Ranked list · 30 careers
30 Jobs That Pay $80k to $100k a Year, Ranked by Annual Openings (2026)
Registered Nurse tops this list at $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +5.6% projected employment change over 2025–2035. Below are 30 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
- Careers on this list
- 30From 1,731 in the bank
- Median pay on the list
- $90,025BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Projected to grow
- 27 of 30BLS EP, 2025–2035
- Openings a year
- 762,800Combined, BLS EP
Method
How we built this list
Occupations whose national median annual wage is at least $80,000 and under $100,000, ranked by projected annual openings. The band has an upper end so each salary level gets its own list; higher-paying jobs are on the $100k and $200k lists.
- Occupations whose national median annual wage is at least $80,000 and under $100,000, ranked by projected annual openings. The band has an upper end so each salary level gets its own list; higher-paying jobs are on the $100k and $200k lists.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The list
The top 30 jobs that pay $80k a year
100% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
- 1
1. Registered Nurse
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $97,550median a year
- Growth
- +5.6%
- Openings / yr
- 180,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records.
- 2
2. Accountant
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $83,680median a year
- Growth
- +5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 115,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others.
- 3
3. Business Continuity Planner
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $83,050median a year
- Growth
- +3.9%
- Openings / yr
- 98,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Develop, maintain, or implement business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and solutions, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, strategy selection, and documentation of business continuity an…
- 4
4. Farmer or Agricultural Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $89,900median a year
- Growth
- −3.4%
- Openings / yr
- 70,800
- Education
- High school
Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments.
- 5
5. Compliance Officer
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $80,730median a year
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 32,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis ac…
- 6
6. Logistician
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $82,320median a year
- Growth
- +17.6%
- Openings / yr
- 26,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Analyze and coordinate the ongoing logistical functions of a firm or organization.
- 7
7. First-Line Supervisor of Non-Retail Sales Workers
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $87,520median a year
- Growth
- +0.5%
- Openings / yr
- 21,700
- Education
- High school
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers.
- 8
8. Social and Community Service Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $80,390median a year
- Growth
- +7.2%
- Openings / yr
- 18,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization.
- 9
9. Occupational Health and Safety Specialist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $90,150median a year
- Growth
- +18.5%
- Openings / yr
- 17,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors.
- 10
10. Dental Hygienist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $98,100median a year
- Growth
- +8.0%
- Openings / yr
- 15,000
- Education
- Associate's
Administer oral hygiene care to patients.
- 11
11. Network and Computer Systems Administrator
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $99,130median a year
- Growth
- −4.1%
- Openings / yr
- 13,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and physical and virtual servers.
- 12
12. Radiologic Technologist and Technician
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $80,110median a year
- Growth
- +5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 13,000
- Education
- Associate's
Take x-rays and CAT scans or administer nonradioactive materials into patient's bloodstream for diagnostic or research purposes.
- 13
13. Speech-Language Pathologist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $97,870median a year
- Growth
- +16.6%
- Openings / yr
- 12,500
- Education
- Master's
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.
- 14
14. Producer and Director
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $90,360median a year
- Growth
- +4.0%
- Openings / yr
- 12,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction.
- 15
15. Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $95,320median a year
- Growth
- +10.3%
- Openings / yr
- 10,900
- Education
- High school
Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems.
- 16
16. Financial Quantitative Analyst
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $81,100median a year
- Growth
- +4.1%
- Openings / yr
- 9,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Develop quantitative techniques to inform securities investing, equities investing, pricing, or valuation of financial instruments.
- 17
17. Respiratory Therapist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $82,280median a year
- Growth
- +8.5%
- Openings / yr
- 8,600
- Education
- Associate's
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders.
- 18
18. Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $80,250median a year
- Growth
- +17.1%
- Openings / yr
- 8,500
- Education
- Doctorate
Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students.
- 19
19. Detective and Criminal Investigator
Protective Service
- Median pay
- $93,790median a year
- Growth
- +0.2%
- Openings / yr
- 7,800
- Education
- High school
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
- 20
20. Business Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $99,080median a year
- Growth
- +5.9%
- Openings / yr
- 7,600
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing, and operations research.
- 21
21. Operations Research Analyst
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $88,940median a year
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 7,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decisionmaking, policy formulation, or other managerial functions.
- 22
22. Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $82,220median a year
- Growth
- +6.1%
- Openings / yr
- 7,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health.
- 23
23. Architect
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $99,280median a year
- Growth
- +4.3%
- Openings / yr
- 6,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.
- 24
24. Insurance Underwriter
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $81,370median a year
- Growth
- −3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 6,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
- 25
25. First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
Protective Service
- Median pay
- $93,530median a year
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 6,600
- Education
- Certificate
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in firefighting and fire prevention and control.
- 26
26. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $96,590median a year
- Growth
- +13.9%
- Openings / yr
- 6,000
- Education
- Associate's
Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians.
- 27
27. Chemist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $91,240median a year
- Growth
- +6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 5,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.
- 28
28. Web Developer
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $92,650median a year
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 5,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
Develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces.
- 29
29. Labor Relations Specialist
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $95,420median a year
- Growth
- +2.1%
- Openings / yr
- 4,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Resolve disputes between workers and managers, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, or coordinate grievance procedures to handle employee complaints.
- 30
30. Biological Science Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $84,620median a year
- Growth
- +7.3%
- Openings / yr
- 4,700
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in biological sciences.
Questions
Jobs That Pay $80k a Year: FAQ
What is the top career on the jobs that pay $80k a year list?
Registered Nurse leads the list with a median wage of $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +5.6% over 2025–2035. Typical entry-level education is bachelor's.
How was this list put together?
Occupations whose national median annual wage is at least $80,000 and under $100,000, ranked by projected annual openings. The band has an upper end so each salary level gets its own list; higher-paying jobs are on the $100k and $200k lists. Occupations whose national median annual wage is at least $80,000 and under $100,000, ranked by projected annual openings. The band has an upper end so each salary level gets its own list; higher-paying jobs are on the $100k and $200k lists. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and O*NET 31.0 Database.
How much do jobs that pay $80k a year pay?
Across the 30 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $90,025 a year, from $80,110 at the bottom to $99,280 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
5 of the 30 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).