- Demographic Based
- Interest Based
- Location Based
- Pay Based
- Requirement Based
Find a Job You Really Want In
Finding a job you love that pays well is the dream. If it is your goal to earn a six-figure salary, you need to plan.
To earn $100k or more per year, you will need to fulfill the prerequisite obligations for the occupation you are looking to enter. You need to know the educational requirements, expected experience level, and more.
While the majority of the jobs on this list will require an advanced degree — jobs in the medical industry and legal field are some of the highest paying jobs available — not all six-figure occupations require you to earn a degree beyond a bachelor’s. There are even some that only require a high school diploma or equivalent.
There are plenty of high-paying entry-level jobs. But the majority of high-paying jobs will not be entry-level in the simplest sense. The entry-level jobs on this list typically require an advanced degree or years of experience in the industry as a prerequisite.
To compile a list of jobs that pay over $100,000 per year, we analyzed data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics focusing our attention on occupations that were listed as having a median salary of over $100k.
Medical Field
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Physician
Average Annual Salary: $176,000Top Paying States: Alaska ($258,550), New Hampshire ($257,220), Maine ($251,930), Montana (247,720), Wisconsin ($246,060)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Pharmacist
Average Annual Salary: $119,000Top Paying States: California ($144,050), Alaska ($142,10), Vermont ($135,650), Oregon ($135,150), Maine ($134,670)
Job Outlook: 3% decrease expected (decline)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Dentist
Average Annual Salary: $134,000Top Paying States: Rhode Island ($262,900), Vermont ($261,790), Alaska ($239,930), North Dakota ($225,770), Maine ($220,400)
Job Outlook: 3% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Psychiatrist
Average Annual Salary: $201,000Top Paying States: Maine ($273,900), Arizona ($270,890), North Dakota ($264,770), Indiana ($264,260), Nebraska ($262,570)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Orthodontist
Average Annual Salary: $214,000Top Paying States: Washington ($285,790), Minnesota ($274,490), South Carolina ($269,180), Iowa ($268,000) North Carolina ($263,040), Pennsylvania ($265,990)
Job Outlook: 3% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Optometrist
Average Annual Salary: $231,000Top Paying States: North Dakota ($174,290), Vermont ($145,150), West Virginia ($143,760), Alaska ($143,760), Iowa ($140,450)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Podiatrist
Average Annual Salary: $91,000Top Paying States: Maine ($238,630), Nebraska ($207,140), New Hampshire ($183,400), Minnesota ($181,780), Wisconsin ($180,060)
Job Outlook: 0% increase expected (no change)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Nurse Practitioner
Average Annual Salary: $94,000Top Paying States: California ($138,660), Washington ($126,920), Hawaii ($124,000), New Jersey ($123,810), Minnesota ($122,850)
Job Outlook: 45% increase expected (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Master’s degree
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Anesthesiologist
Average Annual Salary: $321,000Top Paying States: Wyoming ($281,979), Arizona ($280,030), Oklahoma ($278,549), Kansas ($276,800), North Carolina ($274,610)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
Engineering Field
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Aerospace engineer
Average Annual Salary: $90,000Top Paying States: District of Columbia ($140,710), Maryland ($135,400), Texas ($126,740), Colorado ($125,070), California (125,000)
Job Outlook: 3% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
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Chemical engineer
Average Annual Salary: $89,000Top Paying States: Texas ($150,510), Alaska ($144,110), New Jersey ($126,670), Delaware ($126,650), New Mexico ($122,140)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
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Electrical engineer
Average Annual Salary: $74,000Top Paying States: District of Columbia ($122,330), New Jersey ($119,430), New Mexico ($117,190), California ($117,070), Washington ($115,990)
Job Outlook: 3% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
Management
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Information technology manager
Average Annual Salary: $112,000Top Paying States: New York ($190,390), California ($185,640), New Jersey ($181,620), Virginia ($173,280), Colorado ($172,810)
Job Outlook: 10% increase expected (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree (and 5+ years of experience)
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Finance manager
Average Annual Salary: $105,000Top Paying States: New York ($210,240), New Jersey ($177,410), District of Columbia ($172,680), Delaware ($169,100), Connecticut ($167,000)
Job Outlook: 15% increase expected (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree (and 5+ years of experience)
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Marketing manager
Average Annual Salary: $106,000Top Paying States: New York ($186,350), New Jersey ($178,300), Virginia ($175,970), Colorado ($171,970), California ($169,200)
Job Outlook: 6% increase expected (faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
Maths and Sciences
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Biochemist or biophysicist
