Earning a good income is not just a question of getting into the right occupation; it also helps to get into the right industry. In some industries, the balance of supply and demand works out to produce higher salaries, particularly when an industry is growing so fast that skilled workers are in short supply. Fortunately, the Department of Labor's Occupational Earnings Survey (OES) reports wages not just by occupation, but also by industry, so we were able to compile industry-specific earnings figures for the 250 jobs in this book. Having done so, we found almost 500 combinations of job and industry where workers earn an average of over $100,000 per year.
We didn't want any items on this list to reflect a handful of freakishly high earners. For example, Lawyers who are working in the Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing industry earn an average of over $145,600, compared to the average of $97,420 that Lawyers earn in all industries. But there are only about 50 of these superstar Lawyers fighting off lawsuits directed at tobacco companies and brewers. Therefore, we limited the list to instances of industries that employ more than 1,000 workers in the occupation. (We made two exceptions to this rule by including Astronomers and Prosthodontists, two tiny occupations with a total workforce of fewer than 10,000 each.) The jobs and the industries employing the high earners for each job are ordered alphabetically.
| Jobs and Industries in Which Earnings Average More Than $100,000 | |
| Job | Industries in Which Average Earnings Are More Than $100,000 per Year |
| Air Traffic Controllers | Federal, State, and Local Government |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | Air Transportation |
| Anesthesiologists | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Astronomers | Federal, State, and Local Government |
| Chief Executives | Accommodation; Administrative and Support Services; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Broadcasting (Except Internet); Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers; Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Construction of Buildings; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Educational Services; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electronics and Appliance Stores; Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; Food Manufacturing; Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores; Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing; Health and Personal Care Stores; Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction; Hospitals; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Machinery Manufacturing; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods; Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries; Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing; Nonstore Retailers; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Personal and Laundry Services; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Primary Metal Manufacturing; Printing and Related Support Activities; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Real Estate; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Rental and Leasing Services; Repair and Maintenance; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Specialty Trade Contractors; Support Activities for Transportation; Telecommunications; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Truck Transportation; Utilities; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers;Wood Product Manufacturing |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Telecommunications; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing |
| Dentists, General | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Engineering Managers | Administrative and Support Services; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods; Oil and Gas Extraction; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Telecommunications; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing |
| Family and General Practitioners | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Federal, State, and Local Government; Hospitals |
| Financial Managers, Branch or Department | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
| General and Operations Managers | Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (Except Copyrighted Works); Management of Companies and Enterprises; Oil and Gas Extraction; Paper Manufacturing; Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities Telecommunications |
| Geologists | Oil and Gas Extraction |
| Government Service Executives | Accommodation; Administrative and Support Services; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Broadcasting (Except Internet); Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers; Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Construction of Buildings; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Educational Services; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electronics and Appliance Stores; Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; Food Manufacturing; Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores; Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing; Health and Personal Care Stores; Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction; Hospitals; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Machinery Manufacturing; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods; Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries; Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing; Nonstore Retailers; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Personal and Laundry Services; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Primary Metal Manufacturing; Printing and Related Support Activities; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Real Estate; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Rental and Leasing Services; Repair and Maintenance; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Specialty Trade Contractors; Support Activities for Transportation; Telecommunications; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Truck Transportation; Utilities;Waste Management and Remediation Services; Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers;Wood Product Manufacturing |
| Internists, General | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Hospitals |
| Lawyers | Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Real Estate; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Telecommunications |
| Marketing Managers | Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
| Natural Sciences Managers | Chemical Manufacturing; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Hospitals |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Orthodontists | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Pediatricians, General | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Hospitals |
| Petroleum Engineers | Oil and Gas Extraction |
| Podiatrists | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Private Sector Executives | Accommodation; Administrative and Support Services; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Broadcasting (Except Internet); Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers; Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Construction of Buildings; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Educational Services; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electronics and Appliance Stores; Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; Food Manufacturing; Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores; Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing; Health and Personal Care Stores; Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction; Hospitals; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Machinery Manufacturing; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods; Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries; Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing; Nonstore Retailers; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Personal and Laundry Services; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Primary Metal Manufacturing; Printing and Related Support Activities; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Publishing Industries (Except Internet); Real Estate; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Rental and Leasing Services; Repair and Maintenance; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Specialty Trade Contractors; Support Activities for Transportation; Telecommunications; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Truck Transportation; Utilities; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers;Wood Product Manufacturing |
| Prosthodontists | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| Psychiatrists | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Federal, State, and Local Government; Hospitals |
| Sales Engineers | Publishing Industries (Except Internet) |
| Sales Managers | Broadcasting (Except Internet); Chemical Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services; Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities; Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers |
| Surgeons | Ambulatory Health Care Services; Hospitals |
| Treasurers, Controllers, and Chief Financial Officers | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |