Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. careers have a better-paying move within reach
We checked every U.S. career with its own BLS pay figure for a close match that pays at least 10% more and usually needs no extra schooling. 88.5% of careers have one.
Published October 28, 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · By the Career Change Finder team
Key findings
- For most careers, a better-paying option sits among the 25 closest matches: careers that use similar skills, knowledge and daily work activities.
- When such a match exists, the closest one pays a median of 24.4% more.
- Results differ by state, from 92.0% of workers in West Virginia to 67.8% in District of Columbia, because pay gaps between careers differ from place to place.
The 12 largest U.S. jobs and their closest better-paying match
The closest qualifying match is the one with the highest match score. National median pay, BLS May 2025.
Results by state
The same test run with each state's own BLS pay figures: a match counts only if it pays at least 10% more in that state. States are sorted by the share of workers in careers that have a better-paying close match. Only states with pay data for at least 200 careers are included (51 including the District of Columbia).
| # | State | Share of workers | Careers with a match | Typical gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 92.0% | 475 of 551 (86.2%) | +27.4% |
| 2 | Iowa | 91.8% | 546 of 633 (86.3%) | +27.3% |
| 3 | Kansas | 89.2% | 529 of 610 (86.7%) | +29.0% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 88.9% | 427 of 519 (82.3%) | +24.5% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 88.8% | 381 of 453 (84.1%) | +26.4% |
| 6 | Kentucky | 88.7% | 529 of 628 (84.2%) | +26.9% |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 88.3% | 561 of 638 (87.9%) | +26.3% |
| 8 | Oregon | 88.1% | 546 of 635 (86.0%) | +26.7% |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 88.1% | 549 of 652 (84.2%) | +24.4% |
| 10 | Missouri | 87.9% | 556 of 650 (85.5%) | +24.2% |
| 11 | Louisiana | 87.6% | 506 of 602 (84.0%) | +27.5% |
| 12 | Mississippi | 87.5% | 518 of 603 (85.9%) | +26.4% |
| 13 | Arkansas | 87.2% | 518 of 600 (86.3%) | +25.7% |
| 14 | Nevada | 87.0% | 507 of 592 (85.6%) | +28.8% |
| 15 | Florida | 86.8% | 606 of 692 (87.6%) | +26.2% |
| 16 | Arizona | 86.8% | 546 of 633 (86.3%) | +25.0% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 86.6% | 570 of 661 (86.2%) | +25.3% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 86.3% | 562 of 652 (86.2%) | +27.1% |
| 19 | Idaho | 86.1% | 459 of 558 (82.3%) | +26.2% |
| 20 | Indiana | 85.6% | 572 of 673 (85.0%) | +25.9% |
| 21 | Georgia | 85.5% | 574 of 659 (87.1%) | +26.8% |
| 22 | Alabama | 85.3% | 535 of 625 (85.6%) | +27.2% |
| 23 | Illinois | 85.1% | 581 of 662 (87.8%) | +26.7% |
| 24 | Washington | 85.0% | 578 of 673 (85.9%) | +27.9% |
| 25 | North Dakota | 84.7% | 392 of 495 (79.2%) | +26.0% |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 84.7% | 598 of 686 (87.2%) | +25.6% |
| 27 | Delaware | 84.6% | 364 of 460 (79.1%) | +26.1% |
| 28 | South Carolina | 84.5% | 542 of 640 (84.7%) | +27.0% |
| 29 | Michigan | 84.5% | 578 of 689 (83.9%) | +26.8% |
| 30 | Ohio | 84.2% | 586 of 687 (85.3%) | +27.2% |
| 31 | Texas | 84.1% | 612 of 704 (86.9%) | +27.5% |
| 32 | California | 83.9% | 607 of 702 (86.5%) | +27.2% |
| 33 | Maryland | 83.9% | 552 of 644 (85.7%) | +27.0% |
| 34 | Connecticut | 83.8% | 502 of 602 (83.4%) | +25.8% |
| 35 | Colorado | 83.5% | 558 of 653 (85.5%) | +23.7% |
| 36 | Montana | 83.3% | 438 of 532 (82.3%) | +24.0% |
| 37 | Utah | 83.1% | 528 of 615 (85.9%) | +27.8% |
| 38 | Tennessee | 83.0% | 549 of 645 (85.1%) | +25.1% |
| 39 | New York | 82.8% | 598 of 693 (86.3%) | +29.4% |
| 40 | Virginia | 82.1% | 577 of 665 (86.8%) | +23.7% |
