The 20 highest-paying jobs in the US that aren't doctors and other healthcare professionals

9 hours ago 6

Being a doctor is one way to make more than six figures. Financial managers, pilots, and computer hardware engineers also earn a lot on average.

Almost all of the 13 highest-paying jobs in the US are healthcare roles. For instance, Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025 showed pediatric surgeons made an average annual wage of about $500,000.

Because, on average, so many top-paying roles were doctors, and not everyone dreams of becoming a cardiologist or dermatologist, we decided to rank the jobs that pay the best outside healthcare. The BLS data showed airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers ranked No. 1, with an average of $288,650. Many of the jobs were managerial, so they may require working your way up before entering those roles.

Below are the 20 highest-paying jobs outside healthcare, along with employment estimates for each.

20. Advertising and promotions managers

Someone is writing on a whiteboard while other people look at the board

Average annual wage: $154,280

Employment: 21,470

19. Purchasing managers

A person wearing a white dress shirt is on the phone in a warehouse

Average annual wage: $156,360

Employment: 84,320

18. Personal financial advisors

A meeting with a financial advisor in an office

Average annual wage: $156,670

Employment: 266,800

17. Petroleum engineers

A worker in a hard hat and high-visibility vest uses a tablet at an oil pumpjack site.

Average annual wage: $157,150

Employment: 18,060

16. Compensation and benefits managers

A person wearing glasses and business attire using a laptop

Average annual wage: $162,640

Employment: 22,940

15. Computer hardware engineers

Close-up of someone soldering a computer chip

Average annual wage: $162,670

Employment: 76,660

14. Human resources managers

Two people sit across a desk, with a laptop displaying a blurred résumé.

Average annual wage: $164,230

Employment: 220,660

13. Sales managers

People looking at a computer monitor in an office

Average annual wage: $164,350

Employment: 637,080

12. Public relations managers

Two people in an office looking at a computer

Average annual wage: $164,760

Employment: 74,850

11. Industrial-organizational psychologists

Average annual wage: $170,230

Employment: 790

10. Physicists

A physicist coding and has multiple computer monitors

Average annual wage: $171,180

Employment: 20,430

9. Marketing managers

Business meeting in a conference room with a marketing strategy slide displayed on a screen.

Average annual wage: $177,770

Employment: 395,240

8. Natural sciences managers

Average annual wage: $180,250

Employment: 108,690

7. Architectural and engineering managers

Two construction professionals, one wearing a suit jacket and one wearing a high-visibility safety vest, are walking down stairs and looking at plans

Average annual wage: $181,540

Employment: 220,260

6. Lawyers

A person holds documents while addressing a seated group in a wood-paneled courtroom setting.

Average annual wage: $185,840

Employment: 754,500

5. Financial managers

Close-up of people sitting at a table reviewing printed sales charts and reports

Average annual wage: $186,910

Employment: 841,710

4. Computer and information systems managers

A person wearing glasses is looking at computer code. There are multiple computer monitors and a laptop.

Average annual wage: $192,160

Employment: 670,570

3. Athletes and sports competitors

Average annual wage: $206,180

Employment: 15,070

2. Chief executives

The back of a businessman looking at buildings in the distance from an office window

Average annual wage: $269,630

Employment: 204,350

1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

Average annual wage: $288,650

Employment: 103,560

Madison Hoff is a reporter on Business Insider’s economy team. She covers the labor market, inflation, spending, and other data. In addition to covering new estimates and trends, her workforce reporting includes career pivots, job searching, and side hustles.She also covers downsizing, particularly people selling their houses to pursue RV living. She has also reported on how much teachers spend out of pocket and what it’s like being a caregiver.Her stories often cover the state of the economy, what experts are saying, and how people are navigating the workplace or their careers.Previously, she was a junior reporter and data editorial fellow on the Strategy team.A few of her stories: