The 25 Companies With the Highest Median Salaries in the U.S.

It takes a high level of skill and maybe some connections to land a job at one of the highest-paying companies in the United States. These are generally names you'll recognize as trendsetting and/or groundbreaking companies in their respective fields.

The median annual salary for a U.S. worker is $53,950. The companies on this list of the 25 highest-paying companies operating in the U.S. all pay median overall salaries that are multiples of that, according to a report from Glassdoor. It's important to note that these are median salaries across some very large companies. There are some big earners who skew the numbers up, but many of the companies in the top 25 pay intern salaries that approach (or surpass) that U.S. median.

"In today's labor economy, these companies are offering high salaries in order to attract top-notch candidates and stand out against the competition," Glassdoor senior economic research analyst Amanda Stansell wrote. "We expect to see these companies continuing to offer competitive salaries in the future so they can continue to appeal to prospective candidates and retain their current employees. It's critical that employers take into account other factors besides salary, like a strong company culture and trust in senior leadership, that drive employee satisfaction."

Many of the highest-paying companies are in the technology space. Image source: Getty Images.

Which are the 25 highest-paying companies?

The companies on this list generally operate in fields where top-tier workers have a lot of choices. If you're a skilled programmer, for example, you could go to work for one of the companies on this list or opt for a higher-level but lower-paying job for another player in the industry that's in a less-expensive city.

Data source: Glassdoor.

As noted, PlayStation is a division of Sony, LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, and Google is actually only part of what Alphabet owns. "Subsidiaries of companies were considered for this report if they met the methodology and have their own distinct job listings and profile on Glassdoor," according to the report's methodology section.

To compile this list, Glassdoor used total overall pay (including base salary and other forms of compensation, such as commissions, tips, and bonuses) as reported by U.S.-based employees on Glassdoor over the period of July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. A company must have at least 75 salary reports on the site to qualify.

What does this mean?

When you look for a job or when you make any decisions about your career, knowing which companies pay better than others can be useful. It's also helpful to know where the top of the market is even if you opt to work someplace else.

Being as informed as possible when you negotiate salary can help you make a better deal. It's also useful when discussing a raise even if it's not a direct comparison to your job. Your position at a small company in rural Idaho probably won't bring the salary offered by a tech giant in New York or San Francisco, but if you can relocate for that type of job, it gives you added relevance where you are.