Let’s be honest—who hasn’t been jealous of their neighbor? We all know that one guy who seems to make luxuries like a new car or backyard pool appear out of thin air. “Keeping up with the Joneses” is an impossible task when your neighbor seems to have endless cash to throw around. What’s his secret?
Well, wonder no more! A new study by All Star Home reveals what high earners are doing to make bank all across America, and spoiler alert: They’re not all doctors and hedge fund managers (though some of them definitely are)!
If you’re curious about the lifestyles of the sort of rich and not-so-famous, sit back as we unpack the careers of America’s highest earners.
What High Earners Do for a Living
When you hear the phrase “six-figure salary,” it might bring to mind some pretty swanky gigs. But not everybody in the six-figure club is a Hollywood star or Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Plenty of fairly regular jobs can net you a cool $150K-plus. In fact, you probably encounter some of America’s top earners by just going about your daily business.
Here are the top 10 high-earning jobs across the 50 states:
1. Lawyers and judges (19.3%)
2. Other managers (16.8%)
3. Chief executives (12.8%)
4. Physicians (12.6%)
5. Software developers (9.1%)
6. Financial managers (5.8%)
7. Management analysts (5.4%)
8. Accountants and auditors (3.4%)
9. Postsecondary teachers (3.0%)
10. Securities, commodities, and financial services sale agents (1.7%)
Lucrative industries tell a similar story, with computer systems design (22.93%), legal services (20.25%), and financial investing (13.78%) topping the list.
If the data doesn’t shock you, you’re definitely not alone—many of these career paths are notorious for their high earning potential. They might not be the most glamorous jobs, but they require pretty serious education, commitment, and skill to do well, which warrants the fat paycheck.
What High Earners Do in Your City
People work high-paying jobs all over America—but different ones thrive in different job markets, depending on the character of the city you’re in.
For example, most high earners in New York, NY, home of the notorious Wolf of Wall Street, work in financial investing (12%). In San Francisco, CA, a hotbed of tech innovation, computer systems design (22%) and software developers (12%) make up the lion’s share. And in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital and center of government, lawyers and judges (22%) dominate.
Some concentrations of high-earning jobs nationwide aren’t so easy to guess. While Washington, D.C., has the most lawyers and judges, you might be surprised to learn that Arlington, VA, has the most managers, Miami, FL, boasts the most chief executives, Little Rock, AR, has the most physicians, and, finally, Seattle, WA, hosts the most software developers.
When broken down by region, the findings seem a little less diverse. The most popular high-paying job in the Northwest and South is physician, and, in the Southwest and West, it’s manager. The Midwest breaks up the monotony a tiny bit with lawyer/judge.
But that doesn’t necessarily paint the most accurate picture of our nation. Many cities present a totally different scenario, where no single occupation takes up 10% or more of the workforce. That doesn’t mean cities like Denver, CO, Los Angeles, CA, and Minneapolis, MN, lack high earners—they’re just working a wider range of high-paying jobs.
And that’s the thing about these six-figure gigs—though the lists may look similar, the path to making big money in America isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a diverse and dynamic professional landscape, filled with opportunities that range from crafting legal arguments and managing financial portfolios to building software code and molding young minds in lecture halls.
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Final Thoughts
We’ve all felt envious of a neighbor’s shiny new things. But if keeping up with the Joneses is your goal, you’re going to be chasing that dream forever. In reality, the majority of high earners work hard, demanding jobs—jobs that we could work too, if we put in the time and effort they do.
What having a high-paying job doesn’t do is guarantee you a happy life. Usually, getting a higher salary is the tradeoff for long hours and less time at home. We all need to pay the bills, but, if your family is safe and cared for, doesn’t that matter more than having the latest SUV parked in your garage? For all you know, that high roller next door might just envy you back.