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Salary Statistics 2026

The median of 824 US occupational median wages is $61,340 a year in the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release of May 2025. Each page below leads with a figure a journalist can quote, with the source on the line.

Wage estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Medians, counts and rankings are PayCrunch aggregations of those estimates and are not employment-weighted.

Eight statistics pages computed from the same public file. Nothing here is typed by hand; rebuild with python3 .github/stats-engine/build_stats.py.

Average Salary Statistics 2026

The median of 824 US occupational median wages is $61,340 a year (PayCrunch calculation from BLS OEWS May 2025).

Average and median salary statistics for 824 US occupations, from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release: the distribution and pay by major group.

Highest-Paying Jobs Statistics 2026

Pediatric Surgeons earned a national median of $559,030 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Statistics on the highest-paying US jobs: the top 25 occupations by median wage and by 90th-percentile wage, from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.

Lowest-Paying Jobs Statistics 2026

Cooks, Fast Food have the lowest national median wage of any US occupation, at $30,890 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Statistics on the lowest-paying US jobs: the 25 occupations with the lowest median wages in the BLS OEWS May 2025 release, and how many pay under $40,000.

Nurse Salary Statistics 2026

Registered nurses in the United States earned a national median of $97,550 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Nurse salary statistics for the US: registered nurse, nurse practitioner, anesthetist, LPN and aide pay from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.

Teacher Salary Statistics 2026

Elementary school teachers in the United States earned a national median of $63,970 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Teacher salary statistics for the US: elementary, middle, secondary, preschool and postsecondary pay from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.

Tech Salary Statistics 2026

Software developers in the United States earned a national median of $135,980 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Tech salary statistics for the US: software developer, data scientist and IT pay across the 21 computer occupations in the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.

Trades Salary Statistics 2026

Electricians in the United States earned a national median of $63,190 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Skilled trades salary statistics for the US: electrician, plumber and mechanic pay across 111 construction and repair occupations, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Salary by State Statistics 2026

California is the best-paying state for 193 of the 769 US occupations that resolve to a named state (PayCrunch calculation from BLS OEWS May 2025, 500-employee floor).

Salary by state statistics: which state pays best for each of 824 US occupations, and how a 500-employee floor changes the answer for 389 of them.

Highest-Paying Jobs Without a Degree: 2026 Statistics

Air Traffic Controllers earned a national median of $148,080 a year, the highest of any US occupation that does not normally require a bachelor's degree (BLS OEWS May 2025 and O*NET, via PayCrunch).

Statistics on US jobs that pay well without a bachelor's degree: 201 occupations in O*NET Job Zones 1-3, ranked by BLS median and 90th-percentile wage.

The Best-Paying Job in Every State

48 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are the best-paying state for at least one of 769 US occupations; California leads 193 of them (PayCrunch calculation from BLS OEWS May 2025).

The occupation each US state pays more for than any other state, for all 48 jurisdictions that lead at least one of 769 US occupations.

Best-Paying State by Occupation: Why Half the Rankings Disagree

For 389 of 824 US occupations the best-paying state changes once states employing fewer than 500 people in that job are set aside; the median difference between the two answers is $18,000 a year (PayCrunch calculation from BLS OEWS May 2025).

Both answers published side by side for every occupation the floor affects, with the workforce size behind each, so the comparison can be checked rather than taken on trust.

Largest Jobs in America and What They Pay (2026)

Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the largest US occupation, with 4,305,810 jobs and a median wage of $35,800 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

The 50 largest US occupations by employment and their median wages, from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. The top 25 hold 36.6% of all jobs.

Jobs With the Biggest Pay Gap Between Top and Bottom Earners (2026)

In Athletes and Sports Competitors, the top 10% earn 28.0 times what the bottom 10% earn (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Which US occupations have the widest and narrowest spread between 10th- and 90th-percentile pay, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Median Salary by Occupation Group (2026)

Management Occupations pay a US median of $126,520, the highest of the 22 major job groups (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Median and mean annual wages and employment for all 22 SOC major occupation groups, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Jobs Where Mean Pay Exceeds the Median the Most (2026)

Athletes and Sports Competitors have a mean annual wage of $206,180, which is $139,470 above the median of $66,710 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

The 50 detailed US occupations where mean annual pay exceeds the median by the most, and the 25 where the two are closest, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Six-Figure Median Jobs in America (2026)

138 detailed US occupations have a median annual wage of $100,000 or more and together employ 23,289,140 people, 15.0% of US employment (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

All 138 detailed US occupations with a median annual wage of $100,000 or more, from BLS OEWS May 2025. They employ 23,289,140 people, 15.0% of US jobs.

