America's 25 BEST-PAYING Jobs!!

http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/04/jobs-careers-compensation-lead-careers-cx_pm_0604jobs.html?partner=careersaol
When we first looked at America's best- and worst-paying jobs a year back, we asked the question, "Why do financially pushy parents want their children to marry doctors?" Our answer then: Because, as Willie Sutton said of banks, that is where the money is. Still is.
The medical profession continues to dominate the top end of our list of the 25 best- and worst-paying jobs in America. Anesthesiologists have flipped places with surgeons to take the top spot, but the next eight places are firmly in the healing hands of various sorts of specialist practitioners.
Chief executives, at No. 10, and airline pilots, at No. 14, are the only two non-medical occupations in the top 15. Even lawyers don't make it. They're No. 16.
At the other end of the scale are jobs in restaurants, hotels and leisure businesses. The lowest paid of all? People who cook, prepare and serve in fast-food joints, followed by dishwashers, busboys and the folk who show you to your seat in coffee-shops and the like.
According to government data, the mean annual salary for America's 29,890 anesthesiologists is $184,340; for its 2.5 million fast-food preparers and servers, $15,230. The mean annual pay for all jobs is $39,190. In all, the lowest-paying 25 occupations employ 15.6 million people in America; the best-paying jobs employ 3 million.
In Pictures: America's 25 Best-Paying Jobs
In Pictures: America's 25 Worst-Paying Jobs
Our numbers are drawn from the U.S. government's National, State and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. The latest ones available use 2006 data and are based on a national survey of employers of every size and in all industry sectors. They examine 800 occupations.
The survey covers full- and part-time workers who are paid a wage or salary. It does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers and unpaid family workers.
It asks about basic pay, incentive bonuses and commissions, but not overtime pay or non-wage compensation, such as stock options.
That helps explain why mean annual wages appear lower than one might have expected at the top end and higher at the bottom, where undocumented workers are unlikely to be counted accurately.
Remember, too, that these are mean salaries and that they give no indication of how distant the outliers at either end of the salary scale for any occupation might be. There are plenty of lawyers that earn a lot more than the average $113,660, and surely there are dishwashers who earn a lot less than $16,190.
The total compensation of the best-paid (salary and bonus excluding stock options) chief executive on our most recent CEO Compensation list, Bob R. Simpson of XTO Energy (nyse: XTO - news - people ), was $32.2 million last year, 223 times as much as the average chief executive. And then there was Apple's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )Steven P. Jobs, who earned a nominal $1 salary--but, thanks to stock options, earned $646.6 million last year.
Earnings can vary widely for the same job in different industries and in different places. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers employed by the federal government, for example, earn almost two-thirds more than the average for the occupation. Ditto cafeteria servers employed by state governments.
In certain occupations, the discrepancy occurs because they are niche jobs in generally high-paying industries. The handful of souls employed to cook for corporate dining rooms, who make $33,620 on average, earn 50% more than the 647,070 cooks working in full-service restaurants.
Where you live can also have a huge impact on what you make. The states and metropolitan areas in the high-wage Northeast pay top dollar in many occupations, as do employers in similarly pricey Silicon Valley.
Parking lot attendants and fast-food preparers and servers in the San Francisco/San Mateo/Redwood City metropolitan area earned, at $24,620 a year and $21,200 a year respectively, one-third more than the national average. Laundry and dry cleaning workers in Framingham, Mass., did even better relatively, earning, at $28,400, 50% more than the national average.
Remote states, particularly Alaska and Hawaii, also pay well for needed skills. On average, Hawaii pays best for busboys, bartenders and lifeguards; Alaska for short-order cooks, personal and home care aides and parking lot attendants. Oregon pays above average for podiatrists; Maine pays more for dentists.
There was little change in the occupations that make up the 25 best- and worst-paid lists. Astronomers fell off the bottom of the best-paying jobs list, to be replaced by financial managers. Service station attendants replaced some sorts of food preparers on the list of worst-paying jobs.
On average, earnings went up--in the best-paid group by 4.2% and in the worst-paid by 3.2%. Yes, the doctors get richer.


The numbers in the following slides are drawn from the U.S. government's National, State and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. The latest ones available use 2006 data and are based on a national survey of employers of every size and in all industry sectors. They examine 800 occupations.
The survey covers full- and part-time workers who are paid a wage or salary. It does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers and unpaid family workers. It asks about basic pay, incentive bonuses and commissions, but not overtime pay or non-wage compensation, such as stock options.
Year-earlier comparisons are to the 2005 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates.

1.
Anesthesologists
Mean Annual Wage: $184,340One-Year Change: 5.8%No. In Employment: 29,890
Top-Paying Industry: Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (>$145,600*) Top-Paying State: Washington (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ (>$145,600*)Administer anesthetics during surgery or other medical procedures.
* Mean annual wage

2. Surgeons
Mean Annual Wage: $184,150One-Year Change: 3.6%No. In Employment: 51,900
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Dentists (>$145,600*)Top-Paying State: Wyoming (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: Springfield, MA-CT (>$145,600*)Treat diseases, injuries and deformities by invasive methods, such as manual manipulation or by using instruments and appliances.

3. Obstetricians And Gynecologists
Mean Annual Wage: $178,040 One-Year Change: 3.6%No. In Employment: 22,520
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Physicians ($183,850*)Top-Paying State: New Hampshire (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: York-Hanover, PA (>$145,600*)Diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases of women, especially those affecting the reproductive system and the process of childbirth.

