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This story originally appeared on FlexJobs.
Have you ever wondered what other professionals in your industry are making, or how to remove the guesswork when negotiating a salary? The United States Labor Statistics Office (BLS) has some of your homework done for you thanks to its huge database of average salaries.
The BLS provides estimates of salaries by occupation for a complete list of occupational groups and titles. We have compared some of the largest job groups in their database with job categories on our website to give you the average salaries for flexible and remote-friendly careers.
Architecture
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Architects (construction and design architects, not IT architects) earned an average wage of USD 80,750 per year in 2019, according to federal data.
Art and design
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The median annual wage for careers in art and design (including graphic designers, interior decorators, and animators) was $ 48,130, with art directors making more than $ 94,000.
Economy and finance
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In 2019, the median annual salary for business and finance professionals was $ 69,820; Personal Financial Advisers earned the highest average salaries in this category, earning $ 87,850 per year.
Community and social service
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This category, which includes counselors, therapists, and social workers, earned an average annual wage of $ 46,090, with the largest growth (12%) projected in the health care and welfare areas.
Computer & IT
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Computer and IT professionals earned an average salary of $ 88,240 in 2019, with growth in this employment sector expected to increase by 11% through 2029. High profile computer and IT professionals earned more than $ 107,000.
education
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The BLS data grouped education, training and library professions into one category and reported an average annual salary of $ 50,790. Post-secondary teachers topped the list, earning an average salary of more than $ 79,000.
mechanical engineering
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The average annual mechanical engineering wage was more than $ 137,000 for a petroleum engineer. Overall, the median wage in the areas of architecture and engineering was USD 81,440, according to the BLS.
Entertainment and sport
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Analysts placed entertainment and sports jobs in the same category, with an average annual wage of $ 45,250. (Note: there was no annual median for actors, musicians, dancers, and other more arts-oriented careers.)
Health care
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This broad category, which includes doctors, nurses, and dental assistants, had an average salary of $ 68,190 in 2019, with doctors and surgeons earning more than $ 208,000 on the high end. Healthcare support roles, including nursing assistants, home health workers, and medical transcriptionists, earned an average annual salary of $ 28,470.
Legal
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In the legal profession, the median wage depends on the level of knowledge. For example, attorneys made $ 122,960 per year, while paralegal and paralegals earned an average annual wage of $ 51,740.
management
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The median annual salary for management jobs in 2019 was $ 105,660, although managers at the forefront of engineering and computing can bring in more than $ 144,000 per year.
mathematics
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The median wage for math jobs was $ 90,410, but actuaries can make more than $ 108,000. The median wage for mathematicians and statisticians is $ 92,000 per year.
Media and communication
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Media and communications professionals – including reporters, writers, editors, translators, and photographers – had an average annual salary of $ 48,270 in 2019. Technical writers earned the highest median wage of $ 72,850.
Office and administrative support
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These often remote jobs paid an average annual wage of about $ 37,580, according to federal data.
sales
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Although the reported median annual salary in this category was just over $ 29,000 in 2019, some professionals made significantly more, with sales engineers leading the way with a median salary of $ 103,900.
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