Healthcare Salary Statistics 2026

Healthcare occupations employ 17,725,530 people in the United States. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations have a median wage of $86,530, and Healthcare Support Occupations have a median of $38,340 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Pay statistics for US healthcare occupations in SOC groups 29 and 31: 17,725,530 jobs, group medians of $86,530 and $38,340, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Entry-Level Salary Statistics 2026

The 10th percentile of annual wages across all US occupations is $31,200 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

The 10th percentile of US wages by occupation is $31,200 across all occupations. It is a proxy for starting pay, not a measure of starting salaries. BLS OEWS May 2025.

Finance Salary Statistics 2026

Business and Financial Operations Occupations employ 10,537,240 people in the United States, with a median wage of $82,660 and a mean of $95,230 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Pay statistics for Business and Financial Operations Occupations (SOC 13-0000): 10,537,240 jobs, a median of $82,660 and a mean of $95,230, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Construction Salary Statistics 2026

Construction and Extraction Occupations employ 6,425,160 people in the United States, with a median wage of $59,540 and a mean of $65,360 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Pay statistics for Construction and Extraction Occupations (SOC 47-0000): 6,425,160 jobs, a median of $59,540 and a mean of $65,360, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Legal Salary Statistics 2026

Legal Occupations employ 1,305,620 people in the United States, with a median wage of $102,500 and a mean of $139,510 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Pay statistics for Legal Occupations (SOC 23-0000): 1,305,620 jobs, a median of $102,500 and a mean of $139,510, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Transportation Salary Statistics 2026

Transportation and Material Moving Occupations employ 13,677,150 people in the United States, with a median wage of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850 (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Pay statistics for Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (SOC 53-0000): 13,677,150 jobs, a median of $44,350 and a mean of $49,850, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

Management Salary Statistics 2026

Management Occupations rank 1 of 22 SOC major groups by published median annual wage, at $126,520 across 11,132,700 jobs (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Management Occupations (SOC 11-0000) rank 1 of 22 major groups by median, at $126,520 for 11,132,700 jobs. BLS OEWS May 2025, with the minor groups published inside the major group.

Engineering Salary Statistics 2026

Across 2,617,130 jobs, Architecture and Engineering Occupations have a published median annual wage of $99,520 and a published mean of $106,830, placing the group 4 of 22 SOC major groups by median (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch).

Architecture and Engineering Occupations (SOC 17-0000): median $99,520, mean $106,830, 2,617,130 jobs, rank 4 of 22. The minor groups inside the major group are reported separately, from BLS OEWS May 2025.

How to cite this hub

PayCrunch (2026). Salary Statistics 2026. Aggregated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://paycrunch.co/stats/ (accessed 2026-10-10).

For reporters

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.

824 detailed occupations. Figures are annual, national, and not adjusted for cost of living.

Free to quote with attribution. Citation format.

All statistics pages
Average salary statisticsHighest-paying jobs statisticsLowest-paying jobs statisticsNurse salary statisticsTeacher salary statisticsTech salary statisticsTrades salary statisticsSalary by state statisticsJobs without a degree statisticsBest-paying job in every stateLargest jobs in AmericaPay gap by occupationSalary by occupation groupMean vs median paySix-figure median jobsHealthcare salary statisticsEntry-level salary statisticsFinance salary statisticsConstruction salary statisticsLegal salary statisticsTransportation salary statisticsManagement salary statisticsEngineering salary statistics
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Disclaimer: All calculations are estimates for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Federal tax uses 2024 IRS brackets with standard deduction. State rates are approximate. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Not affiliated with the IRS or any government agency.

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