20 Highest Paying Jobs In The US

After finishing up their education, looking for a full-time job is the next thing students usually do. Most of the highest paying jobs in the US are healthcare jobs which dominates the list by a lot, but there are other jobs like Lawyers, Managers and Pilots that are also pretty high up there. If you're still deciding what direction to go towards while studying and are looking for a list of the highest paying jobs in the US, here are 20 of the top paying jobs in America. There are endless possibilities, and hopefully, this list will help you get your perfect fit. It is, however, important to note that these are approximates only and not exact figures. 

1. Cardiologist

Salary: $353,970/ year
Work hours: 40-50 hours a week
Cardiologists are surgeons that work on the human heart, its diagnosis and treatment. The cardiovascular system is their speciality. The work hours of the cardiologists are usually fixed, but depending on the patient load and emergencies, that might change. The weekends, holidays, and nights may also be working times due to the nature of the job. To get a job as a cardiologist, a person must have studied in a science background for their undergraduate degree and 4 years of medical school plus 4 years of residency and an exam by the American Board of Internal Medicine. In the list of the highest paying jobs in the US, this has to take the cake. 

2. Lawyer

Salary: $141,890/ year
Work hours: 40 to 80 hours a week
There is a number of different subsections under being a lawyer, but some of the more popular are Litigation and trial lawyers, General counsels, Academia and Arbitrators, mediators, or conciliators. The lawyer's work hours can be a lot, and most of them work overtime, especially lawyers from big law firms. Lawyers are definitely among the highest paying jobs in the US, and the eligibility criteria is a completed Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Before going to the US, you will need a student visa. This is a USA Visa Guide that will help you with the process. 

3. Financial managers

Salary: $143,530/ year
Work hours: More than 40 hours a week
Financial managers direct, plan and coordinate investing, accounting, banking, securities and insurance. Financial management is quite a popular job but can be demanding, and they might have to go over their 40 hours per week. Financial management is one of the highest paying jobs in America. To become a financial manager, one must have a bachelor's degree and have experience of work in finance or business like a security sales agent, accountant or financial analyst for at least 5 years.

4. Anesthesiologist

Salary: $331,190/ year
Work hours: 40 to 60 hours a week
An anesthesiologist is one who offers anaesthesia and analgesics to patients before, during and after surgery. This is very high up on the highest paying jobs in the US. The working hours of an Anesthesiologist are unpredictable and long as they depend on the surgery, and there may also be some emergencies outside of work hours they might have to deal with. To get a job as an anesthesiologist, a person must have studied in a science background for their undergraduate degree and 4 years of medical school plus 4 years of residency and an exam by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

5. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Salary: $311,460/ year
Work hours: 48 to 60 hours a week
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons usually deal with all the injuries, problems, defects and diseases in the mouth and jaw area. The most common things they work on are tumours, misaligned jaws, wisdom teeth, and cysts of the jaw and mouth, and dental surgery is also possible. A lot of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons work either in large hospitals or have their own practices. They perform very intricate and difficult surgeries, and so the hours of working are long and unpredictable. They are definitely in the highest paying jobs in the US. To pursue a job in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, an undergraduate degree, a four-year dental degree, plus at least four years of residency are needed. After training, surgeons usually have to take a two-part exam to become certified in the United States by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Use this guide to the Intakes in the US to decide which one to choose. 

6. Radiologist

Salary: $301,720/ year
Work hours: 40 hours a week
Physicians who diagnose and treat medical injuries using imaging techniques like MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds are radiologists. If they perform any procedures or tests,  they are usually minimally invasive. Most of a radiologist's work is to interpret the scans and diagnose the problem. They then communicate it to the patient's physician, who makes decisions on how to treat them. This is one of the best jobs with the highest pay in the US to get. To get qualified, one must have about 13 years of education and training, a bachelor's degree, 4 years of medical school, then residency, and a fellowship, and finally, a licensure and board certification.

