Based on the May 2025 BLS release
Half of the people in a job earn more than the median and half earn less. That is the entire content of the number. It tells you nothing about how far above or below.
The federal wage survey publishes percentiles alongside the median, and the gap between the 10th and the 90th is where the actual information is.
These are the roles with at least 50,000 workers where the 90th percentile is furthest above the 10th.
| Occupation | 10th pct | Median | 90th pct | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | $50,190 | $105,070 | $357,020 | 7.11× |
| Chief Executives | $75,700 | $213,990 | $507,730 | 6.71× |
| Physicians, All Other | $69,170 | $265,930 | $452,360 | 6.54× |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $73,570 | $256,560 | $475,430 | 6.46× |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $76,830 | $244,180 | $428,550 | 5.58× |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $59,270 | $107,310 | $322,020 | 5.43× |
| General and Operations Managers | $50,090 | $105,770 | $253,390 | 5.06× |
| Lawyers | $78,360 | $159,670 | $351,600 | 4.49× |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $47,180 | $99,080 | $209,470 | 4.44× |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $48,040 | $78,660 | $212,880 | 4.43× |
Personal Financial Advisors is the clearest case. The median is $105,070, which sounds like a clear answer. But the bottom tenth earn under $50,190 and the top tenth earn over $357,020 — 7.11 times as much. Quoting the median for this occupation describes almost nobody's actual situation.
Outcomes depend heavily on something other than the job title. Usually performance, client book, specialisation, seniority, or employer type. These are careers where the ceiling is high but not automatic.
Early years are likely to be near the bottom. The 10th percentile in a wide-band occupation is frequently what the first two or three years look like, not an unlucky outlier.
Pay is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, unions, licensure, public-sector grades. More predictable, lower ceiling. Neither is better; they are different bets.
Find the band for your role in your metro, then place the offer inside it. An offer at the 25th percentile is a signal to negotiate or to ask what would move you up. An offer above the 75th, in a narrow-band occupation, may be close to the practical ceiling — useful to know before you plan around future raises.
Every salary guide here shows the 10th, median and 90th together, because showing the median alone would be the same trick we are complaining about.