I decided to look into which careers are the most rewarding early in your career. Most of the jobs aren’t a surprise with Software Engineers topping the list with almost 60k young adults under the age of 30 earning over $100k. This means about 21% of Software Engineers between the ages of 20-29 are making six figures annually. Here’s a treemap of the top jobs of 20-29 year old Americans who earn more than $100,000 per year.
Top 10 Occupations By Percentage Earning Over $100k
Looking at the raw numbers by job, you might notice a few stereotypically low paying jobs on the list such as Retail Salespersons. The reason for this is because only 0.5% of all Retail Salespersons make over $100k, but because there are 1.8 million 20-29 year olds who work as Retail Salespersons there are quite a few pulling a good amount of money.
If you look at % of Workers between 20-29 making that much the list changes quite a bit. Healthcare related occupations dominate the list, and it's important to note that Doctors a missing from the top 10 and this is most likely due to the fact that many are in residency until their early 30s.
| Occupation | % of Workers |
| Petroleum, mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | 42.05% |
| Dentists | 37.50% |
| Pharmacists | 34.86% |
| Optometrists | 31.91% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 25.58% |
| Physician Assistants | 21.32% |
| Software Developers, Applications and Systems Software | 20.93% |
| Chief executives and legislators/public administration | 20.46% |
| Lawyers, and judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers | 19.94% |
| Actuaries | 19.45% |
Full List
This data was sourced from the American Communities Survey 2014-2018 data.
# Earning >$100k : Number of 20-29 year olds who earned over $100k per year for this specific occupation. These numbers are estimates by the ACS.
% of Workers : Of all 20-29 year old who worked in this occupation this is the percentage who earned over $100k. Small percentages mean it is less common for people in this occupation to earn that much. Large percentages mean it is common.
| Occupation | # Earning > $100k | % of Workers |
| Software Developers, Applications and Systems Software | 59820 | 20.9% |
| Managers, nec (including Postmasters) | 31119 | 6.3% |
| Pharmacists | 22805 | 34.9% |
| Lawyers, and judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers | 19227 | 19.9% |
| Computer Scientists and Systems Analysts/Network systems Analysts/Web Developers | 18269 | 5.0% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Sales Workers | 16401 | 1.8% |
| Registered Nurses | 15720 | 2.9% |
| Managers in Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations | 12921 | 6.4% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 12570 | 3.5% |
| Management Analysts | 12311 | 9.6% |
| Financial Managers | 11113 | 7.2% |
| Financial Analysts | 10615 | 17.0% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing | 10478 | 4.8% |
| Sales Representatives, Services, All Other | 9203 | 5.4% |
| Retail Salespersons | 9180 | 0.5% |
| Engineers, nec | 9030 | 8.2% |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 8122 | 18.1% |
| Chief executives and legislators/public administration | 7611 | 20.5% |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 7394 | 12.2% |
| Computer Programmers | 7376 | 8.5% |
| Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers | 6635 | 1.0% |
| General and Operations Managers | 6092 | 5.1% |
| Other Business Operations and Management Specialists | 6029 | 3.8% |
| Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents | 5845 | 6.4% |
| Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Specialists | 5779 | 2.6% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 5406 | 0.4% |
| Designers | 5359 | 2.3% |
| Constructions Managers | 5298 | 7.4% |
| Unemployed, with No Work Experience in the Last 5 Years or Earlier or Never Worked | 5220 | 0.2% |
| Police Officers and Detectives | 5123 | 2.7% |
| Physician Assistants | 4985 | 21.3% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 4767 | 10.4% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 4635 | 5.4% |
| Petroleum, mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | 4555 | 42.1% |
| Construction Laborers | 4117 | 0.7% |
| Dentists | 4028 | 37.5% |
| Civil Engineers | 3485 | 4.3% |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Workers | 3450 | 1.9% |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineers | 3440 | 9.5% |
