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  • Pediatric surgeon was the highest-paying job in the US based on newly released average pay data.
  • Business Insider ranked pay data for hundreds of occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Most of the top 20 best-paying gigs, on average, were healthcare jobs.

Pediatric surgeons get paid well on average.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics published on Wednesday new data that shows the average wages and employment estimates for over 800 occupations in May 2024.

With many people searching for jobs, Business Insider looked at the national data to see which jobs had the highest average annual wages. We excluded a set of catchall job categories covering miscellaneous titles because of the lack of specificity.

Most of the 20 top-paying jobs were healthcare occupations, including radiologists and emergency medicine physicians. Their annual averages far exceeded the overall annual average of $67,920.

Below are the top 20, including their annual pay and employment.

20. Orthodontists

Average annual wage: $254,620

Employment: 5,150

19. Family medicine physicians

Average annual wage: $256,830

Employment: 107,950

18. Prosthodontists

Average annual wage: $258,660

Employment: 760

17. Athletes and sports competitors

Average annual wage: $259,750

Employment: 14,370

16. General internal medicine physicians

Average annual wage: $262,710

Employment: 66,640

15. Chief executives

Average annual wage: $262,930

Employment: 211,850

14. Pathologists

Average annual wage: $266,020

Employment: 11,800

13. Psychiatrists

Average annual wage: $269,120

Employment: 24,800

12. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

Average annual wage: $280,570

Employment: 99,300

11. Obstetricians and gynecologists

Average annual wage: $281,130

Employment: 19,900

10. Neurologists

Average annual wage: $286,310

Employment: 7,700

9. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric

Average annual wage: $301,500

Employment: 12,110

8. Emergency medicine physicians

Average annual wage: $320,700

Employment: 33,680

7. Anesthesiologists

Average annual wage: $336,640

Employment: 41,890

6. Dermatologists

Average annual wage: $347,810

Employment: 10,080

5. Radiologists

Average annual wage: $359,820

Employment: 26,290

4. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons

Average annual wage: $360,240

Employment: 5,330

3. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric

Average annual wage: $365,060

Employment: 14,160

2. Cardiologists

Average annual wage: $432,490

Employment: 18,020

1. Pediatric surgeons

Average annual wage: $450,810

Employment: 1,050

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