If you want to get rich, you can start by automating your finances, investing any extra cash and picking up a side hustle or other second form of income.
But the career you choose to pursue also plays a major role. And so does where you choose to pursue it.
Howmuch.net created a graphic showing the highest-paying jobs in every U.S. state, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The health care sector dominated the entire map, with positions in anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthodontics, surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery earning almost every state's top spot.
"In every state, the highest annual wage belongs to professions in the health care sector, even states that are more remote," Howmuch.net reports. "This is likely due to both the demand for and price of health care services in the United States, as well as the years of education required to hold these professions."
Anesthesiologists in Kansas are earning the highest overall wages, averaging $287,410 per year. Plenty of medical professionals in other Midwestern states make top dollar, too.
After finding the highest-paying job in each state, Howmuch.net then ranked those positions by salary. Here are the top five:
Kansas
Profession: Anesthesiologist
Mean annual salary: $287,410
Alabama
Profession: Orthodontist
Mean annual salary: $287,250
New Jersey
Profession: Surgeon
Mean annual salary: $286,710
Nebraska
Profession: Surgeon
Mean annual salary: $285,640
North Dakota
Profession: Anesthesiologist
Mean annual salary: $285,290
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