Choosing graduate school for research over a medical degree was the worst decision I've ever made. Thanks for reminding me of one big reason why.

My job's not on the list, but my salary is comparable to those on the list... should that count? :-) (note that I did not specify WHICH list!)

Something tip based, like bartender, is interesting to see on that list. I've known many attractive female bartenders who made a very good living.

Of course Anesthesiologists deserve to be so highly paid, because of all the risks in their profession, such as the risk of running into a dermatologist when you both leave the hospital at 5:00.

What about stuff like "CEO" ? What's the average amount that a CEO/CFO/CPO makes nowadays? I've seen the graphs stating that it's WAY above everyone else on average, but I wanna know the numbers!

@Dragontologist: For public companies, what CEOs make vary depending on the structure of their compensation package. Many C-suite level folks take their pay in the form of options, which wouldn't count here.

I have a feeling a lot of those top jobs pay a small fortune yearly in insurance. The malpractice on an anesthisiologist is sky-high.

This stat makes me really, really sad: Child care workers: $18,820

shampooer? THey pay almost $18,000 for someone to shampoo stuff? Interesting...

@Dragontologist: I think that is what "Chief Executive" is considered.
"Chief Executives: $144,600"
They probably removed some of the outliers from the exorbitantly compensated CEOs to get this number.

I would park cars for $18,450.

I wonder if the list of service industry jobs is actual annual salary, or just what they declare for tax purposes.

I know that a lot of bartenders and servers only claim a fraction of their cash tips, so their income is actually much higher than what is listed on their W-2 at the end of the year.

It's sort of interesting that all the various flavors of doctor are picked out seperately, but "lawyer" is lumped into one catch-all category. Because, say, the difference between public defender and patent attorney is rather vast.

sounds like it's only traditional salary (hence waiters and bartenders who often make most of their $ from tips). Also, chief executives usually get the bulk of their compensation in stock options. Their actual salary is often much smaller.

I seem to remember Anesthesiologists having the highest addiction rates in the Medical Professions, I hope the benefits package includes coverage for rehab.

Also, if you're curious, the annual compensation of CEO/CFO/CIOs of public companies, and any other "officers of the company," they are specified in the company's annual reports. Check out your favorite company and report back!

@lore: If you really want to break it down, go here http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm and search by the ticker symbol and look for a "14A" proxy statement. Compensation is usually near the beginning along with stock options and other goodies they publicly admit to.

Geographic differences and employment structure (e.g. partner vs associate or employee) make such a dramatic difference that these numbers without further explanation are nearly meaningless.

I'd rather see a range of reported salaries.

I live in AC, Gaming Dealers make way more then 17 grand a year, unless their in one of the shitty casinos. The good ones like Borgata, FT Dealers can bring in 50+ a year, and at the decent ones like Ballys, they can get atleast above 30.

@xamarshahx:
Oh yeah, they make their money on tips, so don't screw them, they get paid like 4 bucks an hour, rest is tips.

I'm wondering where they get these numbers from for the worst list. I know bartenders that easily make 30k a year. As for food preparation and line cooks, and even servers I know make more than whats reported here. I've been working in restaraunts for awhile and to me these numbers don't add up.

@Dragontologist: Many CEOs actually dont make a lot of money, they just get a lot of options and packages which get traded in for money. Company owners though are a different story, many of them DO make a lot of money.

I work in advertising, I'm shocked that "Creative Directors" or "Chief Creative Directors" aren't on this list...because from my experience, they definitely should be.

I work for lawyers and I know that the Associates are getting much more than the $113k starting pay. The partners make even more.

When you charge $300-$550 per hour and bill 30-60 hours per week it adds up really fast.

Wasn't there a report earlier this year about a shortage of air traffic controllers? I thought that seemed like a boring job. But I also didn't realize they make 6 figures.

I'm not sure how these figures were calculated, but anesthesiologists average at least 240k according to every statistic I've ever seen. Maybe these figures are based on a 40 hour work week which is unrealistic for any doctor.

these compensation scales are not adjusted for location, eg a professional working in NYC or SF will be making far more than someone working in Kansas City for example

@oudemia: You beat me to that. Public defenders aren't paid anywhere near corporate attack dog lawyers.

Ok, I just looked at the original data and they were in fact calculated by multiplying hourly wage by 2,080 hours so for anyone that works more than 40 hours per week these figures are too low.

@missbrooke06: I've heard that air traffic control is one of (if not the) most stressful jobs there is.

