by Pete Julius
The table below includes the industries that have the 25 top annual mean paying jobs. It is no surprise to see the top of the list dominated by technology-related industries. More importantly, these are the types of industries that are staying here in the United States instead of moving overseas to lower-cost countries. The industries in this list represent industries that are primarily either technology or support related. Technology-related industries include those industries that produce high value and innovative products or services. The support industries include those industries that are necessary for a local economy to survive and grow.
The table is broken out by North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). It is ranked by annual mean salary. The table does also include industry by hourly mean. The top five NAICS by annual mean are securities and commodity exchanges (523200), software publishers (511200), securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage (523100), other financial investment activities (523900), and computer-systems design and related services (541500).
| NAICS CODE | NAICS TITLE | HOURLY MEAN | ANNUAL MEAN |
| 523200 | Securities and Commodity Exchanges | $36.63 | $76,190 |
| 511200 | Software Publishers | $35.85 | $74,580 |
| 523100 | Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage | $35.38 | $73,580 |
| 523900 | Other Financial Investment Activities | $34.24 | $71,210 |
| 541500 | Computer Systems Design and Related Services | $33.49 | $69,650 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | $32.94 | $68,510 |
| 541700 | Scientific Research and Development Services | $32.03 | $66,610 |
| 516100 | Internet Publishing and Broadcasting | $30.29 | $63,000 |
| 518100 | Internet Service Providers and Web Search Portals | $29.53 | $61,410 |
| 541100 | Legal Services | $29.33 | $61,010 |
| 211100 | Oil and Gas Extraction | $28.59 | $59,460 |
| 999100 | Federal Executive Branch and United States Postal Service (OES designation) | $28.57 | $59,420 |
| 541600 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $28.30 | $58,860 |
| 525900 | Other Investment Pools and Funds | $28.01 | $58,260 |
| 481100 | Scheduled Air Transportation | $27.41 | $57,020 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | $27.14 | $56,440 |
| 486100 | Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil | $27.11 | $56,380 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | $27.07 | $56,300 |
| 541300 | Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $27.06 | $56,290 |
| 221100 | Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | $26.83 | $55,810 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | $26.53 | $55,180 |
| 621100 | Offices of Physicians | $26.43 | $54,980 |
| 551100 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | $26.40 | $54,920 |
| 486200 | Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas | $26.05 | $54,180 |
| 517100 | Wired Telecommunications Carriers | $25.94 | $53,960 |
Source: BLS , May 2004