There is immense pressure to secure a well-paying job right out of school. As college graduation nears for students across the nation, FOX Business took a look at what entry-level jobs will pay the most.
It comes just as U.S. job growth slowed notably in April.
It might not be surprising that a primary care physician topped the list with a median salary of $130,000. But the following top positions included a pharmacist, software architect, product manager and software engineer – all of which have a median salary of between $100,000 and $120,000.
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A variety of consultants and engineer roles also occupied the top 15 spots, according to Glassdoor’s analysis.
To determine which positions will be the most lucrative, Glassdoor analyzed U.S. median salaries provided by employees with three or fewer years of relevant job experience. Each job mentioned had at least 75 salaries submitted to the firm between May 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.
The data was compiled at a time when there are signs of a potential labor market slowdown, U.S. Bank reported, citing a modest decline in job openings in recent months.
In April, employers added 175,000 jobs, the Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report. The figure missed the 243,000 gain forecast by LSEG economists and marked the worst month for job creation since October.
U.S. Bank reported that the job figure is a “possible sign of slower economic growth.”
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While unemployment rate inched higher to 3.9%, it has remained below 4% for 28 consecutive months, which U.S. Bank noted has been “the longest month-to-month stretch of below 4% unemployment” since 1967 to 1970.
While wage gains are above average, the bank also warned that “the pace of wage growth is slowing.”
Here are the top 15 entry-level jobs analyzed by Glassdoor that offer the highest median salary in 2024:
- Primary Care Physician: $130,000
- Pharmacist: $120,000
- Software Architect: $120,000
- Product Manager: $110,000
- Software Engineer: $100,000
- Data Engineer: $93,472
- Attorney: $90,000
- Hardware Engineer: $85,000
- Information Security Specialist: $83,000
- Chemical Engineer: $82,000
- Management Consultant: $82,000
- Actuarial Consultant: $81,150
- Electrical Engineer: $80,500
- Design Engineer: $78,000
- Mechanical Engineer: $75,500
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.
