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Highest Paid Occupations
Los Angeles County

Physician, Hospital, Pediatric

A physician with his young patient. Physicians are among the highest paid professionals in Los Angeles County. Photo courtesy of Skeeze via Pixabay.com.


Also see: What People Earn by Occupation in Los Angeles County


Top 100, 1st Quarter, 2021

Occupational Title Number Employed* Average Annual Wage or Salary
Anesthesiologists N/A (1,250 in 2019) $310,527
Orthodontists N/A $267,661
Psychiatrists 840 $262,880
Chief Executives 6,600 $246,347
Physicians, All Other & Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric 7,250 $237,393
Obstetricians & Gynecologists 190 $236,504
Airline Pilots, Copilots, & Flight Engineers 5,340 $223,303
General Internal Medicine Physicians 1,840 $208,429
Astronomers 130 $206,018
Family & Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 90 $194,852
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting & Prevention Workers 450 $190,598
Computer & Information Systems Managers 15,810 $187,458
Nurse Midwives 150 $184,983
Architectural & Engineering Managers 7,150 $184,825
Lawyers 30,260 $179,550
Natural Sciences Managers 1,030 $177,128
First-Line Supervisors of Police & Detectives 1,870 $176,397
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary 270 $172,995
Political Scientists N/A $172,621
Pediatricians, General 780 $169,989
Commercial Pilots 1,740 $166,635
Marketing Managers 10,470 $164,115
Philosophy & Religion Teachers, Postsecondary 1,490 $161,422
Financial Managers 24,450 $160,499
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary 700 $160,427
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary 420 $160,228
Advertising & Promotions Managers 790 $158,682
Mining & Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers 40 $158,137
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 1,640 $157,036
Purchasing Managers 1,930 $155,742
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary 350 $155,516
Public Relations & Fundraising Managers 2,880 $155,236
Human Resources Managers 5,340 $153,949
Air Traffic Controllers 540 $153,420
Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists 1,230 $153,223
Law Teachers, Postsecondary 500 $151,996
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 910 $151,619
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary 430 $151,307
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary 810 $150,475
Personal Service Managers, All Other; Entertainment & Recreation Managers, Except Gambling; & Managers, All Other 18,350 $150,472
Art Directors 4,010 $150,356
History Teachers, Postsecondary 400 $149,344
Business Teachers, Postsecondary 2,190 $149,044
English Language & Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 2,060 $148,023
Sociologists N/A (220 in 2019) $147,465
Nurse Practitioners 3,700 $147,148
Recreation & Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary 620 $145,823
Pharmacists 9,860 $144,854
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary 1,640 $143,026
General & Operations Managers 64,760 $142,236
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary 50 $141,851
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, & Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 470 $141,415
Compensation & Benefits Managers 380 $140,221
Construction Managers 6,380 $139,984
Physical Scientists, All Other 440 $139,908
Family Medicine Physicians 2,630 $139,776
Training & Development Managers 1,280 $139,224
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 5,470 $139,218
Nuclear Engineers N/A $139,213
Sales Managers 19,460 $139,147
Producers & Directors 22,900 $139,105
Computer & Information Research Scientists 790 $138,496
Anthropology & Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary 220 $138,329
Fire Inspectors & Investigators 220 $137,793
Physician Assistants 2,860 $137,611
Petroleum Engineers 760 $137,381
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary 280 $137,167
Education Administrators, Postsecondary 3,600 $135,937
Economists 440 $135,040
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 910 $134,512
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary 270 $133,976
Detectives & Criminal Investigators 3,330 $133,925
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other 730 $133,723
Aerospace Engineers 2,860 $133,328
Medical & Health Services Managers 10,610 $132,838
Psychologists, All Other 390 $132,600
Clinical, Counseling, & School Psychologists 4,420 $131,970
Optometrists 1,560 $131,788
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 3,900 $131,015
Dentists, General 2,640 $130,883
Atmospheric & Space Scientists 410 $130,696
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists N/A $130,693
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary 430 $129,962
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary 290 $129,800
Electrical Engineers 5,650 $127,726
Physicists 390 $127,472
Art, Drama, & Music Teachers, Postsecondary 4,840 $127,267
Radiation Therapists 220 $124,595
Actuaries 240 $123,372
Arbitrators, Mediators, & Conciliators N/A $123,318
Health & Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers & Inspectors 450 $122,985
Audiologists N/A (160 in 2019) $122,727
Industrial Production Managers 5,180 $122,587
Computer Hardware Engineers 1,650 $122,181
Mathematicians 70 $122,150
Software Developers & Software Quality Assurance Analysts & Testers 39,790 $122,103
Foreign Language & Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 820 $122,017
Computer Network Architects 3,680 $121,335
Emergency Management Directors 150 $120,482
Nuclear Medicine Technologists 330 $119,610

* May 2020 Employment Estimates.
NA = Data not available.

Source: California Employment Development Dept.


A small number of professional entertainers (actors, singers, dancers, etc.) and athletes earn considerably high wages, however, most do not.