There are almost 30 occupations with the highest mean annual salaries (as found by our team) as per the most recent period for which data is available. The top 10 highest-paying jobs come under medical and dental occupations because the doctors and other medical professionals are very well compensated. We’ve detailed the 30 highest-paying jobs in America with the field of work and details about their mean annual salary. Also, a table, in the end, shows the estimated number of people employed in each occupation. Read below to know more about the Top Jobs in America 2021.
Top Jobs in America 2021
| Lawyers | Anesthesiologists | All other dentist specialists |
| Surgeons | Nurse anesthetists | Oral and maxillofacial surgeons |
| Physicists | General internists | Obstetricians and gynecologists |
| Podiatrists | Financial managers | Compensation and benefits managers |
| Orthodontists | Marketing managers | Advertising and promotions managers |
| Psychiatrists | Petroleum engineers | Architectural and engineering managers |
| Sales managers | General pediatricians | Public relations and fundraising managers |
| Prosthodontists | Natural sciences managers | Computer and information systems managers |
| Chief executives | Family medicine physicians | Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers |
| General dentists | Postsecondary law teachers | Physicians and ophthalmologists, except pediatric |
Field of Work of the Top Jobs in America 2021
General Profession
- Physicists: Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
- Postsecondary law teachers: Teach courses in law.
- Lawyers: Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions.
- Petroleum engineers: Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production.
- Computer and information systems managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.
- Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers: Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft (usually on scheduled air carrier routes) for the transport of passengers and cargo.
- Chief executives: Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body.
Managers
- Public relations and fundraising managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image, raise issue awareness, or raise funds for their organization or client.
- Sales managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.
- Compensation and benefits managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate the compensation and benefits activities of an organization.
- Advertising and promotions managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs.
- Natural sciences managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and statistics, and research and development in these fields.
- Marketing managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs.
- Financial managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities.
- Architectural and engineering managers: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering.
Medical Professionals
- General dentists: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums.
- Nurse anesthetists: Administer anesthesia, monitor patients’ vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.
- General pediatricians: Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent children’s diseases and injuries.
- All other dentist specialists: Various dental specializations.
- General internists: Physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems.
- Family medicine physicians: Physicians who diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.
- All other physicians and ophthalmologists, except pediatric: Various medical specialties.
- Podiatrists: Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot.
- Psychiatrists: Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind.
Medical Specialists
- Orthodontists: Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies.
- Prosthodontists: Construct oral prostheses to replace missing teeth and other oral structures.
- Obstetricians and gynecologists: Physicians who provide medical care related to pregnancy or childbirth and those who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women.
- Surgeons: Physicians who treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive, minimally invasive, or non-invasive surgical methods.
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeons: Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions.
- Anesthesiologists: Physicians who administer anesthetics prior to, during, or after surgery or other medical procedures.
Average Annual Salary of Top Jobs in America 2021
| Profession | Salary | Profession | Salary |
| Lawyers | $145,300 | Petroleum engineers | $156,780 |
| Surgeons | $252,040 | General pediatricians | $184,410 |
| Physicists | $131,080 | Natural sciences managers | $145,450 |
| Podiatrists | $142,680 | Postsecondary law teachers | $129,950 |
| Psychiatrists | $220,430 | Family medicine physicians | $213,270 |
| Orthodontists | $230,830 | All other dentist specialists | $178,040 |
| Sales managers | $141,690 | Obstetricians and gynecologists | $233,610 |
| Prosthodontists | $220,840 | Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | $237,570 |
| General dentists | $178,260 | Compensation and benefits managers | $134,210 |
| Chief executives | $193,850 | Advertising and promotions managers | $141,890 |
| Anesthesiologists | $261,730 | Architectural and engineering managers | $152,930 |
| Financial managers | $147,530 | Computer and information systems managers | $156,390 |
| Marketing managers | $149,200 | Public relations and fundraising managers | $132,630 |
| Nurse anesthetists | $181,040 | Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers | $174,870 |
| General internists | $201,440 | Physicians and ophthalmologists, except pediatric | $203,450 |
Number of People Employed (as per 2020)
| Profession | Employed | Profession | Employed |
| Lawyers | 657,170 | Petroleum engineers | 32,620 |
| Surgeons | 36,270 | General pediatricians | 29,740 |
| Physicists | 16,730 | Natural sciences managers | 67,720 |
| Podiatrists | 9,770 | Postsecondary law teachers | 16,180 |
| Psychiatrists | 25,530 | Family medicine physicians | 109,370 |
| Orthodontists | 5,990 | All other dentist specialists | 5,330 |
| Sales managers | 402,600 | Obstetricians and gynecologists | 18,620 |
| Prosthodontists | 490 | Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | 4,650 |
| General dentists | 110,730 | Compensation and benefits managers | 16,900 |
| Chief executives | 205,890 | Advertising and promotions managers | 25,100 |
| Anesthesiologists | 31,010 | Architectural and engineering managers | 194,250 |
| Financial managers | 654,790 | Computer and information systems managers | 433,960 |
| Marketing managers | 263,680 | Public relations and fundraising managers | 79,160 |
| Nurse anesthetists | 43,570 | Airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers | 84,520 |
| General internists | 44,610 | Physicians and ophthalmologists, except pediatric | 390,680 |