8 U.S. Cities With The Highest Salaries: “Best Paying Jobs in the Country”

8 US Cities With The Best Paychecks

Many Americans dream of landing a lucrative paycheck. Many may flock to Silicon Valley in California or New York City in hopes of landing such a job, yet when costs of living are taken into account these cities fall short of expectations.

Where can workers find the highest salaries in the U.S.? To answer this question, 24/7 Wall St. conducted an analysis on average annual median wages across 389 metropolitan statistical areas.

Boston, Massachusetts.

An impressive salary can do wonders for job satisfaction, according to research conducted by CNBC. Employees earning over $150,000 annually were much happier in their jobs compared to those making less. While high-paying careers might seem out of reach for many individuals, there are ways you can find one that still allows for financial security and personal freedom.

Healthcare careers tend to pay the most, with doctors and nurses leading the way, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are, however, plenty of other opportunities that offer six-figure salaries; computer system managers and airline pilots for instance often make six figures annually.

Are You Wondering How to Land One of These Lucrative Positions? Research industries with high demand for qualified workers; for instance, healthcare is currently experiencing an acute shortage of doctors and nurses; Pallet and The Ladders provide lists of high-paying jobs open to applicants of all backgrounds that you could potentially apply for.

Hartford, Connecticut.

Insurance and financial services firms have an established presence in Hartford. Major employers include Aetna Inc, Hartford Financial Services Group and Travelers Indemnity Co – three of the area’s major employers with many high-paying jobs available for experience professionals but also offering opportunities for entry-level employees who possess suitable credentials.

Medical practitioners continue to lead Hartford’s highest-paying jobs. A psychiatrist can earn $242,740 per year while oral and maxillofacial surgeons make $203,710. Management jobs and legal work round out this list.

Stacker used the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to identify the highest-paying jobs in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut. To make the list, a job must pay at least $100,000 in 2021 while also requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher (jobs with advanced degrees also qualified). Other highly paid occupations in this region included chief executives, commercial pilots and economic teachers – while manicurists/pedicurists make up some of the lowest paying professions at $28,990 annually.

Seattle, Washington.

Are You Searching For Six-Figure Salaries? Consider These Positions! These high-paying positions require various educational levels and experience levels from doctorate degrees to bachelor’s. While some require only four-year degrees.

Healthcare jobs top the list of highest-paying occupations nationwide, with physicians leading in almost every state. Other occupations that provide good incomes include those within the “legal” profession such as judges and magistrate judges as well as computer hardware engineers.

These salaries are determined based on the annual wages reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an independent agency which tracks employment-related data. Each year it publishes an occupational outlook handbook which contains wage and salary trend data as well as employment numbers by occupation and state/gender groupings. This information can help provide context around your career goals.

New Haven, Connecticut.

Salary should always be an important factor when selecting a career path – but choosing one shouldn’t just depend on it alone. Many of the highest-paying positions require extensive education and years of study; medical occupations dominate this list, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, family doctors, dentists, OBGYNs as well as judges/magistrates/computer/information systems managers/natural science managers/physicists among many others with six-figure salaries.

U.S. News used salary data from Glassdoor – a website that allows employees to share company reviews and compensation details – to identify the top 10 highest-paying jobs for people with bachelor’s degrees excluding CEOs, professional athletes, or movie stars. In order to qualify for this list, jobs must have at least 100 employee reviews with median salaries exceeding $100,000; several of these positions were found within healthcare settings while others could be found within tech, finance and engineering fields.

Denver, Colorado.

Finding a career that you enjoy and is financially stable are important goals to pursue, which is why SmartAsset recently conducted an analysis of 25 of the highest-paying jobs across the nation to see how much is necessary on average to live comfortably in each city. Utilizing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, this website determined both national median annual salary as well as projected job growth for each position.

Health care careers like anesthesiologists and orthodonists offer some of the highest salaries, as do engineers from varying fields; sales jobs also rank highly, including positions like petroleum engineer and chemical engineer.

The list of highest-paying jobs in each state for May 2021 features both private-sector and public-sector occupations, non-profit and education sectors. Each state’s ranking for any specific occupation was calculated based on its average annual mean salary according to standard occupational classifications of BLS for that state, with any occupation with at least $120,000 annually being considered the highest-paying occupations within each state.

San Diego, California.

Finding a job that makes you happy is one thing, but making sure it pays well should also be of equal importance. Luckily, there are plenty of six-figure positions out there which offer both fulfillment and money – Monster has done its research using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile its list of 50 highest-paying jobs in America.

On this list are jobs requiring advanced degrees, such as physicists, natural science managers and software developers; medical professions including obstetricians/gynecologists/surgeons as well as highly-paid positions like chief executives/financial managers/architectural engineers/marketing managers etc.

Note: Salary figures reflect annual compensation estimates rather than actual worker pay in each occupation. You can search current jobs with high salaries on The Muse as well as upload your resume free of charge and gain exposure with recruiters – you could soon find your dream role!

Baltimore, Maryland.

As with any large city, Baltimore can sometimes feel unnerving – you might find litter scattered on the streets and people pushing carts with food or clothing through busy streets. Yet this independent city still offers great cultural attractions, vibrant restaurants – Michelin-star worthy options included – affordable accommodations and great rail connectivity to NYC, DC and Philly.

As part of your job search, finding an occupation you enjoy while earning enough to support yourself and your family is important. While salary should never be the sole deciding factor, earning potential remains an important aspect. Glassdoor conducted an analysis using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify professions with above-average earnings potential in America. Many of the highest-paying positions on this list involve healthcare and require advanced degrees; physicians make up half the list including surgeons, cardiologists and nurse anesthetists while other well-paid roles include judges/magistrates/natural science managers/physicists among many others.

Los Angeles, California.

When it comes to earning big bucks, certain professions stand out. Cardiologists and orthopedic surgeons make six-figure salaries; but other lucrative careers exist outside of healthcare as well.

Business Insider used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupations Classification Database to identify the highest-paying jobs in each state. We chose our top choice based on annual average wage and number employed within that occupation as well as job responsibilities, career progression opportunities and education levels required for that occupation.

Healthcare jobs currently account for most of the highest-paying positions, and are projected to experience 13% annual growth through 2031. Outside healthcare, other well-paying professions include chief executive officers and computer information systems managers. Whatever field you work in, mastering skills and expanding experience are keys to landing rewarding careers; so if you’re hoping to increase earnings further consider enrolling in online courses or acquiring Agile certifications.