| Computer Support Specialists | 3395 | 2.0% |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 3372 | 4.4% |
| Electricians | 3352 | 1.8% |
| Physicians and Surgeons | 3339 | 4.9% |
| Cashiers | 3325 | 0.1% |
| Food Service and Lodging Managers | 3309 | 1.0% |
| Mechanical Engineers | 3132 | 4.8% |
| Insurance Sales Agents | 3109 | 3.3% |
| Athletes, Coaches, Umpires, and Related Workers | 2887 | 1.2% |
| Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 2771 | 2.0% |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 2706 | 9.6% |
| Carpenters | 2687 | 1.0% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2532 | 0.2% |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | 2473 | 3.5% |
| Other production workers including semiconductor processors and cooling and freezing equipment operators | 2472 | 0.7% |
| Actors, Producers, and Directors | 2449 | 3.8% |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | 2425 | 3.1% |
| Credit Counselors and Loan Officers | 2419 | 4.4% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 2337 | 2.2% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 2321 | 1.2% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 2315 | 4.1% |
| Human Resources Managers | 2294 | 3.5% |
| Chemical Engineers | 2252 | 12.6% |
| Industrial Engineers, including Health and Safety | 2145 | 4.6% |
| Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioner Support Technicians | 2038 | 0.8% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2015 | 0.1% |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 2007 | 1.0% |
| Physical Scientists, nec | 2004 | 3.5% |
| Aerospace Engineers | 1997 | 8.1% |
| Postsecondary Teachers | 1982 | 0.6% |
| Security Guards and Gaming Surveillance Officers | 1879 | 0.5% |
| Financial Clerks, nec | 1856 | 5.4% |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 1837 | 5.1% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 1803 | 25.6% |
| Extraction workers, nec | 1787 | 5.9% |
| Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters | 1761 | 1.8% |
| Military, Rank Not Specified | 1732 | 1.2% |
| Elementary and Middle School Teachers | 1731 | 0.3% |
| Actuaries | 1722 | 19.5% |
| Firefighters | 1693 | 2.4% |
| Grounds Maintenance Workers | 1684 | 0.3% |
| Advertising Sales Agents | 1652 | 3.5% |
| Chefs and Cooks | 1638 | 0.1% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 1621 | 0.3% |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 1582 | 1.6% |
| Editors, News Analysts, Reporters, and Correspondents | 1534 | 2.1% |
| Education Administrators | 1519 | 1.5% |
| Construction equipment operators except paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators | 1510 | 2.1% |
| Physical Therapists | 1497 | 3.3% |
| Other Teachers and Instructors | 1494 | 0.4% |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | 1460 | 0.6% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 1451 | 16.6% |
| Writers and Authors | 1362 | 2.6% |
| Artists and Related Workers | 1322 | 2.8% |
| Diagnostic Related Technologists and Technicians | 1310 | 1.8% |
| Musicians, Singers, and Related Workers | 1297 | 2.3% |
| Janitors and Building Cleaners | 1292 | 0.2% |
| Mathematical science occupations, nec | 1281 | 5.6% |
| Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers | 1278 | 5.6% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1247 | 1.2% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1242 | 0.3% |
| Database Administrators | 1240 | 6.4% |
| Air Traffic Controllers and Airfield Operations Specialists | 1219 | 10.9% |
| Power Plant Operators, Distributors, and Dispatchers | 1211 | 18.8% |
| Chemists and Materials Scientists | 1197 | 5.7% |
| Industrial Production Managers | 1195 | 5.6% |
| Purchasing Managers | 1175 | 6.4% |
| Compliance Officers, Except Agriculture | 1147 | 3.7% |
| Financial Specialists, nec | 1109 | 11.3% |
| Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, and roustabouts, oil, gas, and mining | 1088 | 8.1% |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 1078 | 0.6% |
| Optometrists | 1072 | 31.9% |
| Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians and Mechanics | 1071 | 2.1% |
| Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides | 1057 | 0.2% |
| Medical Assistants and Other Healthcare Support Occupations, nec | 1048 | 0.3% |
| Photographers | 1047 | 1.6% |
| Public Relations Specialists | 1034 | 2.7% |
| Medical Scientists, and Life Scientists, All Other | 1029 | 4.2% |
| Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics | 1027 | 1.2% |