Ranked list · updated 2026-10-09
Highest-paying US certifications and licences
25 credentials across 6 fields are ranked below by the median annual wage published for the occupation each one unlocks. Every figure is quoted from the source named inside the credential's own guide — no figure on this page was typed in by hand, and none has been reworded for the list.
- Credentials ranked
- 25
- Fields represented
- 6
- Guides with a citable median
- 435
- Field rankings
- 15
Which US credentials lead to the highest published pay?
The list below is ordered by the median annual wage published for the occupation each credential unlocks. The order is computed from 435 researched guides; the sentence printed under each credential is the guide's own sourced headline, reproduced verbatim so the attribution stays attached to the number.
| # | Credential | Field | Published median for the occupation it unlocks (quoted) | Exam fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical College Admission Test | Admissions & Academic Testing | ≥$239,200 median for physicians and surgeons (BLS OOH, May 2024) — the end-state salary the MCAT gates. | $355 (US); plus $130 international |
| 2 | USMLE Step 1 | Healthcare & Clinical Licensure | Physicians and surgeons earned a median of $239,200 or more per year, SOC 29-1210 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2024 — the median is top-coded at $239,200) | ~$695 |
| 3 | USMLE Step 3 | Healthcare & Clinical Licensure | Physicians and surgeons earned a median of $239,200 or more per year, SOC 29-1210 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2024 — the median is top-coded at $239,200) | Varies by location and currency — confirm on the official registration page |
| 4 | Certified Information Security Manager | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $182,510 median for computer and information systems managers (BLS, May 2024) | $575 member / $760 non-member |
| 5 | Dental Admission Test | Admissions & Academic Testing | The DAT gates dental-school admission: dentists earned a $179,210 median in May 2024 (BLS) | ~$525 |
| 6 | ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $171,200 median for computer and information systems managers (BLS, May 2024) | ~$495 exam voucher (US); accredited training required for higher-level modules (ATO course ~$500-1,500 or PeopleCert Official eLearning) |
| 7 | ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $171,200 median for computer and information systems managers (BLS, May 2024) | ~$495 exam voucher or ~$649 exam bundle (voucher + eBook, US); accredited training required for higher-level modules (ATO course ~$500-1,500 or PeopleCert Official eLearning) |
| 8 | HubSpot Content Marketing Certification | Project Management & Business | $161,030 median for marketing managers (BLS, May 2024) | Free |
| 9 | HubSpot Inbound Certification | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $161,030 median for marketing managers (BLS, May 2024) | Free |
| 10 | HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification | Project Management & Business | $161,030 median for marketing managers (BLS, May 2024) | Free |
| 11 | California Bar Exam | legal | $151,160 median for lawyers (BLS SOC 23-1011, May 2024) | ~$878 |
| 12 | Law School Admission Test | Admissions & Academic Testing | $151,160 median annual wage for lawyers, SOC 23-1011 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2024) | $238 (fee waiver available) |
| 13 | Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination | legal | $151,160 median for lawyers (BLS OOH, May 2024) — the profession the MPRE helps you enter. | ~$145-160 |
| 14 | Uniform Bar Exam | legal | $151,160 median for lawyers (BLS OOH, May 2024) — the end-state salary the bar exam gates. | ~$1,000+ |
| 15 | FAA Air Traffic Controller Selection | Government & Public Safety | $144,580 median for air traffic controllers (BLS, May 2024) — among the highest-paid federal civilian occupations, gated by an aptitude screen, not a test of aviation knowledge | No fee (FAA hiring process) |
| 16 | Senior Professional in Human Resources | Project Management & Business | $141,690 median for human resources managers (BLS, May 2024) | $495 exam + $100 application = $595 total |
| 17 | SHRM Senior Certified Professional | Project Management & Business | $141,690 median for human resources managers (BLS, May 2024) | ~$355 member / ~$475 non-member (check current pricing) |
| 18 | Pharmacy College Admission Test | Admissions & Academic Testing | No current exam — and the career it fed pays a median of $137,480 (BLS, May 2024): pharmacists, SOC 29-1051 | Discontinued |
| 19 | Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination | Healthcare & Clinical Licensure | $133,260 median for physician assistants (BLS SOC 29-1071, May 2024) | ~$550 |
| 20 | AWS Certified: SAP on AWS - Specialty | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $133,080 median for software developers (BLS, May 2024) — the closest occupation to the SAP-on-cloud architect role | $300 |
| 21 | Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $133,080 median for software developers (BLS, May 2024) — the closest occupation to the cloud developer role | $200 |
| 22 | Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $133,080 median for software developers (BLS, May 2024) — the closest published reference for Azure database administration roles, which occupy the developer-adjacent data tier of the technology labour market | $165 |
| 23 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations Associate | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | No direct occupation — the reference is software developers at a $133,080 median (BLS, May 2024), and OCI Foundations is a very low-cost entry signal into the cloud-developer labour market | Free (after completing the Oracle learning path) |
| 24 | PCAP - Certified Associate in Python Programming | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity | $133,080 median for software developers (BLS, May 2024) — SOC 15-1252 | ~$295 |
| 25 | SAFe Agile Product Manager | Project Management & Business | $133,080 median for software developers (BLS, May 2024) — the closest occupation to the product-management-adjacent roles APM holders work in | Varies by location and currency — confirm on the official registration page |
What exactly does this ranking measure?
