highest-paying jobs – New May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates show six-figure pay concentrated in highly trained medical roles—where schooling and credentials appear to translate directly into the highest wages.
Job seekers shopping for graduation-season opportunities may find the math is simple: in the latest May 2025 estimates, some U.S. occupations routinely clear six figures, and most of the best-paid roles demand years of advanced training.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated pay figures for hundreds of occupations. and the numbers reinforce a clear pattern—many of the top earners are doctors and other specialists.. Pay for these jobs also runs above the national average of $69,770, according to the data highlighted in the BLS release.
With 7.2 million people unemployed in March and fewer openings than job seekers, compensation is becoming a more urgent filter for many applicants. For those weighing what to study next, the new ranking points toward a single direction: pursue a doctoral or professional path.
The 13 highest-paying jobs. based on average annual wages (with “catchall” categories like “Surgeons. all other” excluded). start at the pediatric end and move up through specialty care.. Almost all of the roles on the list typically require a doctoral or professional degree; airline pilots. copilots. and flight engineers are the notable exception in that they usually need a bachelor’s degree.
At the top of the list is pediatric surgeons, with an average annual wage estimated at $502,050 and employment of 1,190. Radiologists follow with $381,530 in average pay and an estimated 26,770 employed. Cardiologists are next at $454,940, employing an estimated 17,290.
Other high-wage roles include orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric, at $373,570 with employment estimated at 14,100; anesthesiologists at $360,570 with 38,760 employed; dermatologists at $323,530 with 11,370 employed; and emergency medicine physicians at $317,480 with 32,880 employed.
As the list descends, it still stays firmly medical. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons average $346,490 with employment of 4,910, while ophthalmologists, except pediatric, average $304,650 with 8,950 employed. Pathologists are estimated at $285,420 and 11,110 employed.
Two more specialties round out the top tier: obstetricians and gynecologists, averaging $279,040 with 21,260 employed, and psychiatrists at $269,940, with an estimated 27,980 employed.
For readers trying to connect the wages to the labor market reality. the takeaway is stark: the highest-paying occupations in the new BLS estimates are concentrated in roles that generally require extended education. and they appear designed—by training requirements and specialized demand—to keep pay elevated even as job seekers compete for fewer openings.
Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 data highest-paying jobs healthcare careers pediatric surgeons cardiologists anesthesiologists unemployment job market salaries