America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs

11/8/2007 4:08:41 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
suzydoll Cheneyville, LA age: 62	When we first looked at America's best- and worst-paying jobs a year back, we asked the question, "Why do financially pushy parents want their children to marry doctors?" Our answer then: Because, as Willie Sutton said of banks, that is where the money is. Still is. The medical profession continues to dominate the top end of our list of the 25 best- and worst-paying jobs in America. Anesthesiologists have flipped places with surgeons to take the top spot, but the next eight places are firmly in the healing hands of various sorts of specialist practitioners. Chief executives, at No. 10, and airline pilots, at No. 14, are the only two non-medical occupations in the top 15. Even lawyers don't make it. They're No. 16. At the other end of the scale are jobs in restaurants, hotels and leisure businesses. The lowest paid of all? People who cook, prepare and serve in fast-food joints, followed by dishwashers, busboys and the folk who show you to your seat in coffee-shops and the like. According to government data, the mean annual salary for America's 29,890 anesthesiologists is $184,340; for its 2.5 million fast-food preparers and servers, $15,230. The mean annual pay for all jobs is $39,190. In all, the lowest-paying 25 occupations employ 15.6 million people in America; the best-paying jobs employ 3 million. Our numbers are drawn from the U.S. government's National, State and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. The latest ones available use 2006 data and are based on a national survey of employers of every size and in all industry sectors. They examine 800 occupations. The survey covers full- and part-time workers who are paid a wage or salary. It does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers and unpaid family workers. It asks about basic pay, incentive bonuses and commissions, but not overtime pay or non-wage compensation, such as stock options. That helps explain why mean annual wages appear lower than one might have expected at the top end and higher at the bottom, where undocumented workers are unlikely to be counted accurately. Remember, too, that these are mean salaries and that they give no indication of how distant the outliers at either end of the salary scale for any occupation might be. There are plenty of lawyers that earn a lot more than the average $113,660, and surely there are dishwashers who earn a lot less than $16,190. The total compensation of the best-paid (salary and bonus excluding stock options) chief executive on our most recent CEO Compensation list, Bob R. Simpson of XTO Energy (nyse: XTO - news - people ), was $32.2 million last year, 223 times as much as the average chief executive. And then there was Apple's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )Steven P. Jobs, who earned a nominal $1 salary--but, thanks to stock options, earned $646.6 million last year. Earnings can vary widely for the same job in different industries and in different places. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers employed by the federal government, for example, earn almost two-thirds more than the average for the occupation. Ditto cafeteria servers employed by state governments. In certain occupations, the discrepancy occurs because they are niche jobs in generally high-paying industries. The handful of souls employed to cook for corporate dining rooms, who make $33,620 on average, earn 50% more than the 647,070 cooks working in full-service restaurants. Where you live can also have a huge impact on what you make. The states and metropolitan areas in the high-wage Northeast pay top dollar in many occupations, as do employers in similarly pricey Silicon Valley. Parking lot attendants and fast-food preparers and servers in the San Francisco/San Mateo/Redwood City metropolitan area earned, at $24,620 a year and $21,200 a year respectively, one-third more than the national average. Laundry and dry cleaning workers in Framingham, Mass., did even better relatively, earning, at $28,400, 50% more than the national average. Remote states, particularly Alaska and Hawaii, also pay well for needed skills. On average, Hawaii pays best for busboys, bartenders and lifeguards; Alaska for short-order cooks, personal and home care aides and parking lot attendants. Oregon pays above average for podiatrists; Maine pays more for dentists. There was little change in the occupations that make up the 25 best- and worst-paid lists. Astronomers fell off the bottom of the best-paying jobs list, to be replaced by financial managers. Service station attendants replaced some sorts of food preparers on the list of worst-paying jobs. On average, earnings went up--in the best-paid group by 4.2% and in the worst-paid by 3.2%. Yes, the doctors get richer.
