Where does your career pay the most?
Family Medicine Physicians top the 20 tracked occupations at a national median of $224,460; Cooks, Restaurant earn the least at $33,740. Pick an occupation to see cost-adjusted wage estimates across 75+ metro areas, anchored to BLS national medians.
Twenty occupations, by national median wage
Together they employ 21.5M Americans; registered nurses are the largest group at 3.2M. The top metro is where the wage stretches furthest after cost of living.
- 1Family Medicine Physicians119K employed$224,460San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$278,539
- 2Lawyers814K employed$145,760New York-Newark-Jersey City$231,909
- 3Software Developers1.8M employed$132,270San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$213,666
- 4Computer Systems Analysts538K employed$103,800San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$127,177
- 5General & Operations Managers3.1M employed$101,280Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$123,302
- 6Civil Engineers326K employed$95,890Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$120,117
- 7Registered Nurses3.2M employed$86,070San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$139,711
- 8Accountants & Auditors1.4M employed$79,880San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$94,831
- 9Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers665K employed$74,910San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$116,596
- 10Dietitians & Nutritionists78K employed$69,680San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$87,326
- 11Sales Representatives (Wholesale/Manufacturing)1.4M employed$65,630San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$78,592
- 12Secondary School Teachers1.1M employed$65,220San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$77,923
- 13Electricians739K employed$61,590San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$96,374
- 14HVAC Mechanics & Installers394K employed$57,300Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$71,708
- 15Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)658K employed$55,860San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$67,881
- 16Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers2.0M employed$54,320Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land$67,574
- 17Mental Health Counselors372K employed$53,710New York-Newark-Jersey City$64,892
- 18Welders, Cutters & Brazers427K employed$47,540Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$57,121
- 19Construction Laborers910K employed$43,210Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$50,324
- 20Cooks, Restaurant1.5M employed$33,740San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley$49,551
How the wages are estimated
National median wages and employment for each occupation come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) program, latest release. The figures shown for individual metropolitan areas are modeled estimates, not published metro-level OES tables: each metro's wage is derived from the national median using its state's cost of living and regional labor-market patterns, and its employment figure is scaled from national employment by metro size. Treat metro values as directional, and check the BLS metro tables before relying on a specific number. Cost-adjusted wages are computed by dividing the estimated metro wage by the metro area's Regional Price Parity (BEA), where 100 represents the national average cost of living. This adjustment shows where a salary stretches furthest after accounting for local prices.
Frequently asked questions
What data sources are used?
National median wages and national employment for each occupation come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) survey, latest release. The metro-level wage and employment figures shown are estimates: they are modeled from those national figures using each state's cost of living and regional labor-market patterns, not read from the published metro-area OES tables. Cost-of-living adjustments use BEA Regional Price Parities.
What is cost-adjusted wage?
Cost-adjusted wage is the median wage divided by the metro area's cost of living index (where 100 = national average). It shows how far the salary actually goes in that metro area, accounting for local prices.
How many occupations are covered?
We cover 20 high-demand occupations spanning healthcare, technology, education, skilled trades, and professional services — chosen for broad geographic availability and strong labor market relevance.