The Best Paying Jobs of 2020—from The Salary Project™

We started The Salary Project™ back in 2014 as a simple Google Spreadsheet.
Since then, with help from our proactive readers looking to inform and amplify their careers, we have collected more than 29,000 anonymous salaries. We’ve seen all types of salaries from everywhere in the United States. We could tell you what we expect a Biostatistician from Pittsburgh, PA might make and we could compare dozens of teacher salaries (although, we have to say, teachers always deserve more.)
As we start a new year and a new decade, we wanted to dive into some of the best paying jobs in America right now.
According to data compiled by Glassdoor (another great tool for salary comparison) here are the eleven (who says we have to stop at ten?) best-paying jobs going into 2020—and some real salaries we have seen to back that data up!
Before we get into the top jobs of 2020, here's a little more information on The Salary Project™.
11. Nurse Practitioner
Median Base Salary:

$109,481

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$107,000 in Tucson, Arizona
$106,000 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
$103,500 in Lebanon, New Hampshire
$114,400 in Carlsbad, California
$120,000 in Dallas, Texas

10. Software Development Manager
Median Base Salary:

$109,809

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$170,000 in Irvine, California
$105,000 in San Jose, California
$176,800 in Atlanta, Georgia
$85,000 in Ames, Iowa
$75,000 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

9. Corporate Controller
Median Base Salary:

$113,368

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$109,000 in Osseo, Minnesota
$175,000 in Austin, Texas
$90,000 in Edmond, Oklahoma

8. Physician Assistant
Median Base Salary:

$113,855

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$94,000 in Norwood, Massachusetts
$115,000 in Columbus, Ohio
$119,500 in New York, New York
$128,500 in Richmond, Virginia
$100,000 in Portland, Oregon

7. Software Engineering Manager
Median Base Salary:

$114,163

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$135,000 in Holmdel, New Jersey
$144,000 in Charleston, South Carolina
$175,000 in Berkeley, California
$70,000 in Boulder, Colorado
$93,000 in Portland, Oregon

6. Corporate Counsel
Median Base Salary:

$117,588

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$90,000 in Chicago, Illinois
$100,000 in Austin, Texas
$155,000 in Portland, Oregon
$137,000 in Denver, Colorado
$95,000 in Miami, Florida

5. Enterprise Architect
Median Base Salary:

$122,585

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$100,000 in Austin, Texas
$66,000 in Charleston, South Carolina

4. Pharmacist
Median Base Salary:

$126,438

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$108,150 in Middletown, Ohio
$116,000 in Verona, New Jersey
$130,000 in Dallas, Texas
$112,300 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
$126,000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

3. Dentist
Median Base Salary:

$142,478

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$130,000 in Dallas, Texas
$270,000 in Boston, Massachusetts

2. Pharmacy Manager
Median Base Salary:

$144,768

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$162,000 in Denver, Colorado
$145,000 in New York, New York
$129,000 in Guilford, Connecticut
$135,000 in New York, New York
$145,000 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1. Physician
Median Base Salary:

$193,415

Real Salaries from The Salary Project™:

$180,000 in New York, New York
$290,000 in Charleston, South Carolina
$250,000 in Norristown, Pennsylvania
$190,000 in Grand Rapids, Michigan
$185,000 in Modesto, California