Ranked: U.S. Industries by Average Salary

What We're Showing

This infographic shows the average annual earnings across U.S. industries.

Annual earnings are estimated by multiplying average weekly earnings by 52, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. Utilities sector pays the most, with average annual earnings of about $114,000. It's also the smallest industry by employment level, with around 596,000 employees.
• The Information industry ranks second with an average salary of $100,000 annually, followed by Mining/Logging and Financial at $92,000.
• Leisure and Hospitality remains the lowest-paid industry with average earnings of $30,167, less than half of the national average.
• Private Education/Health Services and Retail Trade, the two biggest industries by employment, have average salaries of $60,000 and $39,000, respectively.