These jobs are experiencing great salary growth
Looking to grow your income? New data shows people in these top jobs saw salaries skyrocket in recent years.
Watching your salary tick up can sometimes seem a lot like watching grass grow or paint dry—it can take some time.
Overall, median yearly salaries increased from $45,790 to $49,630 (or 8.4%) from 2012 to 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Meanwhile, during that same time frame, people in certain occupations saw their salaries increase anywhere between 9.7% and 35.5%—faster than you can say, “I deserve a pay raise.”
Recently, personal finance technology company SmartAsset used BLS data to calculate the jobs with the largest income growth between 2012 and 2016. The majority of the occupations are found in the health-care sector, including orthodontists (No. 1) and anesthesiologists (No. 2), but the list also includes a few surprises in finance and aviation.
While orthodontists may have the highest pay increases by the number (they made $42,460 more in 2016 than they did in 2012), personal finance advisors and genetic counselors saw the biggest boosts percentage-wise, with their incomes increasing more than 30% during the four-year period.
We then looked to see which companies and cities have the most openings for these top jobs on Monster right now. Check out the full list below to see which jobs are experiencing the biggest income increases. Oh, and if you don’t see your job on the list, be sure to read how you can negotiate a pay raise to get the salary you deserve.
1. Orthodontists
Average yearly salary: $228,780
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $42,460 (or 22.8%)
Top companies hiring: American Dental Partners, Smile Brands, North American Dental Group
Top cities hiring: Houston, Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio
Find all orthodontist jobs on Monster.
2. Anesthesiologists
Average yearly salary: $269,600
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $36,770 (or 15.8%)
Top companies hiring: UnitedHealth Group, Christus Health, Soliant Health
Top cities hiring: New York City; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Baltimore
Find all anesthesiologist jobs on Monster.
3. Personal finance advisors
Average yearly salary: $123,100
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $32,280 (or 35.5%)
Top companies hiring: Ameriprise Financial, Trilogy Financial Services, Mutual of Omaha
Top cities hiring: New York City; Denver; Irvine, California
Find all personal finance advisor jobs on Monster.
4. Postsecondary health specialties teachers
Average yearly salary: $125,430
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $25,060 (or 25%)
Top companies hiring: Concorde Career Colleges, Platt College, North Carolina State University
Top cities hiring: Los Angeles; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas
Find all postsecondary health teacher jobs on Monster.
5. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
Average yearly salary: $152,770
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $24,010 (or 18.6%)
Top companies hiring: Republic Airways Holdings, Air Line Pilots Association, Mesa Airlines
Top cities hiring: Providence, Rhode Island; Anchorage, Alaska, Dallas
Find all airline jobs on Monster.
6. Psychiatrists
Average yearly salary: $200,220
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $22,700 (or 12.8%)
Top companies hiring: Andrus Children’s Center, State of New York, Department of Veterans Affairs
Top cities hiring: Philadelphia; Boston; Providence, Rhode Island
Find all psychiatrist jobs on Monster.
7. Surgeons
Average yearly salary: $252,910
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $22,370 (or 9.7%)
Top companies hiring: Chenega Corporation, Christus Health, United Surgical Partners
Top cities hiring: Pittsburgh, Houston, Las Vegas
Find all surgeon jobs on Monster.
8. Compensation and benefits managers
Average yearly salary: $126,900
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $20,980 (or 19.8%)
Top companies hiring: BDO, Service Corporation International, NBC Universal
Top cities hiring: Atlanta, New York City, Houston
Find all compensation and benefits manager jobs on Monster.
9. Family and general practitioners
Average yearly salary: $200,810
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $19,960 (or 11%)
Top companies hiring: UnitedHealth Group, Christus Health, Kindred at Home
Top cities hiring: New York City; Los Angeles; Tampa, Florida
Find all family and general practitioner jobs on Monster.
10. Genetic counselors
Average yearly salary: $74,960
Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $19,140 (or 34.3%)
Top companies hiring: Penn Medicine, Clinical Management Consultants, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
Top cities hiring: Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York City
More info: Learn how to become a genetic counselor
Find all genetic counselor jobs on Monster.
Keep your wages up
No matter what industry you're in, your wages will always be top of mind. To stay competitive, it helps to know who's hiring and what they could potentially offer you—regardless of whether or not you're actively looking for a new job. Need some help with that? Join Monster today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to the types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. The fact is, you don't know what better offers are out there unless you actually put yourself out there. What do you have to lose?