Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles
Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles
The rich are getting richer, and have been for some time.
Across the nation, wages have continued to rise this year despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to temper inflation. In June, average weekly earnings grew at a higher rate than the Consumer Price Index, the nation's primary inflation indicator.
While pay is increasing across income levels, the historical growth for high-income jobs has been most profound. High-income jobs have grown 69% over the past 50 years—more than both middle- and lower-income jobs, a Pew Trusts analysis shows.
The highest earners in the U.S. are what you'd expect: doctors and other medical professionals, engineers, tech workers, executives, and corporate leaders. Nationally, the 50 top-paying jobs all require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require a master's, doctorate, or another professional degree. Indeed, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that higher degree holders earn more in a typical week and face lower rates of unemployment.
Still, the exact positions that pay the most vary depending on where in the country you are located. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2022, so jobs without annual compensation estimates available were excluded from this analysis.
#49. Models (tie)
- Median annual wage: $130,000
- Median hourly wage: $62.50
- Total employment: 230 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#49. Special effects artists and animators (tie)
- Median annual wage: $130,000
- Median hourly wage: $62.50
- Total employment: 14,410 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#48. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $130,680
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 8,110 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#47. Air traffic controllers
- Median annual wage: $130,690
- Median hourly wage: $62.83
- Total employment: 790 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#46. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $131,510
- Median hourly wage: $63.23
- Total employment: 8,090 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#45. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $131,560
- Median hourly wage: $63.25
- Total employment: 1,750 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#44. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $131,580
- Median hourly wage: $63.26
- Total employment: 760 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#43. Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $133,310
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 230 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#42. Mathematicians
- Median annual wage: $134,220
- Median hourly wage: $64.53
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#41. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $134,500
- Median hourly wage: $64.66
- Total employment: 2,940 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#40. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $135,960
- Median hourly wage: $65.36
- Total employment: 53,220 people (8.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#39. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $136,640
- Median hourly wage: $65.69
- Total employment: 4,740 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#38. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $136,680
- Median hourly wage: $65.71
- Total employment: 1,180 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#37. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $136,750
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,910 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#36. Economists
- Median annual wage: $137,820
- Median hourly wage: $66.26
- Total employment: 490 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#35. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $139,900
- Median hourly wage: $67.26
- Total employment: 5,720 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#34. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $140,320
- Median hourly wage: $67.46
- Total employment: 2,850 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#33. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $140,450
- Median hourly wage: $67.52
- Total employment: 8,470 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#32. Physicists
- Median annual wage: $140,560
- Median hourly wage: $67.58
- Total employment: 300 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#31. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $143,950
- Median hourly wage: $69.21
- Total employment: 12,740 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#30. Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
- Median annual wage: $145,680
- Median hourly wage: $70.04
- Total employment: Not available
#29. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $147,580
- Median hourly wage: $70.95
- Total employment: 20,120 people (3.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#28. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $150,440
- Median hourly wage: $72.33
- Total employment: 1,860 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#27. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $151,480
- Median hourly wage: $72.83
- Total employment: 32,760 people (5.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#26. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $155,380
- Median hourly wage: $74.70
- Total employment: 6,190 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#25. Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $155,850
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 520 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#24. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $161,150
- Median hourly wage: $77.48
- Total employment: 36,380 people (5.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#23. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $161,400
- Median hourly wage: $77.60
- Total employment: 2,210 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#22. Life scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $162,710
- Median hourly wage: $78.22
- Total employment: 590 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#21. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $164,150
- Median hourly wage: $78.92
- Total employment: 3,510 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#20. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $171,040
- Median hourly wage: $82.23
- Total employment: 820 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#19. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $171,200
- Median hourly wage: $82.31
- Total employment: 10,670 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#18. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $171,450
- Median hourly wage: $82.43
- Total employment: 24,630 people (4.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#17. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $174,860
- Median hourly wage: $84.07
- Total employment: 38,510 people (6.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#16. Podiatrists
- Median annual wage: $174,990
- Median hourly wage: $84.13
- Total employment: 340 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#15. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $177,460
- Median hourly wage: $85.32
- Total employment: 250 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#14. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $183,990
- Median hourly wage: $88.46
- Total employment: 1,610 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#13. Orthodontists
- Median annual wage: $199,250
- Median hourly wage: $95.79
- Total employment: Not available
#12. Dentists, all other specialists
- Median annual wage: $212,640
- Median hourly wage: $102.23
- Total employment: 90 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#11. Family and consumer sciences teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $218,670
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 140 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#10. Family medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $221,230
- Median hourly wage: $106.36
- Total employment: 3,110 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#9. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $222,240
- Median hourly wage: $106.84
- Total employment: 12,390 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#8. Physicians, pathologists
- Median annual wage: $223,990
- Median hourly wage: $107.69
- Total employment: 820 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#7. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $235,570
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 6,170 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#1. Nurse anesthetists (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: 540 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: Not available
#1. Neurologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: 1,320 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#1. Psychiatrists (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: 2,260 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#1. Radiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: 420 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: Exact median salary unknown; at least $239,200 per year or $115 per hour
- Total employment: 4,820 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