7. Chief Executive

Salary: $213,020/ year
Work hours: 50 to 70 hours a week
Other than medical professionals, Chief Executives are the highest paying jobs in the US. It is the CEO, the highest-ranking employee of a company, whose job is to make important and time-sensitive decisions that change the direction of the company significantly. They make the decisions with the board of directors about new products and market areas. Although the job definitely pays a lot, the hours are extremely stressful and long. To be a chief executive, one must be very well educated with preferably a bachelor's degree, master's degree and PHDs.

8. Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Salary: $296,210/ year
Work hours:  40 hours a week
Obstetrician-Gynaecologists are doctors who usually work with the female reproductive system, its health and childbirth.  They help and focus on childbirth and also diseases and problems that might affect the female reproductive system. They work with patients on a regularly scheduled basis but need to be available for childbirth at any time of the day. To become an Obstetrician-Gynecologist, a bachelor's degree is needed along with graduation from medical school and finishing an obstetrics program and gynaecology residency program that usually lasts 4 years. Then after 2 years of clinical practice, they have to pass a licensure exam. This is definitely one of the highest paying jobs in the US. Use this guide to daylight saving in the USA to know exactly what to expect.

9. Emergency Medicine Physician

Salary: $310,640/ year
Work hours: 30 to 50 hours a week
Emergency Medicine Physicians usually have to be quick and extremely smart as they have to make immediate medical decisions during emergencies. They have to be fast thinkers and be efficient with their work. They have to stabilise patients that have gone through trauma recently. The hours are extremely irregular and long as they have to be on call for emergencies and situations like that, and they might also work weekends and overnight.  To be an Emergency Medicine Physician, you must have a bachelor's degree, complete a 4-year degree in medical school, finish a four-year residency as an ER physician, pass a licensing exam, and ultimately earn Emergency Medicine Certification. The hours are hard, but it's definitely worth it as this is one of the highest paying jobs in the US. 

10. Airline Pilot, Copilot, and Flight Engineer

Salary: $198,190/ year
Work hours: 60 hours a week
Airline pilots, Copilot, and Flight engineers may have to spend a lot of time away from home, but if you like travelling and having one of the highest paid jobs in the US, this one is for you. The pilots have the most experience and operate the plane and manage other crew members, while the copilot helps with responsibilities in the cockpit and is second in command. Monitoring the plane's cabin pressure, pre-flight checks and fuel checks are the flight engineer's job. To work as a pilot, one has to have a bachelor’s degree and an Airline Transport Pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Commercial pilots is how they start and have to acquire thousands of hours of experience in the cockpit before employment with an airline.

11. Nurse Anesthetist

Salary: $202,470/ year
Work hours: 48 hours a week
A nurse anaesthetist also provides pain management to patients before, during and after surgery. They keep the patient under and also monitor the bodily functions while in surgery. They work with anesthesiologists to provide excellent care to the patients, and this is one of the highest paying jobs in the US. A Nurse Anesthetist work in doctors' offices, hospitals and emergency rooms.  The work schedule usually varies depending on where they're working.  To qualify as a Nurse Anesthetist, one must have a Bachelor of Science and be licensed as a registered nurse. At least one year of experience as a registered nurse in an intensive care unit is needed, and a Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice is required. Finally, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist training program needs to be completed and passed through the National Certification Examination. The entire process will take seven to 10 years.

12. Psychiatrist

Salary: $249,760/ year
Work hours: 48 hours a week
There are many specialities under psychiatry, like child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, consultation psychiatry, forensic psychiatry or consultation psychiatry. These are doctors who help treat mental issues and problems. Psychoanalysis is also another path to take where the patients are aided in remembering past events and examining them to understand their emotions better. Private practices, hospitals and community centres are a few places they can be found. Psychiatry isn't easy to do, but it is one of the highest paying jobs in the US. Psychology and Psychiatry are different, and the latter is a medical degree so to qualify, one must have an undergraduate degree, after which they have to complete medical school and then a residency program. A certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology is also needed.

