Tag Archives: What we make

What we make. Examining incomes for a wide range of average Americans.

What does the average person earn at his or her job every year?

That question is easy to answer, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average wage for working adults in America as of (Q4 2017) is $857 per week or $44,564 annually.

However, while that is just an average (mean), our paychecks vary widely on a whole lot of factors—aside from our occupation. For instance, men make $49,192 on average, which women earn only $39.888, or just 81.3% of their male counterparts.

It’s common sense that age factors into what we earn, too, and the data proves that, with men 55 to 64 achieving the highest annual earnings ($58,760), while women topped out $43,420 from ages 45 to 54. It also makes sense that there’s a huge correlation between education levels and income. College graduates with at least a Bachelor’s Degree earn an average of $66,456 annually (it literally pays to stay in school!), while those with a Master’s Degree or higher earn a lofty $77,324 on average.

As could be expected, people working white collar jobs make more, as professional, management, and related occupations bring home $64,200 annually, compared to an average of just $28,028 for service occupations.

Now, let’s run down the best, the worst, and some other notable occupations based on their corresponding salaries.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 25 highest paying jobs in America:

1. Anesthesiologist

Median salary: $269,600

2. Surgeon

Median salary: $252,910

3. Obstetrician and Gynecologist

Median salary: $234,310

4. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Median salary: $232,870

5. Orthodontist

Median salary: $228,780

6. Physician

Median salary: $201,840

7. Psychiatrist

Median salary: $200,220

8. Pediatrician

Median salary: $184,240

9. Dentist

Median salary: $173,860

10. Prosthodontist

Median salary: $168,140

11. Nurse Anesthetist

Median salary: $164,030

12. Petroleum Engineer

Median salary: $147,030

13. IT Manager

Median salary: $145,740

14. Marketing Manager

Median salary: $144,140

15. Podiatrist

Median salary: $144,110

16. Lawyer

Median salary: $139,880

17. Financial Manager

Median salary: $139,720

18. Sales Manager

Median salary: $135,090

19. Financial Advisor

Mean salary: $123,100

20. Business Operations Manager

Median salary: $122,090

21. Pharmacist

Median salary: $120,270

22. Optometrist

Median salary: $117,580

23. Actuary

Median salary: $114,120

24. Political Scientist

Median salary: $112,250

25. Medical and Health Services Manager

Median salary: $109,370

Now, here are some notoriously low-paying jobs in the United States:

• Gaming Dealers $21,990
• Animal Caretakers $31,240
• Cooks $16,000 – $24,000
• Hotel clerks $21,500
• Bank teller     $24,940
• Janitor     $24,850
• Restaurant host, hostess, waiter or waitress $24,410
• Farmworkers and laborers     $10.52 per hour and an average yearly salary as low as $25,570
• Retail cashiers $25,827 to $32,732.
• Personal and home care aides     $22,272 to $26,921.
• House cleaners/maids $23,469.
• Motion picture projectionist $18,260.
• Manicurists and Pedicurists $26,400
• Childcare workers $28,090.
• Fast food workers (salaried or full-time) $20,257
• Dishwasher     $9.10/hour or $18, 930
• Walmart worker     $8.86/hour or $17,860

These jobs pay near the national average:

• Attorney     $51,000
• Elementary school teacher     $35,630 – $83,160.  (Median $53,400)
• Event Planner     $45,810
• Flight attendants     $43,350
• Child, family, and school social workers     $43,540
• Real estate agent     $39,000
• Administrative assistant     $24,000 to $50,000  (Median $32,502)

What trades pay:

• Heat, AC, and refrigeration mechanics and installers     $43,670
• Construction worker     $32,000
• Plumber or electrician     $39,000

The highest-paying private sector jobs in America:

• Chief executives officers (CEO’s)     $15.6 million (but their bonuses commonly reach millions or even tens of millions of dollars!) By the way, that’s 271 times more than the average American worker!
• Average NBA basketball player salary     $7.15 million
• Average MLB baseball player salary     $4.47 million
• Average NFL football salary $2.7 million

What government employees and civil servants earn:

• State worker     $49,240
• Policeman     $48,000
• Fireman     $43,000
• Garbage collector     $43,000
• Average U.S. Army private up to sergeant     $17,892 to $27,814
• Governor     $70,000-$187,256
• Senator     $193,400
• Congressman     $174,000
• United States President     $400,000

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