In this article
Share with your community:
JobTest.org used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to identify the highest paying jobs for women and forecast the industries with the potential for fastest growth over the next decade. The analysis looks at jobs where at least half of employees were women and where typical earnings were 1.5x the median for all occupations. Those occupations were then ranked by the 10 forecasted to grow the fastest.
Key Takeaways:
- A significant portion of the highest paying jobs for women involve healthcare or working with children.
- There is an abundance of opportunities for women with varying educational and work experiences to earn a high salary in today’s job market.
- Women continue to face notable pay gaps compared to their male counterparts, even in female-dominated industries. However, that wage gap is shrinking each year.
A Detailed Look at the 10 Highest Paying Jobs for Women
HOW TO FIND A CAREER COACH
Learn about what career coaching can do for you and how to find the right mentor for your professional development.
1. Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Average Starting Salary: $94,530
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $126,260
- Top 10% of Earners: $140,610+
- Role Overview: Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who provide primary and specialty healthcare services. They assess patients, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and develop treatment plans.
- Requirements:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Registered Nurse (RN) license
- Master's or Doctoral degree in Nursing
- National certification in a specialty area
- State-specific NP license
- Career Path and Progression: NPs can specialize in areas like family practice, pediatrics, or geriatrics. With experience, they may move into leadership roles, healthcare administration, or pursue doctoral degrees for advanced clinical or academic positions.
2. Medical and Health Services Manager
- Average Starting Salary: $67,900
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: Median annual wage of $110,680
- Top 10% of Earners: $216,750+
- Role Overview: Medical and Health Services Managers plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They may manage entire facilities, specific departments, or medical practices.
- Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Health Administration or related field
- Master's degree often preferred
- Relevant experience in healthcare settings
- Knowledge of healthcare laws and regulations
- Career Path and Progression: Professionals can advance to higher executive positions such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Operations Officer (COO) of healthcare facilities.
3. Physician Assistant (PA)
- Average Starting Salary: $86,280 per year
- Average Salary Across All Experience Levels: $130,020 per year
- Top 10% of Earners: $170,790+
- Role Overview: Physician Assistants practice medicine under the supervision of physicians. They conduct physical exams, diagnose illnesses, develop treatment plans, and may assist in surgeries.
- Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
- Completion of an accredited PA program
- Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE)
- State licensure
- Career Path and Progression: PAs can specialize in areas like surgery, dermatology, or emergency medicine. With experience, they may take on supervisory roles, engage in research, or become educators in PA programs.
4. Operations Research Analyst
- Average Starting Salary: $52,930
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $83,640
- Top 10% of Earners: $148,920+
- Role Overview: Operations Research Analysts use mathematical and analytical methods to help organizations solve problems and make better decisions.
- Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Operations Research, Mathematics, or related field
- Master's degree often preferred
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Proficiency in statistical software
- Career Path and Progression: Analysts can advance to senior analyst roles, project managers, or move into executive positions such as Chief Data Officer.
5. Veterinarian
- Average Starting Salary: $72,360
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: Median annual wage of $119,100.
- Top 10% of Earners: $201,440+
- Role Overview: Veterinarians care for the health of animals, diagnose and treat medical conditions, perform surgeries, and advise pet owners on proper care.
- Requirements:
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree
- Pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)
- State licensure
- Career Path and Progression: Veterinarians can specialize in areas like surgery or dentistry, open their own practices, or move into research or teaching roles.
6. Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
- Average Starting Salary: $57,910
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $89,290
- Top 10% of Earners: $129,930+
- Role Overview: Speech-Language Pathologists assess, diagnose, and treat communication and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages. They work in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private practices, to help patients improve their speech, language, and swallowing abilities.
- Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders or related field.
- Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from an accredited program.
- Completion of a 375-hour clinical practicum.
- Pass the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology
- State licensure; in Illinois, this includes obtaining a Professional Educator License (PEL) with a School Support Personnel Endorsement for school-based positions
- Career Path and Progression: SLPs can advance to supervisory or administrative roles, specialize in areas like pediatric or geriatric speech therapy, or pursue doctoral degrees for research and academic positions. Opportunities also exist in private practice and consulting.
7. Financial Manager
- Average Starting Salary: $82,870
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: Median annual wage of $156,100 as of May 2023.
- Top 10% of Earners: $239,200+
- Role Overview: Financial Managers oversee the financial health of an organization. They develop strategies, prepare financial reports, direct investment activities, and ensure compliance with financial regulations
- Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field
- At least five years of experience in financial or business roles.