4. Orthodontists
Mean Annual Wage: $176,900 One-Year Change: 8.3%No. In Employment: 5,200
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Dentists ($179,260*)Top-Paying State: Wisconsin (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL (>$145,600*)Examine, diagnose and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws.

5. Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeons
Mean Annual Wage: $164,760 One-Year Change: 2.6%No. In Employment: 5,320
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Physicians ($182,060*)Top-Paying State: Wisconsin (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (>$145,600*) Perform surgery on mouths and jaws.


6. Internists, General
Mean Annual Wage: $160,860 One-Year Change: 2.8%No. In Employment: 48,700
Top-Paying Industry: Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories ($187,730*)Top-Paying State: Louisiana ($188,570*)Top-Paying Metro: Danbury, CT (>$145,600*)Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems.


7. Prosthodontists
Mean Annual Wage: $158,940 One-Year Change: 8.8%No. In Employment: 480
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Dentists ($185,960*)Top-Paying State: Virginia (>$145,600*)Top-Paying Metro: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (>$145,600*) Construct oral prostheses to replace missing teeth and other oral structures.

8. Psychiatrists
Mean Annual Wage: $149,990 One-Year Change: 2.6%No. In Employment: 24,730
Top-Paying Industry: Other Residential Care Facilities ($165,980*)Top-Paying State: Idaho ($185,420*)Top-Paying Metro: Springfield, MO (>$145,600*)Diagnose, treat and help prevent disorders of the mind.


9. Family And General Practitioners
Mean Annual Wage: $149,850 One-Year Change: 6.8%No. In Employment: 109,400
Top-Paying Industry: Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories ($190,100*)Top-Paying State: Kansas ($177,930*)Top-Paying Metro: Danbury, CT (>$145,600*)Diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.

10. Chief Executives
Mean Annual Wage: $144,600 One-Year Change: 3.4%No. In Employment: 299,520
Top-Paying Industry: Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures ($186,490*)Top-Paying State: New Jersey ($177,210*)Top-Paying Metro: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($187,940*)Determine and formulate policies and provide the overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within the guidelines set up by a board of directors.


11. Physicians And Surgeons, All Other
Mean Annual Wage: $142,220One-Year Change: 2.4%No. In Employment: 208,960
Top-Paying Industry: Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services ($198,560*)Top-Paying State: Utah ($186,500*)Top-Paying Metro: Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH (>$145,600*) All physicians and surgeons outside main specialties


12. Pediatricians, General
Mean Annual Wage: $141,440 One-Year Change: 1.6%No. In Employment: 28,930
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Other Health Practitioners ($177,190*)Top-Paying State: Louisiana ($177,110*)Top-Paying Metro: Monroe, LA (>$145,600*)Diagnose, treat and help prevent children's diseases and injuries


13. Dentists, General
Mean Annual Wage: $140,950 One-Year Change: 5.4%No. In Employment: 86,110
Top-Paying Industry: Other Ambulatory Health Care Services ($179,540*)Top-Paying State: Maine ($171,440*)Top-Paying Metro: Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL (>$145,600*)Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures.

14. Airline Pilots, Copilots And Flight Engineers
Mean Annual Wage: $140,380 One-Year Change: 4.0%No. In Employment: 75,810

15. Podiatrists
Mean Annual Wage: $118,500 One-Year Change: 6.5%No. In Employment: 9,020

16. Lawyers
Mean Annual Wage: $113,660 One-Year Change: 2.8%No. In Employment: 547,710
Top-Paying Industry: Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment ($164,520*)Top-Paying State: District of Columbia ($138,850*)Top-Paying Metro: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($162,880*)Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, and manage or advise clients on legal transactions.


17. Air Traffic Controllers
Mean Annual Wage: $110,270 One-Year Change: 4.2%No. In Employment: 23,240

18. Engineering Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $110,030One-Year Change: 4.3%No. In Employment: 183,960
Top-Paying Industry: Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) ($139,640*)Top-Paying State: Vermont ($126,440*)Top-Paying Metro: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($150,720*)Plan, direct or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.

19. Dentists, All Other Specialists
Mean Annual Wage: $108,340 One-Year Change: -6.3%No. In Employment: 4,560
Top-Paying Industry: Offices of Dentists ($161,940*)Top-Paying State: Oregon ($172,620*)Top-Paying Metro: Philadelphia, PA ($165,720*)Specialist dentists excluding Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Orthodontists and Prosthodontists.

Natural Sciences Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $107,970 One-Year Change: 8.9%No. In Employment: 38,660

Marketing Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $107,610 One-Year Change: 5.5%No. In Employment: 159,950

Computer And Information Systems Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $107,250 One-Year Change: 4.8%No. In Employment: 251,210
Top-Paying Industry: Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation ($129,740*)Top-Paying State: New Jersey ($125,460*)Top-Paying Metro: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($139,460*)

Sales Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $102,730 One-Year Change: 4.3%No. In Employment: 307,960

Financial Managers
Mean Annual Wage: $101,450One-Year Change: 5.0%No. In Employment: 468,270
Top-Paying Industry: Other Financial Investment Activities ($139,390*)Top-Paying State: New York ($133,150*)Top-Paying Metro: New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ ($142,570*)