WHAT PEOPLE EARN 2022

OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON PAYCHECKS AND EMPLOYMENT POSSIBILITIES

2022-08-28 - By Kathleen McCleary Salary research by Sara Herschander and Conor Rooney

Once, American workers got dressed up and commuted to workplaces, where they labored for eight hours a day and hoped for a yearly raise. Not anymore. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended everything from where we work and what we wear to how many hours we log. Workers are in the driver’s seat in many ways—job postings on Indeed.com were up 53.5 percent above pre-pandemic levels this summer, and unemployment in the U.S. is at 3.5 percent, one of the lowest rates of the past 50 years. But it’s not all sunshine and flex time. We’re also working more hours (a total of 10–11 a day) than we have in decades and burning out and quitting faster than ever (a record-breaking 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs to find something new in March 2022).

Still, according to our special report, many Americans are working interesting jobs and loving them. We share their salaries and experiences and look forward (What popular jobs will the future hold?) and backward (Remember the Rolodex?). Welcome to What People Earn 2022.

Head to Parade.com/earn for more hot jobs and work trends.

JESSIE LEIGH, 33

BAR MANAGER NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. $49,000

DESI EKSTEIN, 59

DRONE EDUCATOR LAKE ELSINORE, CALIF. $41,000

NICOLE KIDMAN, 55 $1 million (est.) per episode of Nine Perfect Strangers

ZENDAYA, 25 $500,000 (est.) per episode of Euphoria

MILLIE BOBBY BROWN, 18 $300,000 (est.) per episode of Stranger Things

MONRAE TUGGLE, 28 MARKETING COACH • ATLANTA $160,000

ANDREW LOKENAUTH, 35 FINANCE DIRECTOR • TAMPA, FLA. $285,000

SELINA LEITNER, 26

CARSHARING HOST MENASHA, WIS. $8,907

“Turo [a carsharing app that allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles] has been a fantastic means of earning passive income on a vehicle that I already own, while also fitting into my busy schedule.”

KRISTIE WOLFE, 39 AIRBNB HOST • BOISE, IDAHO $327,297

“Before making Airbnb my full-time career, I worked in a potato factory. I had three Airbnb rentals, but I heard the Idaho Potato Commission was getting rid of a six-ton model potato that they’d used to tour the U.S. They ended up gifting me the potato, and I spent $32,000 in construction to make it into a house and add a bathroom. It was a huge success.”

SERENA ZACHARIAH, 26

IMMIGRATION LAWYER SUCCASUNNA, N.J. $98,500

DAVE GENTILE, 34 PUBLICIST • BROOKLYN, N.Y. $75,000

MARTHA PISCUSKAS, 62

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MAINE ARTS COMMISSION LIBERTY, MAINE $69,377

LAURETTE HOLST, 58

DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES BAYSHORE, N.Y. $52,000

JOSEPH VALENTI, M.D., 58 GYNECOLOGIST • DALLAS $340,000

CLAIRE KELTY, 36

PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT HUNTINGTON, N.Y. $70,000

ZACHARY HALL, 27

STORM CHASER GREENWOOD, ARK. $60,000