Highest-Paying Occupations - Occupation Information

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Wage data are updated on CareerOneStop annually. For more detailed information about the program or the survey refer to the OES webpage.

Wage estimates include base rate, cost-of-living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (e.g. commissions and production bonuses), and on-call pay.

Wage estimates do not include back pay, jury duty pay, overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, and tuition reimbursements.

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These are the occupations with the highest median hourly wages in 2008. Select an occupation to learn more about it in the Occupation Profile.

Top 50 Highest-Paying Occupations by Median Hourly Wages

Displaying Records 1 - 25 of 50

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#	Occupation	Median wages, 2008
#	Occupation	Hourly	Annual
1	Chief Executives	$80.00+	$166,400+
2	Surgeons	$80.00+	$166,400+
3	Family and General Practitioners	$79.59	$165,500
4	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$78.09	$162,400
5	Physicians and Surgeons, All Other	$77.27	$160,700
6	Lawyers	$69.02	$143,600
7	Psychiatrists	$68.67	$142,800
8	Internists, General	$64.36	$133,900
9	Dentists, General	$62.04	$129,000
10	Public Relations Managers	$61.51	$127,900
11	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$61.17	$127,200
12	Human Resources Managers, All Other	$60.75	$126,400
13	Veterinarians	$59.50	$123,800
14	Physicists	$58.84	$122,400
15	Engineering Managers	$58.51	$121,700
16	Natural Sciences Managers	$58.30	$121,300
17	Financial Examiners	$57.88	$120,400
18	Engineers, All Other	$56.76	$118,100
19	General and Operations Managers	$56.53	$117,600
20	Managers, All Other	$56.44	$117,400
21	Purchasing Managers	$56.30	$117,100
22	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$56.01	$116,500
23	Mathematicians	$56.00	$116,500
24	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	$55.66	$115,800
25	Financial Managers	$55.58	$115,600
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State Data Source: The Labor Market Information Office within the State Employment Security Agency

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