LaborBrief
National comparison · BLS OEWS, May 2025

Largest mean-to-median wage gaps

Occupations where the arithmetic mean sits furthest above the midpoint in percentage terms.

OccupationEmploymentMedianMeanSelected measure
Personal Financial Advisors266,800$105,070$156,67049.1%
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents489,570$78,660$109,15038.8%
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary221,270$107,310$147,57037.5%
Real Estate Sales Agents193,370$52,830$69,51031.6%
Insurance Sales Agents479,100$62,280$81,48030.8%
General and Operations Managers3,503,020$105,770$134,94027.6%
Coaches and Scouts248,950$47,320$60,16027.1%
Chief Executives204,350$213,990$269,63026.0%
Producers and Directors143,120$90,360$113,30025.4%
Advertising Sales Agents91,700$64,820$80,67024.5%
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers103,560$232,140$288,65024.3%
Gambling Dealers83,910$34,320$42,55024.0%
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists305,710$35,790$43,96022.8%
Flight Attendants131,650$63,580$77,44021.8%
Sales and Related Workers, All Other93,180$48,280$58,51021.2%
Education Administrators, Postsecondary180,470$104,590$126,54021.0%
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary93,560$78,620$94,70020.5%
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers311,180$69,990$83,71019.6%
Bartenders756,390$34,340$40,79018.8%
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel1,256,010$69,990$82,43017.8%

How to read this comparison

This table is ordered by gap. That measure is kept distinct from the other columns so readers can see how a different question changes the ranking.

Every row uses the cross-industry national OEWS table for May 2025. The occupation code and period stay fixed within the ranking. Values are survey estimates and may be rounded; the ordering does not account for living costs, experience, industry, work schedule, benefits, or individual qualifications.

A ranking answers only the question encoded by its sort key. Employment is not wage, mean is not median, and a wide percentile spread is not a forecast of wage growth. Open an occupation profile for the complete set of published measures before treating a position in this table as meaningful.

LaborBrief does not fill suppressed estimates, combine releases, or infer future values. The pages in the methods library explain mean versus median, percentiles, source dates, and responsible use.

For state context, use the state index and only compare cells that carry all six required BLS values. A state page can show concentration and employment scale that a national ranking cannot. Return to the wages hub for other sorting questions.

Primary sources

Data period: BLS OEWS, May 2025Verified: 2026-08-04