Salary by industry: what U.S. professional jobs advertise
Median and middle-half advertised pay for 17 industries, from 80,076 live postings that state pay, with the gap against other industries once the job mix is matched. As of November 3, 2026.
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By Justin KullaLast updated
Pay by industry
Sorted by median. Open one for its pay by level.
| Group | Median | Middle half | Gap, job mix matched | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | $180,000 | $140,000 to $226,000 | +32.5% | 30,124 | 3,073 |
| Life sciences | $155,500 | $115,000 to $205,000 | +9.9% | 2,153 | 343 |
| Financial services | $145,000 | $100,000 to $186,000 | −0.3% | 5,819 | 834 |
| Energy | $140,000 | $112,500 to $175,000 | −6.3% | 1,845 | 308 |
| Aerospace and defense | $138,500 | $113,500 to $172,500 | −7.9% | 2,422 | 92 |
| Media | $127,500 | $85,000 to $169,500 | −21.9% | 1,686 | 252 |
| Industrial and manufacturing | $123,500 | $93,500 to $155,000 | −11.1% | 5,668 | 1,070 |
| Healthcare | $119,000 | $85,000 to $167,500 | −14.1% | 6,053 | 1,570 |
| Nonprofit | $119,000 | $80,000 to $152,500 | −13.7% | 1,092 | 393 |
| Professional services | $118,500 | $85,000 to $148,000 | −10.8% | 2,322 | 470 |
| Agriculture | $107,500 | $80,000 to $152,500 | n/a | 402 | 135 |
| Logistics | $105,000 | $77,500 to $142,000 | −13% | 1,072 | 313 |
| Real estate | $105,000 | $77,500 to $137,000 | −18.5% | 1,101 | 252 |
| Government | $104,500 | $79,500 to $136,500 | −20.6% | 5,833 | 928 |
| Telecommunications | $100,500 | $60,500 to $129,500 | n/a | 117 | 19 |
| Consumer | $100,000 | $77,500 to $141,000 | −22.7% | 3,552 | 562 |
| Education | $87,500 | $62,500 to $126,000 | −28.5% | 2,031 | 974 |
Questions about this data
- Which industries pays the most?
- By median advertised pay, Technology leads at $180,000 (30,124 paid postings from 3,073 employers). The table also shows each group's gap with the rest of the job mix matched.
- Why show a gap with the job mix matched?
- A raw median mixes in which roles and levels a group happens to hold. The matched gap compares postings of the same function, level and industry, so it shows what is left after that.
Method, download and how to cite
Data as of November 3, 2026. Rebuilt daily.
Pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posted (or stated in the posting text), converted to a year, on live U.S. professional jobs. It is advertised pay, not what anyone is paid.
A “gap, job mix matched” compares postings inside cells of the same function, level and industry, so a group is not credited for simply holding more senior or better-paid roles. It needs 150 or more postings across at least 5 cells with 15 postings on each side, and is shown as n/a otherwise. A gap is a difference in advertised pay between postings. It does not show that a skill, an industry or an employer size causes higher pay.
Download the CSV (aggregates only; no posting, employer or person is in it). Cite as: NextChapter, “Advertised pay in U.S. professional job postings, by industry”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/industry
See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.
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