- Optional certifications such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
- Career Path and Progression: Financial Managers can advance to positions like Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or other executive roles. Specializations in areas such as risk management or investment banking are also common.
8. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
- Average Starting Salary: $65,680
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $84,470
- Top 10% of Earners: $102,060+
- Role Overview: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers use specialized equipment to create images of the body's internal structures, aiding physicians in diagnosing and treating medical conditions.
- Requirements:
- Completion of an accredited associate or bachelor's degree program in sonography.
- Certification through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) by passing the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam and a specialty exam.
- Career Path and Progression: Sonographers can specialize in areas like vascular or cardiac sonography, advance to supervisory or managerial positions, or pursue roles in education and research.
9. Physical Therapist
- Average Starting Salary: $72,260
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $99,710
- Top 10% of Earners: $130,870+
- Role Overview: Physical Therapists help patients improve movement and manage pain through therapeutic exercises and interventions. They work with individuals recovering from injuries, surgeries, or managing chronic conditions.
- Requirements:
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from an accredited program.
- Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
- State licensure.
- Career Path and Progression: Physical Therapists can specialize in areas like orthopedics or neurology, become board-certified clinical specialists, advance to managerial roles, or engage in research and teaching.
10. Respiratory Therapist:
- Average Starting Salary: $59,180
- Median Salary Across All Experience Levels: $77,960
- Top 10% of Earners: $104,480+
- Role Overview: Respiratory therapists are healthcare professionals specializing in the assessment and treatment of patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders.
- Requirements:
- Associate degree in Respiratory Care or Respiratory Therapy from an accredited program.
- Some positions may prefer or require a Bachelor's degree in Respiratory Care.
- Pass the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)
- Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination (TMC) to earn the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) credential.
- Achieve the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential by passing the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE) after obtaining the CRT
- Obtain state licensure, which typically requires the CRT or RRT credential
- Other requirements by state
- Career Path and Progression:
- Specializations: Pursue certifications in areas like Adult Critical Care Specialist (RRT-ACCS), Neonatal/Pediatric Specialist (RRT-NPS), or Sleep Disorders Specialist (RRT-SDS) to focus on specific patient populations or condition
- Advanced Roles: Advance to supervisory or managerial positions, such as shift supervisor, department manager, or director of respiratory therapy
- Education and Research: Transition into roles in education to train future respiratory therapists or engage in research to contribute to the advancement of respiratory care practices.
Women Are Earning More Than Ever, But a Gender Wage Gap Remains
Despite significant progress in narrowing the gender wage gap in recent years, women still find themselves being paid less than their male counterparts. This is true even in the industries that are largely dominated by female employees.
Women in veterinary science, financial management, and operations research analyst positions have been growing as a portion of the workforce thanks to a generation of trailblazing women who embraced STEM careers, which have historically been male-dominated. Financial institutions have been compelled to diversify their workforces in recent years based, in part, on evidence that firms with women leaders see better returns than those led by men.
Still, gender differences in pay remain a reality in some of the highest-paying and fastest-growing occupations. Even women with advanced certificates and college degrees earn 71 cents for every dollar a man with the same education earns, according to a recent Census Bureau analysis of college records and earnings from 2005 to 2019.
Even among nurse practitioners, where women comprise 9 in 10 workers, they still earn about 2% less than men. For women working in medical and health services management roles, the earning gap is 6% less than for men. Women physician assistants—a group projected to grow 29% by 2033—earn 8% less than their male counterparts on average.
However, there is reason to believe that the wage gap could continue to narrow. As more women enter and participate in the workforce, the difference in pay between genders tends to shrink, a trend that's played out globally in recent decades, according to Goldman Sachs Research.
Occupations With Shrinking Gender Pay Gaps
According to a comprehensive study conducted by Pew Research, the gender pay gap in the United States has been gradually narrowing. As of 2024, women earned about 85% of what men earned, up from 81% in 2003. The gap is even smaller among younger workers: women ages 25–34 now earn about 95 cents for every dollar earned by their male peers (a 5% gap). This progress is attributed to women’s gains in education, experience, and entry into higher-paying fields.
Below is a table of jobs and industries that have been trending toward pay equity in recent years. Consider this data if you are a woman deciding what career path to pursue or if you’re looking to make a switch from your current occupation to a higher paying opportunity.
Table: U.S. Jobs with Narrowing Gender Pay Gaps in the Last 10 Years
Sources:
Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
-p-1080.webp)
.png)