| 41 | Maine | 82.1% | 455 of 568 (80.1%) | +24.3% |
| 42 | Minnesota | 81.4% | 530 of 643 (82.4%) | +26.8% |
| 43 | Nebraska | 81.2% | 472 of 592 (79.7%) | +25.9% |
| 44 | New Mexico | 80.7% | 469 of 570 (82.3%) | +29.3% |
| 45 | Alaska | 79.7% | 364 of 457 (79.7%) | +27.7% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | 79.5% | 547 of 640 (85.5%) | +25.6% |
| 47 | New Hampshire | 77.2% | 439 of 556 (79.0%) | +25.3% |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 77.0% | 371 of 489 (75.9%) | +26.4% |
| 49 | Hawaii | 76.0% | 378 of 468 (80.8%) | +27.8% |
| 50 | Vermont | 74.7% | 349 of 466 (74.9%) | +24.6% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 67.8% | 318 of 411 (77.4%) | +26.9% |
How we did it
We started with the 732 careers that have their own pay figure in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Careers that only have a pay figure for a broader group were left out. For each one we took its 25 closest matches from our career-change model, which compares O*NET skills, knowledge, work activities and interests. A match counted as a better-paying move only if all of these were true:
- it has its own BLS median pay figure in the same area (the nation or the state);
- its median pay is at least 10% higher than the current career's;
- its O*NET Job Zone (usual education, training and experience) is not higher;
- it is not a manager role (SOC major group 11) and has no "supervisor" in its title.
"Share of workers" weights each career by its BLS employment. The typical gap is the median, across careers that have a qualifying match, of the pay difference to the closest one. Every figure on this page is recalculated by a separate script before the site is published.
Limits
- Medians describe careers, not people. Pay for a new hire is often below the median.
- A close match shares skills and work activities, but employers may still ask for experience in the field.
- A Job Zone shows typical preparation; some careers also need a license or certificate.
- BLS does not publish pay for every career in every state, so state results cover fewer careers.
Quote this study
Of the 732 U.S. careers with their own BLS pay figure, 648 (88.5%) have at least one close match among their 25 most similar careers that pays at least 10% more at the median, usually needs no more preparation, and is not a manager or supervisor role. Those careers employ 87.1% of the workers covered.
Source: Career Change Finder, "Better-Paying Careers Within Reach: A Data Study" (October 2026), https://careerchangefinder.com/research/better-paying-careers. Based on O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025.
Questions about this study
Does this mean I will earn at least 10% more if I switch?
No. The study compares median pay, the middle of each career's pay range. Your own pay depends on your experience, employer, location and how the new job is set up. Treat a match as a lead worth checking, not a promise.
What does "no extra preparation" mean here?
The better-paying career has an O*NET Job Zone no higher than your current career's. Job Zones group careers by the education, training and experience they usually need. Some careers still need a license or certificate, so always check the requirements on the career profile.
Why are managers and supervisors left out?
Manager and supervisor jobs usually pay more, but people tend to reach them through promotion inside a field rather than by changing careers. Leaving them out keeps the study about moves you can apply for.
Can I use these numbers in an article or report?
Yes. Please cite "Career Change Finder, Better-Paying Careers Within Reach: A Data Study" and link to this page. The figures are calculated from public U.S. government data, and the method is described on this page.