Despite the recent pressures on the legal industry, lawyers still rank fifth in top paying jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) broke down average salaries and the top 15 may surprise you:
No. 15: Pharmacist: Average Salary: $112,160
No. 14: Air traffic controller: $114,460
No. 13: Sales manager: $116,860
No. 12: Airline pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers: $118,070
No. 11: Financial manager: $120,450
No. 10: Industrial-organizational psychologist: $124,160
No. 9: Computer and information systems manager: $125,660
No. 8: Marketing manager: $126,190
No. 7: Natural science manager: $128,230
No. 6: Architectural and engineering managers: $129,350
No. 5: Lawyer: $130,490
No. 4: Petroleum engineer: $138,980
No. 3: Chief executive officer: $176,550
No. 2: Orthodontists and dentists:$161,750-$204,670
No. 1: Doctors and surgeons: $168,650-$234,950
There are some interesting variations among these categories that are discussed below.
Source: MSNBC
I saw a wonderful sign today…”How come there is no Maximum Wage”…
an idea whose time has come…..
@Swathmore Mom & @Curious – hence the reason we need to reform the tax laws and some form of consumption tax would be a better option. Less games played with how very highly compensated people are… compensated.
There is tremendous variation in some of tehse fields. Architects are at the mercy of the construction cycle. I/O psychologists often rely on consulting fees, etc.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/as-obamacare-moves-forward-healthcare-jobs-will-be-the-fastest-growing-in-46-out-of-50-states-2012-06-28 More family practice physicians will be needed with Obamacare. My niece is currently applying to medical schools…..better idea than law school.
“The legal field, which “isn’t the easiest industry to break into,” saw only a minimal salary bump from 2010 to 2011. On last year’s list compiled from 2010 data, lawyers had an average salary of $129,020 — just $1,470 less than the average salaries from 2011. For that modest boost, we suppose we can thank all of those formerly unemployed lawyers for clawing their way into jobs that pay salaries of $10,000.
What a coincidence that this list should be publicized less than 24 hours after the June LSAT scores were released. Perhaps the saddest part of the timing of CNBC’s news is that some would-be law student will see this news and convince himself that it is still a great idea to apply to law school, despite a middling test score.
At the end of the day, if you’re a lawyer, it is still possible to have a high-paying job, but you’ll have to find that job first, and given the bleak employment scene and an oversupply of lawyers — the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that 570,950 are currently employed in the field — that is more than half the battle.” from Above the Law
Wonder what the median is. (You, me, and Sheldon Adelson in a bar are billionaires on average)
not surprised when they charge by the portion of a quarter hour
rafflaw:
many CEOs are CEOs of small businesses which may have revenues of only a few million dollars. Once taxes and employees are paid and raw materials are accounted for there isnt much profit for high CEO salaries. Many times the CEO is the owner and doesnt take a salary per se.
CEOs do not take much of their compensation in salary. They prefer compensation that is taxed at a lower rate (or is deferred altogether).
The average U.S. chief executive earned more than $11 million last year in salary, stock options and other compensation, according to a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. Most CEO”s are compensated in ways other than salary so maybe that explains the difference.
The CEO seems low to me.
Seems about right…… Depending on location….