ConnectPrepCareer
IntelligenceFree consultation

Best-Paying Careers by Education Level (2025 Data)

The highest-paying and fastest-growing U.S. occupations for each typical entry education level, from BLS May 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections.

Updated October 18, 2026 · ConnectPrep analysis of official data

Key findings: with a doctoral or professional degree, the top-paying occupation is pediatric surgeons ($559,030); with a master's degree, the top-paying occupation is nurse anesthetists ($236,590); with a bachelor's degree, the top-paying occupation is airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers ($232,140); with a associate's degree, the top-paying occupation is air traffic controllers ($148,080).

Email

Doctoral or professional degree

Pediatric surgeons$559,030
Cardiologists$496,010
Radiologists$420,860
Surgeons, all other$414,010
Anesthesiologists$391,490
Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric$358,550
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons$352,220
Emergency medicine physicians$335,550
Dermatologists$328,730
Physicians, pathologists$312,400
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is doctoral or professional degree.

Fastest growing at this level: Health specialties teachers, postsecondary (+17.9%), Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary (+17.1%), Medical scientists, except epidemiologists (+12.6%), Biochemists and biophysicists (+12.3%), Physical therapists (+11.9%).

Master's degree

Nurse anesthetists$236,590
Industrial-organizational psychologists$193,950
Political scientists$142,080
Computer and information research scientists$140,300
Physician assistants$135,880
Nurse midwives$134,040
Nurse practitioners$132,300
Mathematicians$126,710
Economists$124,720
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other$115,210
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is master's degree.

Fastest growing at this level: Nurse practitioners (+41.0%), Computer and information research scientists (+21.8%), Physician assistants (+21.1%), Epidemiologists (+18.7%), Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (+18.4%).

Bachelor's degree

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers$232,140
Chief executives$213,990
Computer and information systems managers$175,140
Architectural and engineering managers$171,270
Natural sciences managers$167,220
Marketing managers$166,790
Financial managers$166,570
Computer hardware engineers$161,740
Human resources managers$149,280
Compensation and benefits managers$149,230
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is bachelor's degree.

Fastest growing at this level: Data scientists (+34.6%), Medical and health services managers (+24.2%), Information security analysts (+21.0%), Occupational health and safety specialists (+18.5%), Logisticians (+17.6%).

Associate's degree

Air traffic controllers$148,080
Nuclear technicians$110,240
Radiation therapists$105,310
Nuclear medicine technologists$101,370
Dental hygienists$98,100
Diagnostic medical sonographers$96,590
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists$95,480
Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians$82,890
Respiratory therapists$82,280
Radiologic technologists and technicians$80,110
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is associate's degree.

Fastest growing at this level: Physical therapist assistants (+23.0%), Occupational therapy assistants (+21.5%), Health information technologists and medical registrars (+15.9%), Diagnostic medical sonographers (+13.9%), Medical equipment repairers (+12.6%).

Postsecondary nondegree award

Commercial pilots$123,220
Ship engineers$109,530
Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay$103,020
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance$97,150
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers$93,530
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels$92,460
Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment$84,890
Avionics technicians$82,280
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians$79,870
Insurance appraisers, auto damage$78,240
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is postsecondary nondegree award.

Fastest growing at this level: Wind turbine service technicians (+29.5%), Psychiatric technicians (+22.3%), Ophthalmic medical technicians (+21.4%), Massage therapists (+15.3%), Medical assistants (+12.9%).

Some college, no degree

Computer user support specialists$61,860
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks$50,670
Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers$47,810
Order clerks$46,170
Tutors$43,350
Teaching assistants, except postsecondary$36,780
Top 6 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is some college, no degree.

Fastest growing at this level: Tutors (-0.2%), Teaching assistants, except postsecondary (-0.3%), Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers (-3.0%), Computer user support specialists (-3.5%), Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (-5.6%).

High school diploma or equivalent

Nuclear power reactor operators$122,890
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers$109,910
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers$107,230
Power distributors and dispatchers$106,730
First-line supervisors of police and detectives$106,040
Power plant operators$102,040
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers$96,710
Postmasters and mail superintendents$96,660
Electrical power-line installers and repairers$95,320
Detectives and criminal investigators$93,790
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is high school diploma or equivalent.

Fastest growing at this level: Solar photovoltaic installers (+36.5%), Occupational health and safety technicians (+19.4%), Hearing aid specialists (+19.4%), Home health and personal care aides (+18.1%), Industrial machinery mechanics (+17.8%).

No formal educational credential

Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining$74,500
Artists and related workers, all other$71,240
Underground mining machine operators, all other$70,130
Tapers$68,270
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas$67,890
Athletes and sports competitors$66,710
Postal service clerks$62,130
Continuous mining machine operators$61,810
Postal service mail carriers$60,550
Drywall and ceiling tile installers$58,930
Top 10 occupations by national median annual wage, May 2025, among occupations whose typical entry education is no formal educational credential.

Fastest growing at this level: Cooks, restaurant (+12.1%), Taxi drivers (+11.5%), Tile and stone setters (+9.8%), Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles (+9.0%), Stockers and order fillers (+8.9%).

Method and limitations

Occupations are grouped by the BLS typical entry-level education assignment (Employment Projections 2025-35). Within each group, occupations are ranked by May 2025 OEWS national median annual wage. Occupations without a published annual median are excluded. Wages describe all workers in the occupation, not new graduates.

Typical entry education is a BLS assignment for each occupation, not a requirement for every worker. Wages are national medians for all workers in the occupation. Growth figures are official BLS projections.

Cite this: ConnectPrep Career Intelligence. (2026). Best-Paying Careers by Education Level (2025 Data). https://www.connectprep.com/career-intelligence/research/best-paying-careers-by-education/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.