Average Salary by State and Occupation
SalaryInStates answers a simple question with official numbers: what does a job actually pay where you live? Every figure on this site comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for May 2024 — the government's employer-reported wage census covering about 830 occupations and 154,187,380 jobs. Pick a state to see its highest-paying and largest occupations, pick an occupation to compare its pay across all 50 states, or use the salary calculator to convert between hourly and annual pay.
Highest-paying occupations in the United States
By mean annual wage, the top of the U.S. pay ladder is dominated by specialist physicians and surgeons. Pediatric Surgeons leads the BLS list at $239,200+ a year on average — note that several medical specialties have median pay at or above the BLS reporting cap of $239,200, shown as $239,200+ — followed by cardiologists at $239,200+ and surgeons, all other at $239,200+. These are small occupations: the entire top ten together employ far fewer people than a single large occupation such as registered nursing, which alone accounts for 3,282,010 jobs at a mean of $98,430. High pay and large opportunity rarely come in the same occupation, which is exactly why this site shows employment next to every wage.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual | Mean annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric Surgeons | 1,050 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Cardiologists | 18,020 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Surgeons, All Other | 24,080 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 14,160 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | 5,330 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Radiologists | 26,290 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Dermatologists | 10,080 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Anesthesiologists | 41,890 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | 33,680 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 12,110 | $239,200+ | $239,200+ |
Average salary by state
Pay for the same job can differ by tens of thousands of dollars between states. Each state page below lists that state's highest-paying occupations, its largest occupations by employment, and the occupations where the state pays a premium — or a discount — versus the national median for the same work.
Salary guides for 30 in-demand occupations
For the occupations Americans ask about most, we publish a full guide: the national median and mean, the complete 50-state wage table, the best- and worst-paying states, and detailed state guides for the biggest markets.
How to use these numbers
Start with the median, not the mean: the median is the wage of the worker in the middle, so it describes typical pay better than an average that top earners pull upward. Then look at the range — most occupation pages here show the 10th through 90th percentile, so you can see what entry-level and top-end pay look like in the same field. Remember that OEWS wages are gross pay before taxes and benefits, converted at 2,080 hours a year, and that they describe May 2024. A job offer in a high-cost metro can legitimately sit above the state figure, and one in a rural area below it; the survey's state figures average those together.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary in the United States?
The mean annual wage across all occupations was $67,920 in May 2024 (BLS OEWS), the mean hourly wage was $32.66, and the median wage was $23.80 an hour.
What is the highest-paying occupation in the U.S.?
By mean pay, pediatric surgeons tops the BLS list at $239,200+ a year, followed by cardiologists at $239,200+.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2024 release — the federal survey of roughly 830 occupations covering 154 million U.S. jobs.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 — bls.gov/oes. Figures checked October 2026.