Tips for a longer streak
- Training time is the best clue. Jobs that need years of school or residency, such as doctors, dentists and pharmacists, nearly always pay more than those learned in weeks.
- Managers out-earn the people they manage: a construction manager earns more than a carpenter, a medical and health services manager more than a nurse.
- Licences and risk raise pay. Elevator installers, power-line workers and commercial pilots earn more than most people expect.
- Jobs with tips, such as waiters and bartenders, have low medians because cash tips are often not fully counted in the survey.
- Watch out for surprises: skilled trades such as electricians and plumbers often out-earn jobs that need a degree.
What the median salary means
The game compares median yearly pay before tax: the salary of the worker in the middle of the job’s pay scale. It leaves out the self-employed, tips that are not reported and most bonuses. Real pay varies a lot with state, employer and experience; each job’s salary page shows the full range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and pay in every state.
Play it in class or with friends
The game makes a quick warm-up for careers lessons: put it on a screen and let the class vote higher or lower, then open the job’s page to talk about the training it needs. For a contest, everyone plays the Daily 10 and compares scores, or plays endless on the same difficulty and compares streaks.