highest-paying job – A new state-by-state pay map using May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows chief executives as the top-paying job in 14 states, while healthcare roles dominate the highest-paying slots in the rest—highlighting how heavily wages and employment trends are
For many Americans. the question isn’t just what jobs pay more nationally—it’s what pays best where they live. That’s what the latest state-by-state pay map tackles. using May 2025 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify which occupation has the highest average annual wage in each state and in Washington. DC.
Family medicine physicians came out on top in seven states. Across the map. the rule was strict: only occupations with both specific employment figures and average annual wage estimates were considered. and every job had to meet a threshold of at least 1. 000 employees. Catchall titles—such as a grouping for physicians not listed separately—were excluded.
The results show how uneven the pay landscape can be. Chief executives were the highest-paying job in 14 states. In half of the states, the top spot went to a healthcare-related role, suggesting that—at least on average pay—medical expertise is often the clearest path to a high wage.
In Pennsylvania, radiologists were the top-paying job among occupations with at least 1,000 workers. In Georgia, New York, and Texas, cardiologists were the best-paying role that fit the same criteria.
The map also overlaps with the broader jobs picture. Some of the positions that rank highly on the pay chart appear on lists of high-paying, fast-growing jobs. Financial managers are the best-paying in a handful of states, and employment is projected to grow nationally by 128,800 between 2024 and 2034. Postsecondary health specialties teachers top the list in Arkansas and Mississippi, with nationwide employment projected to increase by 50,100.
But the pay-to-growth story doesn’t always match for healthcare. Most healthcare-related jobs shown on the map aren’t projected to see much job growth at the national level over the decade.
That tension lands at the center of the bigger labor-market debate. Even if many healthcare jobs don’t surge in projected growth, the sector is still propping up employment. The healthcare sector accounted for about a third of April’s job growth on its own. In 2025, the sector accounted for over 100% of overall job growth, with the US economy excluding healthcare losing jobs.
Nela Richardson. ADP’s chief economist. previously said the US is “rapidly turning into not just a service economy. but a healthcare-driven economy.” The pay map’s results—chief executives dominating in 14 states. healthcare leading across many others. and specific medical specialties rising to the top—show how that healthcare pull can be felt not only in hiring. but in wages as well.
state-by-state pay map highest-paying jobs Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 chief executives family medicine physician radiologists cardiologists financial managers postsecondary health specialties teachers healthcare jobs growth ADP chief economist Nela Richardson