent of people say they value reviews and ratings from employees at a company when making a job decision.
But of course salary isn't the only thing they're researching; in addition, they're hunting for research on the companies themselves and those company reviews and ratings, along with salary data and other information as well — and in the name of transparency, companies that don't provide those things can handicap themselves when it comes to recruiting.
Related: 10 best jobs in the gig economy
In particular, jobseekers are looking to see whether companies offer equal pay for equal work and which types of benefits and perks are available, with 57 percent of respondents saying that benefits and perks are among their top considerations before accepting a job.
The report, which is based on salary reports shared by employees with these jobs on Glassdoor over the past year, helps people better understand which jobs pay the highest salaries, and includes each job's median annual base salary and the current number of job openings. In the report, Glassdoor says that 68 percent of respondents to the survey cited above say that salary and compensation are among their top considerations before accepting a job.
Tech jobs account for 11 of the 25 spots, more than any other profession, but there are also six health care jobs on the list, one of which also has the highest number of current job openings. In 2016, health care only contributed three jobs to the highest-paid list — but with a growing demand for health care, that appears to be changing. In addition, there are three new jobs on the 2017 list.
"With nearly half the list comprised of jobs in the tech and healthcare industries, this report reinforces that higher salaries are found in America's fastest job-creating sectors, which require higher education and in-demand skill sets," Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist, says in a statement.
Related: 10 states with the happiest workers
Chamberlain adds, "However, while pay is one of the leading factors job seekers consider when determining where to work, our research shows that salary isn't necessarily tied to long-term job satisfaction. Rather, the factors that employers should focus on to drive employee satisfaction long term are having great senior leadership, positive culture and values and clear upward career opportunities for employees."
For a job title to be considered for the report, it must receive at least 100 salary reports shared by U.S.-based employees over the past year (February 1, 2016 — January 31, 2017). To ensure the most reliable median base salary for all job titles, Glassdoor also applies a proprietary statistical algorithm to estimate annual median base pay that controls for factors such as location and seniority.
Related: 10 CEOs with the highest pay
The number of job openings per job title represents active job listings on Glassdoor as of January 31, 2017. The report also takes into account job title normalization that groups similar job titles, and excludes C-suite level jobs.
25. Attorney
Median base salary: $94,695
Number of job openings: 1,010
24. Nuclear engineer
Median base salary: $94,852
Number of job openings: 155
23. Financial planning and analysis manager
Median base salary: $94,862
Number of job openings: 501
22. Scrum master
Median base salary: $95,167
Number of job openings: 2,072
21. Plant manager
Median base salary: $97,189
Number of job openings: 1,286
20. Systems architect
Median base salary: $97,873
Number of job openings: 1,167
19. UX manager
Median base salary: $98,353
Number of job openings: 263
18. IT program manager
Median base salary: $98,883
Number of job openings: 250
17. Actuary
Median base salary: $99,507
Number of job openings: 463
16. Data architect
Median base salary: $102,091
Number of job openings: 1,438
15. Solutions architect
Median base salary: $102,678
Number of job openings: 4,174
14. Nurse practitioner
Median base salary: $104,144
Number of job openings: 12,566
13. Software architect
Median base salary: $104,754
Number of job openings: 1,147
12. IT architect
Median base salary: $105,303
Number of job openings: 250
11. Software engineering manager
Median base salary: $109,350
Number of job openings: 1,011
10. Corporate controller
Median base salary: $110,855
Number of job openings: 259
9. R&D manager
Median base salary: $111,905
Number of job openings: 185
8. Applications development manager
Median base salary: $112,045
Number of job openings: 516
7. Physician assistant
Median base salary: $112,529
Number of job openings: 13,547
6. Enterprise architect
Median base salary: $112,560
Number of job openings: 1,320
5. Pharmacist
Median base salary: $125,847
Number of job openings: 5,49
4. Medical science liaison
Median base salary: $132,842
Number of job openings: 391
3. Patent attorney
Median base salary: $139,272
Number of job openings: 525
2. Pharmacy manager
Median base salary: $149,064
Number of job openings: 2,370
1. Physician
Median base salary: $187,876
Number of job openings:7,770
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
