Industries with the highest posted pay
Key facts
- #1 Technology & Software: $185k
- #2 Pharmaceuticals & Biotech: $183k
- #3 Financial Services & Banking: $157k
- 17 industries ranked across all industries
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Technology & Software $185k
- 2Pharmaceuticals & Biotech $183k
- 3Financial Services & Banking $157k
- 4Aerospace & Defense $147k
- 5Energy & Utilities $140k
- 6Healthcare & Hospital Systems $140k
- 7Media & Entertainment $138k
- 8Professional Services & Consulting $135k
- 9Manufacturing & Industrial $130k
- 10Retail & E-commerce $126k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Technology & Software leads on $185k, and #10 Retail & E-commerce is at $126k.
- Media & Entertainment reaches #7 on a sample of 1,384 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Technology & Software is the largest market in the top ten, with 26,503 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
- Industries with fewer than 30 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Median posted pay differs widely between industries for the same kind of professional role.
How to use it
Use it when you are choosing between industries, or deciding whether to take your skills to another one. Pay reflects the roles each industry posts, so compare within your job family too.
The top 25
- 1
Technology & Software
$185k
- Open roles
- 74,925
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 16,800
- Median posted pay
- $185k
Based on 26,503 openings.
- 2
- Open roles
- 13,833
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 2,608
- Median posted pay
- $183k
Based on 2,249 openings.
- 3
- Open roles
- 33,490
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 9,249
- Median posted pay
- $157k
Based on 5,712 openings.
- 4
Aerospace & Defense
$147k
- Open roles
- 20,022
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 5,007
- Median posted pay
- $147k
Based on 1,937 openings.
- 5
Energy & Utilities
$140k
- Open roles
- 9,876
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 2,802
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 2,007 openings.
- 6
- Open roles
- 31,963
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 7,515
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 4,689 openings.
- 7
Media & Entertainment
$138k
- Open roles
- 7,272
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 1,884
- Median posted pay
- $138k
Based on 1,384 openings.
- 8
- Open roles
- 19,060
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 5,504
- Median posted pay
- $135k
Based on 2,831 openings.
Professional Services & Consulting jobs, employers and outlook
- 9
- Open roles
- 42,907
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 14,100
- Median posted pay
- $130k
Based on 5,141 openings.
- 10
Retail & E-commerce
$126k
- Open roles
- 22,283
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 6,294
- Median posted pay
- $126k
Based on 2,308 openings.
- 11
- Open roles
- 2,175
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 668
- Median posted pay
- $118k
Based on 362 openings.
- 12
- Open roles
- 6,275
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 2,284
- Median posted pay
- $118k
Based on 957 openings.
- 13
- Open roles
- 4,788
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 1,452
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Based on 909 openings.
- 14
- Open roles
- 9,977
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 3,274
- Median posted pay
- $113k
Based on 4,009 openings.
- 15
- Open roles
- 7,232
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 1,926
- Median posted pay
- $111k
Based on 1,115 openings.
- 16
Telecommunications
$101k
- Open roles
- 836
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 272
- Median posted pay
- $101k
Based on 171 openings.
- 17
Education & EdTech
$99k
- Open roles
- 14,924
- Roles asking for AI skills
- 4,408
- Median posted pay
- $99k
Based on 1,595 openings.
Full ranking
All 17 industries that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Industry | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology & Software | $185k | 26,503 |
| 2 | Pharmaceuticals & Biotech | $183k | 2,249 |
| 3 | Financial Services & Banking | $157k | 5,712 |
| 4 | Aerospace & Defense | $147k | 1,937 |
| 5 | Energy & Utilities | $140k | 2,007 |
| 6 | Healthcare & Hospital Systems | $140k | 4,689 |
| 7 | Media & Entertainment | $138k | 1,384 |
| 8 | Professional Services & Consulting | $135k | 2,831 |
| 9 | Manufacturing & Industrial | $130k | 5,141 |
| 10 | Retail & E-commerce | $126k | 2,308 |
| 11 | Agriculture & Food Production | $118k | 362 |
| 12 | Transportation & Logistics | $118k | 957 |
| 13 | Construction & Real Estate | $115k | 909 |
| 14 | Government & Public Sector | $113k | 4,009 |
| 15 | Nonprofit & Social Impact | $111k | 1,115 |
| 16 | Telecommunications | $101k | 171 |
| 17 | Education & EdTech | $99k | 1,595 |
How this ranking works
An industry's score is its median posted annual salary, among open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. A posting's industry is read into the same groups the industry pages use.
Only industries with at least 30 openings that post a salary are ranked.
Sample bar: industries with fewer than 30 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which industry ranks first: industries with the highest posted pay?
- Technology & Software has the highest median posted pay of any industry: $185k a year across its openings that state a salary.
- How many industries are ranked?
- 17 industries have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 17 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- An industry's score is its median posted annual salary, among open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. A posting's industry is read into the same groups the industry pages use. Only industries with at least 30 openings that post a salary are ranked.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Industries with the highest posted pay,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-highest-posted-pay
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-highest-posted-pay">Industries with the highest posted pay (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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