Ranked by the median annual wage published for the occupation each credential unlocks, most recent figure per occupation, quoted from the source named in the guide (usually the BLS occupational series). A credential is the entry ticket to an occupation, not a pay guarantee: these are occupation medians, not starting salaries.
Two consequences are worth stating plainly. First, the figure for a credential is a median for an occupation, never for the certificate itself — no government wage series tracks a certificate. Second, a credential with no citable occupation median is omitted entirely rather than estimated, which is why this list is shorter than the 435 guides that publish a fee.
Which fields are most represented in the top 25?
6 fields appear in the ranking, and the concentration is uneven: IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity contributes 9, Project Management & Business contributes 5, Admissions & Academic Testing contributes 4 , with the remaining 3 fields contributing 7 between them. A field with few entries here is not low-paid — it simply has fewer guides carrying a citable occupation median.
Where can I see the ranking for a single field?
15 fields have enough published figures to support their own ranking. Each page re-ranks only that field's credentials, so a strong performer inside a narrower field is not buried by the site-wide list above.
- Accounting & Tax 8 ranked
- Admissions & Academic Testing 33 ranked
- Allied Health & Medical Support 43 ranked
- Finance & Securities 20 ranked
- Fitness, Wellness & Personal Care 27 ranked
- Food Safety & Hospitality 17 ranked
- Government & Public Safety 18 ranked
- Healthcare & Clinical Licensure 10 ranked
- Insurance & Risk 7 ranked
- IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity 122 ranked
- Project Management & Business 22 ranked
- Teaching & Education 42 ranked
- Trades, Construction & Engineering 24 ranked
- Transportation & Aviation 16 ranked
- Workplace Safety 15 ranked
Frequently asked questions
How is this ranking decided?
Each credential is ordered by the median annual wage published for the occupation it unlocks — the most recent figure per occupation. Across 435 published guides, 25 carry a citable occupation median and are ranked here. The order is computed; the sentence printed for each credential is quoted from its guide without rewriting, so the source attribution (usually the BLS occupational series) travels with the figure.
Does a higher-paying credential cost more to earn?
Not reliably. Exam fees in this list span roughly $18 to over $1,500 and do not track the published medians — several of the highest-ranked credentials are among the cheapest to sit, while some of the most expensive lead to mid-range occupations. Fee is what the exam costs to attempt; the median is what the occupation pays once you hold it.
Why are credentials for retired exams missing?
A recommendation list is the one place where pointing at a dead credential is actively misleading, so any credential whose researched text marks the exam as retired, withdrawn or no longer obtainable is dropped. That filter can only remove a row — it never changes a figure.
Is a high median a guarantee of that salary?
No. These are medians for the occupation, not starting salaries and not an offer tied to the certificate. A credential is the entry ticket to an occupation: it makes you eligible, while experience, location, sector and negotiation set the number. Treat the ranking as a map of which doors lead where, not as a pay promise.
Can I see the ranking for just one field?
Yes — 15 of the site's credential fields have enough published figures to support their own ranking, linked below. The site-wide list above mixes all of them, so a credential that is strong within its own field may not appear here.