If you want to bring home serious money — and you can withstand years of training and long, sometimes unpredictable hours — you may want to consider a medical career.
According to U.S. News & World Report's 2018 Best Jobs data, the best-paying jobs in this field will carry the highest salary this year, followed by careers in engineering and business.
"Health care jobs are prominent on our list year after year and are predicted to continue growing rapidly within the job market by 2026," said Rebecca Koenig, careers reporter at U.S. News.
"Health care goes beyond doctors and nursing professions – there is high demand for people to fill positions available in health care technology, at hospitals and elsewhere within the industry that tap into a variety of the categories we rank and that offer a low unemployment rate, a high median salary and robust job growth."
The occupations listed below are the 25 best paying, according to U.S. News & World Report and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1. Anesthesiologist
Mean salary: $269,600
2. Surgeon
Mean salary: $252,910
3. Obstetrician and Gynecologist
Mean salary: $234,310
4. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Mean salary: $232,870
5. Orthodontist
Mean salary: $228,780
6. Physician
Mean salary: $201,840
7. Psychiatrist
Mean salary: $200,220
8. Pediatrician
Mean salary: $184,240
9. Dentist
Mean salary: $173,860
10. Prosthodontist
Mean salary: $168,140
11. Nurse Anesthetist
Mean salary: $164,030
12. Petroleum Engineer
Mean salary: $147,030
13. IT Manager
Mean salary: $145,740
14. Marketing Manager
Mean salary: $144,140
15. Podiatrist
Mean salary: $144,110
16. Lawyer
Mean salary: $139,880
17. Financial Manager
Mean salary: $139,720
18. Sales Manager
Mean salary: $135,090
19. Financial Advisor
Mean salary: $123,100
20. Business Operations Manager
Mean salary: $122,090
21. Pharmacist
Mean salary: $120,270
22. Optometrist
Mean salary: $117,580
23. Actuary
Mean salary: $114,120
24. Political Scientist
Mean salary: $112,250
25. Medical and Health Services Manager
Mean salary: $109,370
Correction: This story has been updated to correct that the study presented mean salaries.
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