Highest Paying Jobs — US & Europe
Top-earning occupations with gross annual pay, converted live with real-time FX rates.
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| # | Occupation | Country | Gross / year | In USD | Typical entry route |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologist | 🇺🇸United States | $565,000 | $565,000 | MD + residency + fellowship |
| 2 | Orthopedic Surgeon | 🇺🇸United States | $546,000 | $546,000 | MD + surgical residency |
| 3 | Radiologist | 🇺🇸United States | $503,000 | $503,000 | MD + residency |
| 4 | Anesthesiologist | 🇺🇸United States | $448,000 | $448,000 | MD + residency |
| 5 | Emergency Medicine Physician | 🇺🇸United States | $375,000 | $375,000 | MD + residency |
| 6 | Psychiatrist | 🇺🇸United States | $314,000 | $314,000 | MD + residency |
| 7 | Airline Pilot / Captain | 🇺🇸United States | $250,000 | $250,000 | ATP licence + flight hours |
| 8 | Chief Executive (CEO) | 🇺🇸United States | $258,000 | $258,000 | Bachelor's + senior experience |
| 9 | Dentist / Oral Surgeon | 🇺🇸United States | $239,000 | $239,000 | DDS / DMD |
| 10 | Nurse Anesthetist | 🇺🇸United States | $223,000 | $223,000 | MSN / DNP + certification |
| 11 | Computer & Information Systems Manager | 🇺🇸United States | $187,000 | $187,000 | Bachelor's + experience |
| 12 | Petroleum Engineer | 🇺🇸United States | $155,000 | $155,000 | Bachelor's (engineering) |
| 13 | Financial Manager | 🇺🇸United States | $176,000 | $176,000 | Bachelor's + CFA/CPA typical |
| 14 | Software Engineer (senior, big tech) | 🇺🇸United States | $168,000 | $168,000 | Bachelor's / self-taught + portfolio |
| 15 | Lawyer | 🇺🇸United States | $176,000 | $176,000 | JD + bar admission |
| 16 | Pharmacist | 🇺🇸United States | $137,000 | $137,000 | PharmD |
| 17 | Data Scientist | 🇺🇸United States | $124,000 | $124,000 | Bachelor's / Master's |
| 18 | Air Traffic Controller | 🇺🇸United States | $138,000 | $138,000 | FAA academy training |
| 19 | Actuary | 🇺🇸United States | $126,000 | $126,000 | Bachelor's + actuarial exams |
| 20 | Marketing Manager | 🇺🇸United States | $166,000 | $166,000 | Bachelor's + experience |
Data sources & update method
United States: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), national mean annual wage.
Europe: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey combined with national statistics offices (Destatis, INSEE, ONS, BFS, SSB, ISTAT, CSO).
Live conversion: currency conversion uses the same real-time FX feed as our Forex page (open.er-api.com), auto-refreshed every 60 seconds.
Salary figures are gross (pre-tax) annual averages and vary by seniority, employer and city. Provided for information only, not as career or financial advice.