11/8/2007 5:42:19 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
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11/8/2007 6:05:19 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
nomarriage Bon Aqua, TN age: 50	Self employed floor covering installers over 10 years ago earned 18K net after paying their help, supplies, fuel, insurance etc. Today the rates are still the same, fuel insurance, supplies have sky rocketed. That is one reason I am getting out. I also had disc surgery 2 1/2 years ago. Things just aren't much better physically. I am trying to get into sales. Less physical and more money. Hopefully a place with benifits. I am trying to get into a "big box" store. It is a slow process. They are laying off part timers and cutting hours. With gasoline going to $4 a gallon a lot of people aren't going to be able to afford to go to work. There is no mass transit where I live to get to Nashville where the work is. AFA the big bucks being in the North East? They get taxed on real estate, wages, etc. etc. heavily! One thing that happened her in middle TN was that Nissan moved their national head quarters form California to TN. They didn't drop the people's wages. Real estate is much cheaper here, same with taxes. No state income tax either! Kind of like hitting the lottery for them! Our sales tax is very high. 9.25-9.75% depending on your locale. And they tax food! Some people are trying to change that. Walter
11/8/2007 6:56:58 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
shell523 Port Byron, IL age: 53	I am in the Heartland, and an employeer and I will tell you I pay out more in taxes than my employees make. I really don't understand how any business is still in business that has employees plus you also have all the insurance and bonding etc. Even though my over head is somewhat low its still very tough have to watch every pennie and unfortunatly the workers get the short end of the stick when it comes to payroll. It always comes down to the last man onthe totem pole and that is the employee. I hate it as I am as much an employee as they are and they make more $ than I do so I can pay them. Hopeing it will get better for all of us in time, also hope the employees I have can wait that long, I am fortunate to have great employees very fortunate.
11/8/2007 10:01:09 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
copterdriver Saint Matthews, SC age: 55	I want one of those CEO jobs... imagine your corporation "losing" 39 billion and you are still employed... the gov is run by idiots if they buy that story... oops it IS run by idiots... my bad. Better than that is a coaching job where they fire ya and keep on paying ya hundreds of thousands for 5years... get payed to watch others play sports, what a life. lol Only thing that would be better would be the presidency... where else can ya be totally stupid and be taken care of for the rest of your life? Oh yea I forgot, white collar prison. Free everything.... Best job for dodging any responsibiity for the outcome, be semi famous and work 4 minutes twice a day.... Weatherman!
11/8/2007 8:27:43 PM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
1pinkstar Omaha, NE age: 55	Worst paying: government jobs. The public believes you are their personal slave, abuse you, threaten your life, never say thanks, and you are expected to work miracles. Best paying: welfare recipient. (free food, housing, a check, transportation, schooling, utilities paid, childcare and holiday meals, just to name a few.)
11/10/2007 10:52:49 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
qazyguy Rockville, MD age: 53	And recently, federal workers have come under attack by their own leaders. Reagan and the Bushes have gutted the Civil Service, contracting almost everything out. Just try and get a federal job these days. And being a Welfare recipient is no picnic either. They have to deal with all those disgruntled government workers. JIM
11/10/2007 10:24:05 PM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
mick470 Prior Lake, MN age: 50	Any job where you have to work directly with the public can lead to some pretty hairy situations.I'd say cleaning up someone else's vomit hit a new low for me. Working in a group home with under age offenders will push you to your limits.Been spit at,called every swear name in the book and yes,had to take a couple punches and could'nt punch the little shits back.Believe me...the pay did'nt match the trouble I put up with. By the way...I don't work there anymore.And never would again.Ha!
11/11/2007 3:33:16 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
chucky_t Akron, IN age: 59	The best job is one that you enjoy going to each day, the worst is one you hate going to each day.
11/11/2007 3:38:08 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
waytogo51 Prairie Grove, AR age: 51	Well said Chucky. You could be making millions a yr, but if you are not happy, then is it worth it. Plus all the stress that goes with it.
11/11/2007 3:44:05 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
chucky_t Akron, IN age: 59	I have been rich, been homeless, being happy is more important then anything else. I know I can make money and be rich again, but I want to be happy more.
11/11/2007 6:14:52 AM	America's Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs
shezakeepher Columbia, SC age: 53	Sometimes it's a matter of making up your mind to like the job or not. It's in the attitude and choice. I'm not as carzy about my job as the previous one but it is closer to my kids and grandchildren. Bills are paid, roof over my head that I like and food on the ... at the restaurants I can travel a little. Have good benefits. I'm cool with what I do. Life is Good !!

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