It’s not all about the money.
On Wednesday, career site Glassdoor released its list of the top jobs with the highest job satisfaction , and many of them pay six figures. Indeed, according to custom data that the site ran for MarketWatch, seven of the jobs that workers give a 4 out of 5 or higher in terms of job satisfaction — workers rank satisfaction on a 5-point scale, with 1.0 being very dissatisfied and 5.0 being very satisfied — also pay six figures.
To compile the list, the site considered job titles that had at least 100 job satisfaction and salary reports from U.S.-based workers over a year period; intern and C-suite jobs were excluded.
Product designers — who improve and tweak existing products, figure out ways to produce them at a lower cost and/or create new products entirely — were the most satisfied of the well-compensated professionals. They rake in a median of $100,000 and give their jobs a satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5.
Why are they so happy and well-paid? The job itself is both creative and often uses the latest cool technology. Plus, “especially in today’s tight labor market, employers are not only willing to pay top dollar for smart, savvy product designers, but also create unique career-building opportunities for these employees to have a clear impact on the future of the company,” says Glassdoor economic research analyst, Amanda Stansell.
7 jobs with high satisfaction that also pay $100,000 or more
1. Product Designer
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.5
Median Base Salary: $100,000
2. Data Scientist
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.3
Median Base Salary: $108,000
3. Software Development Manager
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.2
Median Base Salary: $140,000
4. Enterprise Account Executive
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.2
Median Base Salary: $100,000
5. Devops Engineer
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.1
Median Base Salary: $106,000
6. Software Engineering Manager
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.0
Median Base Salary: $153,000
7. Strategy Manager
Job Satisfaction Score: 4.0
Median Base Salary: $140,000
So what’s making many of these workers so happy? While the money likely doesn’t hurt, “Glassdoor research shows that the top three drivers of long-term employee satisfaction are mission-driven company culture, career opportunities and trust in senior leadership,” says Stansell.
Whatever the reasons for their satisfaction, these workers have it good — as being satisfied and well compensated at work is rare, other studies show. Only about half of workers are satisfied with their jobs, according to a 2018 survey from The Conference Board. Even fewer are engaged with it: Gallup data reveals that just one in three U.S. workers is “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.”
What’s more, making $100,000 or more at work isn’t all that common. Median household income in America is just over $61,000, according to the Census Bureau, and fewer than 3 in 10 households (and thus far fewer individuals) bring in $100,000 or more.
And of those individuals who do make six figures, two-thirds say they plan to quit their jobs in the next six months, according to a survey from The Ladders.
