US Average Salary, American Workers’ Wages in 2025

The last few years have been marked by economic crises, inflation and rising cost of living. All elements that impact workers’ salaries, inevitably reducing purchasing power. Just think of the US economy where, analyzing the situation of the middle class, the one to which most people belong, it is possible to note an interesting fact.

Namely, it is evident that those who once earned high amounts were considered rich, nowadays at most they fall into the so-called middle class. But how much is the average salary in the USA? And, above all, which are the highest paid professions and which are the lowest in 2025. Let’s go into detail and see everything there is to know about it.

Average salary in the USA: here’s how much you earn

Moving to the United States is a real dream for many. In fact, it is a coveted destination for many people from every corner of the planet who hope to be able to start a new phase of their lives in this country. But how much do salaries amount to in the land of stars and stripes? Well, defining an absolute value is not possible. This is because there are several factors that affect the amount of the salary, such as the role, the sector and the years of experience. In this regard, however, it will be interesting to know that according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

“The median weekly income of the nation’s 120.9 million full-time employees was $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025 (not seasonally adjusted)".

So, it turns out that the median weekly income of full-time workers, in the first quarter of 2025, was equal to $1,194, or $62,088 per year. In particular, women recorded an average weekly income of $1,096, equal to 83.9% of the median income of $1,307 received by men.

Among major occupational groups, full-time workers in managerial, professional and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings, at $1,902 for men and $1,441 for women. Men and women in service occupations earned the least, at $886 and $720, respectively.

Adjusting for education level, full-time workers aged 25 and older with no high school diploma earned median weekly earnings of $743, while those with a high school diploma earned $953. Those with at least a bachelor’s degree earned $1,754. Among graduates with advanced degrees, such as master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees, the top 10 percent of male workers earned $5,079 or more per week, while their female counterparts earned $3,528 or more.

Highest-Paying Jobs in the U.S.

The U.S. labor market shows strong demand for highly skilled professionals, especially in the medical, technology, and financial sectors. The highest-paying professions generally require a high level of education, experience, and specialized skills.

Going into detail, as can be seen from data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the highest-paying professions are those in the medical field. In particular, ophthalmologists, general practitioners, radiologists, psychiatrists, pathologists, obstetricians and gynecologists have average salaries of $239,200 or more per year.

As digitalization advances, salaries are particularly competitive even in the technology and engineering sector. Information systems managers earn an average of $169,510, while financial managers earn $156,100. As for computer science researchers, they earn an average of $145,080, while senior software engineers earn between $150,000 and $200,000.

Also worth mentioning are the legal and financial professions, including lawyers who earn an average of $176,470 and tax managers who earn an average of $130,000 to $160,000.

The lowest-paid jobs in the US

Amidst particularly remunerative professions, there are others that record significantly lower salaries. All this despite the fact that they are essential jobs and often require a high level of physical effort and responsibility. Just think of the so-called personal care assistants, or those who provide daily assistance to elderly or disabled people in household and personal activities. Despite the importance of their activity, they earn an average of $33,380.

Even lower is the average salary of those who work in child care services at daycare centers or similar facilities, who earn an average of $32,070 per year. Among the lowest-paid jobs in the U.S., then, are cleaning workers, who earn an average of $29,580 per year, while the average salary of fast food preparation and serving workers is $22,140. Also to be included are cash register workers and retail sales workers who earn an average of $28,310 and $30,940, respectively.

USA vs World: How do we compare to the Americans?

The average annual salary in Italy is 30,838 euros gross, or approximately 24 thousand euros net. Going into detail, the average annual salary of managers is 104,778 euros gross, or approximately 57 thousand euros net. The average salary is 56,416 euros gross, or approximately 34 thousand euros net, for the executive level.

White collar workers earn an average of 32,685 euros gross, or approximately 24,700 euros net. The average salary of blue collar workers, on the other hand, is generally 26,074 euros gross, or approximately 21 thousand euros net. It is possible, therefore, to deduce that in Italy salaries are on average lower than those paid in the USA, although the cost of living plays a fundamental role.

How is the United States doing compared to the rest of the world? Well, it is one of the countries with the highest average salaries in the world, but it does not occupy the first position. In particular, Luxembourg is positioned at the top of the ranking of the States with the highest salaries, thanks to an average salary of 90,000 dollars per year. Next we find Iceland at 87,000 dollars and Switzerland with 83,000 dollars.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Stipendio medio USA, i salari dei lavoratori americani nel 2025