Average Annual Salary: $60,000Top Paying States: Illinois ($114,300), California ($107,830), Maryland (106,840), District of Columbia ($106,530), Massachusetts ($105,140)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Physicist
Average Annual Salary: $106,000Top Paying States: Kansas ($181,190), Oklahoma ($173,400), New Mexico ($66,720), Connecticut (165,650), Louisiana ($158,090)
Job Outlook: 7% increase expected (faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Doctoral degree
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Actuary
Average Annual Salary: $84,000Top Paying States: New York ($152,920), North Carolina ($134,280), Washington ($133,210), District of Columbia ($133,210), District of Columbia ($130,750), Massachusetts ($125,430)
Job Outlook: 18% increase expected (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
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Finance advisor
Average Annual Salary: $79,000Top Paying States: New York ($166,790), District of Columbia ($150,310), Illinois ($142,440), Connecticut ($137,440), Massachusetts ($137,050)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
Legal
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Lawyer
Average Annual Salary: $121,000Top Paying States: District of Columbia ($192,180), California ($173,970), New York ($168,780), Massachusetts ($164,800), Illinois ($157,010)
Job Outlook: 4% increase expected (average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Law degree
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Judge
Average Annual Salary: $50,000Job Outlook: 2% increase expected (slower than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Law degree (and 5+ years experience)
Six-Figure Jobs That Don’t Require a Degree
These may show a typical entry-level education as an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, but they do not necessarily require a degree to be hired.
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Construction manager
Average Annual Salary: $81,000Top Paying States: New Jersey ($147,410), New York ($135,320), Delaware ($124,730), California ($121,540), Rhode Island ($120,000)
Job Outlook: 8% increase expected (faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
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Air traffic controller
Average Annual Salary: $64,000Top Paying States: New Hampshire ($141,180), Illinois ($136,700), Georgia ($134,550), Texas ($132,700), California ($132,510)
Job Outlook: 1% increase expected (slower than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Associate’s degree
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Commercial pilot
Average Annual Salary: $93,892Top Paying States: Georgia ($130,760), Connecticut ($127,950), New York ($127,590), Florida ($110,540), Maryland ($110,240)
Job Outlook: 5% increase expected (faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: High school diploma or GED
Find Commercial pilot jobs near me
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Software developer
Average Annual Salary: $80,000Top Paying States: California ($134,370), Washington ($131,870), New York ($119,570), District of Columbia ($118,580), Maryland ($116,080)
Job Outlook: 22% increase expected (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
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Nuclear reactor operator
Average Annual Salary: $33,379Top Paying States: New York ($113,500), North Carolina ($100,560), Louisiana ($100,080), Illinois ($99,080), Tennessee ($95,460)
Job Outlook: -16% decrease expected (decline)
Typical Entry-Level Education: High school diploma or GED
25 Jobs That Pay $100k or More Per Year
This list includes high-paying jobs, many paying well over $100k, in many industries. To help you find the information most useful in your research, we have separated the jobs by field.
Beyond the medical and legal fields, you will find that those in management, engineering, and the fields of mathematics and science have the potential to earn a significant yearly salary. We have also specified which occupations may not require a degree.
To ensure you can gather all the information you need, we have included the following information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
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Median salary
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States that pay the highest salaries for the occupation
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The jobThe top outlook for 2019-29
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Typical entry-level education
Final Thoughts
Jobs that pay $100k per year or more are not easy to come by. Some high-paying jobs don’t require more than a high school diploma, or equivalent, but the majority require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
If your goal is to earn a six-figure salary, do your homework and set a path that leads you to your goal. You should:
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Know the educational requirements
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Determine where you want to live (and if the salary is still six-figures in this state)
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Be aware of the job outlook
- Demographic Based
- Interest Based
- Location Based
- Pay Based
- Requirement Based
Author
Samantha is a lifelong writer who has been writing professionally for the last six years. After graduating with honors from Greensboro College with a degree in English & Communications, she went on to find work as an in-house copywriter for several companies including Costume Supercenter, and Blueprint Education.
