Gehalt: Top-Verdiener in Deutschland: In diesen Berufen wird am besten bezahlt

In Germany, many professionals are aware of which careers offer the highest salaries, but the threshold to be among the top 1%, 5%, or 10% earners is lower than expected. According to an exclusive analysis by the job platform Stepstone, the median annual salary for the top earners in these professions is 139,000 euros, which is more than double the average worker's income.

Stepstone analysts evaluated the necessary annual salaries to qualify for the top 1%, 5%, or 10% in various industries. The threshold is lower than many people assume. The highest-paying jobs, which also tend to guarantee a high income in the future, include top DAX company managers, top law firms, and top doctors.

Jan Schulz-Gebhard, a wealth analyst at the University of Bamberg, notes that most people fit into the middle class regardless of their actual wealth. However, there seems to be a discrepancy between self-perception and the facts. To create reliable comparisons, Stepstone analyzed over one million compensation data points collected between January 2022 and November 2025, including bonuses, commissions, and bonuses.

The median income of the top earner in Germany is 139,000 euros, which is more than double the average worker's income. The median salary is the amount at which half of the people in a group earn less and half earn more. It provides a more accurate representation of an individual's income than the average salary, which can be influenced by extreme highs or lows.

Regional differences in salaries are significant, with Hamburg being the highest-paying city, followed by Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria. In contrast, the best-paid 1% in eastern Germany earns only a median salary of 101,500 euros, which is around 40,000 euros less than the top earners in Hamburg or Hesse. Stepstone economist Dennis Dittrich attributes this to the concentration of economically strong industries and international companies in these regions.

Hamburg, Hesse, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg benefit from a high concentration of economically strong industries and international companies. In Hesse, the financial sector plays a central role, while in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, heavy industry, machine building, and the automotive industry continue to provide high salaries. Hamburg is also a significant logistics, trade, and media location, hosting major companies like Airbus and Hapag-Lloyd, which leads to higher-paying executive positions.

Other factors contributing to higher salaries in these states include the urban effect, where many specialized professionals meet many companies in large labor markets. This often results in better productivity and higher salaries. The most lucrative positions include physicians, Chief Information Security Officers, and leaders in research and development.

A chief physician earns a median of 200,000 euros in gross annual income, while a Chief Information Security Officer earns 117,250 euros. In comparison, an electrical engineer earns only 49,100 euros gross annually.

Other factors influencing earnings include responsibility for personnel management, result responsibility, and specialized skills. Those who lead a small team with up to four employees have more than twice the chance of earning a six-figure salary compared to those without leadership responsibility. Those leading a team of more than 50 employees have an 18% chance of earning over 100,000 euros, and 31.6% of those leading over 100 employees earn a six-figure salary.

Michael Kind, a salary expert at the personnel consulting firm Kienbaum, notes that high-value creation per head, high result responsibility, and a unique skill set are crucial for earning a top salary. Industries where these factors are present include the financial sector, pharmaceutical industry, parts of the tech industry, and industries undergoing significant transformation.