Two sources, The Edmonton Gazette and 24/7 Wall Street released lists of the “highest” paying jobs this week in both Canada and the United States. So, if you’re looking for a new, well-compensated career, we’ve got you covered.
Note that you might have to go back to school, though, as all the best-paid jobs are very specialized. Also, a lot of them are in STEM.
According to these reports, the average wage for Canadians is currently $952 per week or just under $50,000 a year. And the average working American earns $860 per week — or about $44,700 a year. These jobs pay two to three times that.
We were struck by the level of discrepancy between the two lists. Airline pilots, actuaries, and dentists are all among the top-paying Canadian jobs, but absent from the US list, while pharmacists, veterinarians, and nurse practitioners make it onto the US list but not the Canadian one.
What does this mean? Not much. These lists should always be viewed more as sources and guidelines rather than hard and fast truths. “Chief Executive,” for example, which makes the US list but not the Canadian one, is listed as not attached to any industry — and I would argue it’s more of a “rank” than a “job.”
And, really, these aren’t necessarily the highest paying jobs. You have only to note the absence of “Federal Judge” from the American list, do a little Googling and math, and figure out that their average salaries are 237,725 – far higher than the highest salary listed.
Regardless, here are 20 jobs that pay pretty well, all things considered.
10 high paying jobs in Canada:
Federal judges – $352,650*
Specialist physicians – $246,000
Family physicians $184,034
Dentist – $133,738
Engineering managers $120,050
Senior managers of Productions, Transportations, and Construction $108,364
Senior managers in Finance and Communications $103,717
Lawyers $97,530
Airline pilots $90,753
Actuaries $87,780
10 high paying jobs in the USA:
Electrical and electronics engineers – $93,756*
Veterinarians – $95,680
Nurse practitioners – $95,732
Computer and information systems managers – $95,836
Aerospace engineers – $98,384
Lawyers – $98,852
Physicians and surgeons – $99,736
Pharmacists — $99,996
Architectural and engineering managers – $103,948
Chief executives – $119,392
*The Canadian salaries are a mean, while the American salaries are a median. This is because of the way the salary information was presented in the individual reports. Read more: Eight work-from-home jobs that pay more than $100,000