National Salary Info » All Occupations

Highest Paying Industries for All Occupations

The top 100 highest paying industries for all occupations (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $90,390, software publishers is the highest paying industry for all occupations. It is followed by computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing industry (average annual salary $88,160). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of all occupations in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for All Occupations

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Software Publishers	$90,390	$39,030	304,010
2	Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	$88,160	$32,470	157,730
3	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$80,460	$36,380	577,370
4	Securities and Commodity Exchanges	$79,100	$37,530	6,600
5	Computer Systems Design and Related Services	$78,790	$35,160	1,766,130
6	Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	$78,780	$36,540	n/a
7	Scientific Research and Development Services	$78,390	$35,300	635,030
8	Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage	$77,640	$33,080	442,730
9	Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities	$74,720	$32,100	874,820
10	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$72,610	$38,780	1,977,300
11	Other Financial Investment Activities	$71,890	$30,950	425,490
12	Other Information Services	$71,240	$26,120	208,080
13	Engineering Services	$70,700	$34,570	910,990
14	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	$70,380	$36,960	389,750
15	Oil and Gas Extraction	$69,590	$31,540	192,290
16	Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil	$69,490	$36,900	10,410
17	Natural Gas Distribution	$69,350	$36,110	109,880
18	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	$68,630	$32,850	491,400
19	Utilities	$68,190	$33,820	547,980
20	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Local government owned	$65,970	$25,590	50,620
21	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	$65,040	$31,500	1,362,440
22	Other Pipeline Transportation	$64,640	$34,870	7,390
23	Pipeline Transportation	$64,240	$33,850	46,810
24	Communications Equipment Manufacturing	$63,410	$26,790	93,180
25	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	$62,900	$29,610	110,180
26	Other Investment Pools and Funds	$62,730	$31,820	7,400
27	Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	$62,590	$32,620	29,020
28	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$62,210	$28,160	2,206,620
29	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	$62,160	$26,270	1,046,180
30	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$62,030	$27,860	387,130
31	Wired Telecommunications Carriers	$61,510	$28,880	606,010
32	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$61,250	$26,020	8,231,540
33	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$61,060	$26,450	1,215,120
34	Federal government, including USPS	$60,810	$37,490	2,590,360
35	Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services	$60,590	$24,950	274,250
36	Satellite Telecommunications	$60,300	$24,890	8,290
37	Telecommunications	$60,020	$27,550	850,510
38	Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities	$59,430	$28,060	57,660
39	Nonscheduled Air Transportation	$57,720	$26,100	37,730
40	Publishing Industries (except Internet)	$57,450	$23,180	724,400
41	Basic Chemical Manufacturing	$56,460	$29,440	144,830
42	Rail Transportation	$56,120	$36,930	223,690
43	Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds	$55,870	$30,160	n/a
44	Other Telecommunications	$55,800	$24,970	76,720
45	Information	$55,770	$21,840	2,735,590
46	Postal Service (federal government)	$55,590	$33,510	613,060
47	Insurance Carriers	$55,260	$29,510	1,163,330
48	Metal Ore Mining	$55,060	$33,930	45,520
49	Specialty hospitals - State government owned	$54,720	$26,530	29,400
50	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$54,680	$25,020	246,580
51	Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)	$54,650	$24,990	159,480
52	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$54,630	$24,830	214,550
53	Support Activities for Water Transportation	$54,230	$25,340	94,840
54	Legal Services	$54,180	$26,000	1,127,620
55	Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	$54,100	$24,150	371,990
56	Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	$53,920	$32,010	189,200
57	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$53,900	$29,700	356,560
58	Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers	$53,850	$28,740	531,800
59	Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing	$53,820	$26,200	92,340
60	Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works)	$53,810	$24,180	23,210
61	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	$53,610	$24,690	272,900
62	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$53,560	$26,890	189,660
63	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$53,550	$22,250	329,100
64	Coal Mining	$53,310	$31,190	73,830
65	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$53,130	$24,770	1,229,080
66	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$52,250	$24,990	4,427,800
67	Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations	$52,090	$18,010	116,580
68	Hospitals - Privately owned	$52,040	$24,880	4,749,300
69	Television Broadcasting	$51,780	$24,000	129,000
70	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$51,650	$24,750	5,247,530
71	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$51,310	$24,630	5,721,480
72	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$50,790	$21,750	500,100
73	Testing Laboratories	$50,760	$25,880	165,010
74	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$50,510	$23,550	2,938,400
75	Cable and Other Subscription Programming	$50,500	$25,750	64,720
76	Business schools and computer and management training - Privately owned	$50,380	$25,550	69,040
77	Business Schools and Computer and Management Training	$49,950	$25,470	72,760
78	Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$49,810	$24,970	614,100
79	Hospitals - State government owned	$49,750	$25,170	335,840
80	Nonresidential Building Construction	$49,620	$26,350	690,430
81	Inland Water Transportation	$49,550	$24,750	26,950
82	Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services	$49,400	$23,180	893,230
83	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$49,260	$26,290	2,154,010
84	Other Insurance Related Activities	$49,240	$26,840	290,780
85	Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services	$49,220	$22,010	473,370
86	Water Transportation	$49,050	$23,240	66,880
87	Mining	$49,000	$27,400	824,260
88	Chemical Manufacturing	$48,960	$24,010	789,010
89	Other Building Equipment Contractors	$48,870	$26,460	128,500
90	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$48,850	$24,960	9,472,980
91	Federal, State, and Local Government	$48,850	$24,960	9,472,980
92	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$48,800	$23,040	132,710
93	Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation	$48,760	$22,230	39,930
94	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$48,580	$22,720	1,658,700
95	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$48,340	$21,940	763,040
96	Junior colleges - Privately owned	$48,320	$24,870	42,350
97	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	$48,020	$26,680	104,780
98	Educational Services - State government owned	$47,910	$22,700	1,960,770
99	Mining (except Oil and Gas)	$47,860	$27,360	211,710
100	Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers	$47,830	$21,290	877,610