Which skills are linked to the highest pay?

Two answers. By overall salary, the postings that list PyTorch, TensorFlow, Redis advertise the highest medians ($235,000, $232,000, $217,500). By the gap with function, level and industry matched, the largest are PyTorch (+14.9%), Enterprise Sales (+14.7%), Machine Learning (+13.1%).

What is the difference between overall salary and a skill’s pay gap?

Overall salary is the median pay of postings that list the skill, which mixes in the seniority and field of the roles that list it. The gap with the job mix matched compares those postings with similar postings (same function, level and industry) that do not list it, so it isolates what is left.

Does learning one of these skills raise my salary?

This data cannot say. It compares advertised pay between postings. Employers that ask for a skill may pay more for other reasons, and a posting lists skills the role needs, not what a person earns after learning one.

Do AI skills pay more?

Postings that name a specific AI skill advertise more than similar postings that never mention AI; see the AI skills salary premium page for the figure by function.

Skills that pay more: which skills go with higher salaries

Name: Skills and advertised pay in U.S. professional job postings
Creator: NextChapter

147 skills listed on at least 100 paid postings from 15 employers, ranked two ways: by the overall salary of postings that list them, and by the gap with function, level and industry matched. 43,645 paid postings with skills, as of November 3, 2026.

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By Justin KullaLast updated November 3, 2026

Largest pay gap, job mix matched

Postings that list the skill against similar postings that do not (same function, level and industry). Only gaps of 2% or more are listed as higher.

Skills ordered by like-for-like pay gap
Skill	Median pay listing it	Raw gap	Gap, job mix matched	Postings	Employers
PyTorch	$235,000	+41.2%	+14.9%	617	228
Enterprise Sales	$201,500	+20.9%	+14.7%	1,218	510
Machine Learning	$209,000	+26.5%	+13.1%	2,968	732
C++	$202,500	+22.7%	+10.3%	2,258	400
Logistics	$143,000	−16%	+8.9%	3,784	1,083
TypeScript	$205,000	+24.2%	+8.2%	2,009	739
React	$200,000	+20.8%	+7.9%	1,697	715
Kubernetes	$206,000	+24.8%	+7.7%	2,444	680
HIPAA	$197,500	+18.1%	+7.4%	688	309
SaaS Sales	$193,500	+15.6%	+6.5%	492	225
Kafka	$213,000	+27.9%	+6.2%	530	242
Go-to-market	$197,500	+19.7%	+5%	3,330	1,012
Python	$192,000	+19.3%	+4.7%	7,962	1,461
Android	$200,000	+19.7%	+4.6%	409	173
Quota	$172,500	+3.1%	+4.4%	2,080	753
GCP	$205,000	+24.2%	+4%	1,997	615
Airflow	$198,000	+18.3%	+3.9%	430	218
Forecasting	$172,500	+3.1%	+3.3%	3,479	1,253
Terraform	$198,000	+19.6%	+3%	1,390	575
Team Building	$197,500	+18.1%	+3%	743	311
Procurement	$159,500	−5.5%	+2.9%	3,820	1,330
iOS	$195,500	+16.7%	+2.8%	389	187

Highest overall salary

Median advertised pay of postings that list the skill. This mixes in the seniority and field of the roles that list it.

Skills ordered by median pay of postings listing them
Skill	Median pay listing it	Raw gap	Gap, job mix matched	Postings	Employers
PyTorch	$235,000	+41.2%	+14.9%	617	228
TensorFlow	$232,000	+38.6%	n/a	230	116
Redis	$217,500	+29.8%	n/a	256	131
Kafka	$213,000	+27.9%	+6.2%	530	242
Cross-functional Leadership	$210,000	+26.1%	+1.5%	713	385
Machine Learning	$209,000	+26.5%	+13.1%	2,968	732
Prometheus	$207,000	+23.7%	n/a	275	148
Kubernetes	$206,000	+24.8%	+7.7%	2,444	680
MySQL	$206,000	+23%	n/a	209	122
TypeScript	$205,000	+24.2%	+8.2%	2,009	739
GCP	$205,000	+24.2%	+4%	1,997	615
C++	$202,500	+22.7%	+10.3%	2,258	400
GraphQL	$202,500	+21.3%	+1.6%	391	192
BGP	$202,500	+21%	n/a	126	69
DynamoDB	$202,500	+20.9%	n/a	135	76
Enterprise Sales	$201,500	+20.9%	+14.7%	1,218	510
M&A	$200,500	+19.9%	n/a	568	307
React	$200,000	+20.8%	+7.9%	1,697	715
Android	$200,000	+19.7%	+4.6%	409	173
PostgreSQL	$200,000	+19.8%	+0.4%	484	268
LangChain	$199,500	+19.1%	n/a	184	106
Airflow	$198,000	+18.3%	+3.9%	430	218
Terraform	$198,000	+19.6%	+3%	1,390	575
HIPAA	$197,500	+18.1%	+7.4%	688	309
Go-to-market	$197,500	+19.7%	+5%	3,330	1,012

Skills that go with lower pay than similar roles

The raw median can look high or low for these skills; matched on function, level and industry, postings that list them advertise less than similar postings that do not. Often they are tools used across many roles rather than a mark of a better-paid one.

Skills with a negative like-for-like gap
Skill	Median pay listing it	Raw gap	Gap, job mix matched	Postings	Employers
Jira	$160,000	−4.5%	−11.9%	1,240	455
SolidWorks	$160,000	−4.5%	−10.6%	560	165
Tableau	$150,500	−10.3%	−10.5%	908	428
SAP	$154,500	−7.8%	−10%	873	301
CRM	$150,000	−11.5%	−9.6%	3,210	1,198
Bash	$171,500	+2.4%	−9%	537	276
Agile	$165,000	−1.5%	−9%	2,228	674
Oracle	$162,500	−2.9%	−8.4%	954	288
Project Management	$145,000	−14.7%	−7.8%	3,979	1,331
ERP	$157,500	−6.3%	−7.6%	2,152	632
Excel	$138,500	−18.5%	−7.3%	4,564	1,274
Risk Management	$168,000	+0.3%	−6.7%	2,164	822

All 147 skills, A to Z

AI skills have their own page, with the premium by function.

Questions about this data

Which skills are linked to the highest pay?: Two answers. By overall salary, the postings that list PyTorch, TensorFlow, Redis advertise the highest medians ($235,000, $232,000, $217,500). By the gap with function, level and industry matched, the largest are PyTorch (+14.9%), Enterprise Sales (+14.7%), Machine Learning (+13.1%).
What is the difference between overall salary and a skill’s pay gap?: Overall salary is the median pay of postings that list the skill, which mixes in the seniority and field of the roles that list it. The gap with the job mix matched compares those postings with similar postings (same function, level and industry) that do not list it, so it isolates what is left.
Does learning one of these skills raise my salary?: This data cannot say. It compares advertised pay between postings. Employers that ask for a skill may pay more for other reasons, and a posting lists skills the role needs, not what a person earns after learning one.
Do AI skills pay more?: Postings that name a specific AI skill advertise more than similar postings that never mention AI; see the AI skills salary premium page for the figure by function.

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, “Skills and advertised pay in U.S. professional job postings”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/skills

See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.

More pay data

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