There was a big bruhaha about the airlines having fewer air traffic controllers because they were trying to save money, not because they were having trouble hiring people.

Re lawyers - Remember that they're averaging PD's with Senior Partners and everyone in between. There are lawyers who don't clear 50 and there are those that pull in 500k. The more telling statistic is the average salary broken down by the number of years in practice since many lawyers start out as low level associates and never make partner / leave the law altogether.

@ castlecraver

Same here. At least the excuse I use is that I dont have to pay for mal-research insurance.

I'm a server and I'd say I make about that wage a year. But I only work about 20 hours a week or less.

@FishingCrue: Thank you for pointing out that some attorneys don't clear $50,000. People here are also forgetting that there is a world beyond NYC and Los Angeles. I know a trial lawyer in Bismark, North Dakota who is very pleased with his $40,000 salary.

My job is there, Air Traffic Controller. Although, there is an injustice going on that may change that. To bring you all up to date, it is not boring, nor do we work for the airlines. We work for the federal government. It is at times very intense and stressful, as we control upwards of 25 planes at a time, figure an average of about 100 people on each one. There is indeed a shortage of controllers, a result of the mass hiring after the 1981 strike. They are all retiring now. The FAA decided last year that they would unilaterally impose a new contract and a new pay scale on new hires. To put this into perspective, a newly certified air traffic controller will be making approximately 78 thousand after training, which can take up to five years. He will be sitting next to a controller on the old pay scale, making about 120 thousand a year. Before you say "what are you bitching about, thats good money either way" keep in mind we are required to retire by age 56 so we don't have the luxury of contributing to our retirement for 30 years.

The folks over at Dealbreaker may want to weigh in on this one...

I am guessing they study lumps all financial services jobs in one category, even though they apparently don't do that for the medical profession. To be fair if they are not going to single out Investment Bankers/Traders/Sales jobs they maybe they should lump all those docs together with nurses, support staff, dental hygentists, etc...

Yeah, my ex was a bartended and "made" 17,000 a year. Not counting the 100k under his mattress.

The physician salaries all seem low (except for the general practitioner which seems accurate) - I wonder if they included resident physicians in the stats? They only pull in about $40,000 a year.....?

"Is your job on the list? Ours isn't."

Shocked that 'Blogger' didn't make the list... Are bloggers paid as cash under the table?

@Nathanaver: an awful lot of those job are exempt, meaning they're federally classified as workers to whom overtime laws aren't applied. So a salaried doctor working 80 hours or 40 hours isn't going to reap a lot of overtime pay.

I'm actually surprised by what the physicians make, but considering that it's an average and that there are lots of rural, government, residents, military, and so on, it kinds of drags the average down.

I was a bartender in grad school and made around 30K per year working 5 nights a week.

I can't believe we've had this many comments without an "Assistant Crack Whore" joke.

@Greeper: Yeah, I'll second that. There's a slight difference between what my boyfriend makes as a bartender and what he...ahem...takes home.

I don't think I'd consider lifeguarding a bad job - the pay's pretty good. And if you can get your WSI you get paid even more...

I'm not sure I'd want it as a career, but I know plenty of people who do very well with it as a college or summer job.

There's no way parking lot attendants, waiters, and bartenders make that little a year. I've done all three, and I'm going to roughly estimate that I used to make just over $30k/yr at each.

Also, don't let any one fool you: parking cars is hard. Really hard. I'm not kidding (and yet, I sense you don't believe me). Try it, and get back to me.

@Greeper:

"Yeah, my ex was a bartended and "made" 17,000 a year. Not counting the 100k under his mattress."

Your ex was quite the smart investor, no?

Oh, and for some more purely annecdotal evidence those "service industry" numbers are probably off, my roommate is a waitress. I have no idea what she makes, but I can tell you this. I make $50k/yr and drive a much nicer car than she does. However, she lives at the exact same address, and pays her rent every month, just like I do. My point? Yeah, she's makin' less than me, but it can't be by all that much. Otherwise, you have to assume she'd move.

@Her Grace: You're right; that is sad. I am reminded me of something I heard once which goes a little something like this... "When a bad football coach makes more than a good teacher, something is wrong."

i wish they filtered out the jobs that are traditionally tipped (casino dealers, bartenders, etc.), to see what other low paying jobs are out there...

and my "high-brow" comment of the day:
i didn't realize dishwasher was really a separate job. Thanks, Herb Copperbottom.

My job's on that "top" list, but my salary is about half of what they list. Dammit.