13. Dermatologist

Salary: $302,740/ year
Work hours: 40 to 50 hours a week
Dermatologists are doctors of the skin, hair and nails. They diagnose and treat problems related to them and might even dabble in surgery. They usually have their own practices or work at large teaching hospitals and medical centres. They rarely have irregular and erratic hours and usually have a fixed schedule. To get qualified as a dermatologist, you need a bachelor’s degree and a degree from a medical school, which takes an extra 4 years to complete. Depending on their speciality, they also need 3 to 9 years of internship and residency and need to pass certification exams. Specialisation needs extra training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.

14. Neurologist

Salary: $267,660/ year
Work hours: 40 hours a week
The doctor of the brain and the nervous system is called a neurologist. They usually deal with injuries and diseases like ALS, Alzheimers and epilepsy. They also have extremely long hours, usually spent standing in surgery. To be a neurologist, one must have a 4-year bachelor's degree, pass the MCAT exam, medical school graduation, residency along with board certification, and a fellowship, followed by licensure. Here are some scholarships for international students in the USA 2023 - 2024.

15. Computer and information systems manager

Salary: $162,930/ year
Work hours: 40 to 50 hours a week
Systems analysis, electronic data processing, information systems, and computer programming is what Computer and information systems managers do. Evaluating the IT needs of a government body or business and working to implement computer systems and meet the objectives is also in their job description. To become a Computer and information systems manager, one has to have a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related major. An MBA or Master related to the field is needed along with several years of experience in a related field, often more than 15 years. This is one of the best paid jobs in USA.

16. Pathologists

Salary: $295,825/ year
Work hours: 50 to 70 hours a week
The physicians who conduct lab work and diagnose diseases through bodily fluids and organ tissues are Pathologists, and this also includes work done by medical examiners. General hospitals and clinics, as well as clinical laboratories, usually employ Pathologists. They usually work full-time hours, and due to the 24 hr laboratories, they might have to work overnight and on weekends. To qualify for being a pathologist, one must require extensive education and training, which includes 4 years of undergraduate training, 4 years of medical school, 3 - 4 years in a pathology residency program, and passing licensing exams. Pathology is one of the highest paying jobs in the US.

17. Physicist

Salary:  $152,430/ year
Work hours: More than 40 hours a week
Most of the work a Physicist does is in offices, labs and observatories where they study interactions of energy and matter. They conduct experiments, and they might also study nature of time and the origin of matter in the universe. A knowledge of maths, knowledge of physics, analytical thinking skills and knowledge of engineering, science and technology is needed. To qualify, one must have a PhD, but there are also entry-level physicist jobs that don’t need anything other than a bachelor’s degree in physics or a closely related field.

18. Surgeon

Salary: $297,800/ year
Work hours:  50 to 60 hours a week
A surgeon is a doctor that operates on patients after analysing their injuries or illness. They review the patient's chart and communicate with them about the procedures needed. They prepare for the patients' surgery, perform it and complete it with the help of nurses, other surgeons and surgical technicians. The surgeons work pretty long hours as surgeries are usually intensive. To become a surgeon, a person must first complete an undergraduate degree, preferably in a science area like biology or chemistry, then 4 years of medical school and a 3 year residency. A multi-year internship in the surgery department of a hospital is required, and licensing and certification.

19. Architectural or engineering manager

Salary: $146,290/ year
Work hours: More than 40 hours a week
Quality assurance, maintenance at manufacturing sites, directing and coordinating building activities at construction sites or activities that are related to production and operations is the main job of an Architectural or engineering manager. To qualify as one, the student must have a master’s in engineering management, business administration or technology management. A track record of leading construction on different types of structures is also needed.

20. Judge

Salary: $148,030/ year
Work hours: 30 to 50 hours a week
The judges have a great deal of responsibility on them and also a lot of power. They oversee court proceedings and make life-changing decisions on cases. They apply and interpret rules and regulations and also resolve disputes and crimes. To become a judge, one must have a long career of practising law that takes decades and also years of post-secondary education. They are usually appointed or elected into their positions to serve a fixed renewable term.

Here are the 20 highest paying jobs in the US for anyone who is looking to choose a path for their future. The job descriptions may be long, and the qualification list is long, but in the end, it is worth it. Most of the Highest paying jobs in the US are Medical professions so maybe that is the right path for you.