These jobs are experiencing great salary growth

Looking to grow your income? New data shows people in these top jobs saw salaries skyrocket in recent years.

By Lily Martis, Monster staff

Watching your salary tick up can sometimes seem a lot like watching grass grow or paint dry—it can take some time.

Overall, median yearly salaries increased from $45,790 to $49,630 (or 8.4%) from 2012 to 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Meanwhile, during that same time frame, people in certain occupations saw their salaries increase anywhere between 9.7% and 35.5%—faster than you can say, “I deserve a pay raise.”

Recently, personal finance technology company SmartAsset used BLS data to calculate the jobs with the largest income growth between 2012 and 2016. The majority of the occupations are found in the health-care sector, including orthodontists (No. 1) and anesthesiologists (No. 2), but the list also includes a few surprises in finance and aviation.

While orthodontists may have the highest pay increases by the number (they made $42,460 more in 2016 than they did in 2012), personal finance advisors and genetic counselors saw the biggest boosts percentage-wise, with their incomes increasing more than 30% during the four-year period.

We then looked to see which companies and cities have the most openings for these top jobs on Monster right now. Check out the full list below to see which jobs are experiencing the biggest income increases. Oh, and if you don’t see your job on the list, be sure to read how you can negotiate a pay raise to get the salary you deserve.

1. Orthodontists

Average yearly salary: $228,780

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $42,460 (or 22.8%)

Top companies hiring: American Dental Partners, Smile Brands, North American Dental Group

Top cities hiring: Houston, Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio

Find all orthodontist jobs on Monster.

2. Anesthesiologists

Average yearly salary: $269,600

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $36,770 (or 15.8%)

Top companies hiring: UnitedHealth Group, Christus Health, Soliant Health

Top cities hiring: New York City; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Baltimore

Find all anesthesiologist jobs on Monster.

3. Personal finance advisors

Average yearly salary: $123,100

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $32,280 (or 35.5%)

Top companies hiring: Ameriprise Financial, Trilogy Financial Services, Mutual of Omaha

Top cities hiring: New York City; Denver; Irvine, California

Find all personal finance advisor jobs on Monster.

4. Postsecondary health specialties teachers

Average yearly salary: $125,430

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $25,060 (or 25%)

Top companies hiring: Concorde Career Colleges, Platt College, North Carolina State University

Top cities hiring: Los Angeles; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas

Find all postsecondary health teacher jobs on Monster.

5. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

Average yearly salary: $152,770

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $24,010 (or 18.6%)

Top companies hiring: Republic Airways Holdings, Air Line Pilots Association, Mesa Airlines

Top cities hiring: Providence, Rhode Island; Anchorage, Alaska, Dallas

Find all airline jobs on Monster.

6. Psychiatrists

Average yearly salary: $200,220

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $22,700 (or 12.8%)

Top companies hiring: Andrus Children’s Center, State of New York, Department of Veterans Affairs

Top cities hiring: Philadelphia; Boston; Providence, Rhode Island

Find all psychiatrist jobs on Monster.

7. Surgeons

Average yearly salary: $252,910

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $22,370 (or 9.7%)

Top companies hiring: Chenega Corporation, Christus Health, United Surgical Partners

Top cities hiring: Pittsburgh, Houston, Las Vegas

Find all surgeon jobs on Monster.

8. Compensation and benefits managers

Average yearly salary: $126,900

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $20,980 (or 19.8%)

Top companies hiring: BDO, Service Corporation International, NBC Universal

Top cities hiring: Atlanta, New York City, Houston

Find all compensation and benefits manager jobs on Monster.

9. Family and general practitioners

Average yearly salary: $200,810

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $19,960 (or 11%)

Top companies hiring: UnitedHealth Group, Christus Health, Kindred at Home

Top cities hiring: New York City; Los Angeles; Tampa, Florida

Find all family and general practitioner jobs on Monster.

10. Genetic counselors

Average yearly salary: $74,960

Salary change from 2012 to 2016: $19,140 (or 34.3%)

Top companies hiring: Penn Medicine, Clinical Management Consultants, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

Top cities hiring: Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York City

More info: Learn how to become a genetic counselor

Find all genetic counselor jobs on Monster.

Keep your wages up

No matter what industry you're in, your wages will always be top of mind. To stay competitive, it helps to know who's hiring and what they could potentially offer you—regardless of whether or not you're actively looking for a new job. Need some help with that? Join Monster today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to the types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. The fact is, you don't know what better offers are out there unless you actually put yourself out there. What do you have to lose?