20+ Jobs That Pay $10K A Month (With Salary Data!)
Earning five figures per month might sound unrealistically high, and it's definitely more than the average income per person in most countries on earth.
In fact, according to The World Bank, only two countries on earth have an average GDP per capita of over $10,000 per month: Monaco and Liechtenstein.
But, there are certainly jobs that pay $10k a month, and I've met quite a few successful online business owners and entrepreneurs over the years I've been blogging who have reached this figure. So today, I'm covering a list of jobs that make $10,000 a month or at least have the potential to.
The Best Jobs That Pay 10K A Month
If you're wondering what career paths can earn $10,000 per month, the following jobs are definitely worth looking into! But, this is WebMonkey after all, so we're going to start off this list with some online-only ideas or remote jobs so you can make money online!
1. Freelance Writing
I'm a freelance writer in the personal finance niche for my day job. So it's not surprising that freelance writing had to make the list of jobs that pay $10,000 a month.
Now, the most money I ever made in a given month from freelance writing was around $6,000. I had recently quit my job and was living in Colombia for a few months while going all-in on writing and blogging.
With enough clients under my belt paying around $0.10 to $0.15 per word, I hit $6,000 a few months later after some pretty busy weeks.
But, throughout the past few years of blogging and writing, I've met a lot of freelance writers who earn $10,000 per month or more from their writing.
Now, according to PayScale, the average freelance writer earns $23.44 per hour; about 50% less than the average hourly rate you need to make $10,000 a month at 40 hours per week.
But, more experienced freelance writers can usually command anywhere from $0.15 to $0.50 per word or more, and I know it's common for hourly rates to be $50 to $100+ for this type of writing.
The real question is: can freelance writing earn around $300 to $500 per day? I know it's possible from my own experiences and from the people I've met, so I definitely think freelance writing deserves a spot on this list!
Just note: it takes a long time to build your network of clients and to get higher rates for many writers. So, my advice is to start freelance writing as an after-work side hustle. You can always go full-time as the income begins to scale.
Pro Tip: You can find high-paying, flexible remote gigs with websites like FlexJobs! I've found writing gigs on this website before and think it's an excellent resource.
2. Blogger
Blogging is another job that can make $10k a month, but like freelance writing, it normally takes a long time for bloggers to earn this much. Furthermore, many bloggers don't earn anything at all or just earn enough to cover expenses like groceries.
However, blogging is an online side hustle that has one of the highest income ceilings out there; we're talking millions of dollars for the most successful blogs.
Now, WebMonkey earned $272,000 in 2022, so I've passed the $10,000 a month mark. Most of my income comes from running ads with Mediavine and affiliate marketing. In fact, there have been some months where it's hit $20,000 a month or more if affiliate revenue is high enough.
The fact that I've surpassed $10k a month with my blog after knowing nothing about blogging when I started a few years ago is proof that this business model works.
And, like freelance writing, I've met some bloggers over the years who I know are making $10,000 per month or way more from their blogs. Plus, you can branch out into things like selling digital products or online coaching and courses to earn even more.
Extra Reading – How To Pick A Blog Niche & Start Making Money.
3. Ecommerce Specialist
Fun fact: running ads for small businesses was one of my most successful college side hustles.
I also worked at a digital marketing agency throughout college and as my first full-time job. Our company specialized in Facebook and Google Ads.
At the time, it was a commission-based job with a $40,000 base salary and probably around $20k to $50k of potential bonus room; so, still not a job that pays $10k every month. This is pretty solid since, according to PayScale, the average ecommerce manager earns $64,500 per year.
However, after quitting that job, I ended up working at a California-based startup as a paid ads specialist for about 8 months. And, let me tell you, the top ecommerce side hustles can easily make $10,000 per month or more.
A lot of ecommerce experts run paid advertising services for business owners and charge a monthly retainer. These retainer fees can range from $1,000 to $2,000 or even several thousand dollars per month depending on how much money you're spending.
Over the course of my time working at this startup, I met quite a few people who were earning five figures a month from these sorts of arrangements. Even some people I knew with full-time jobs were getting paid $10,000 a month or more because they were that good at ecommerce.
Ultimately, I don't think paid advertising is normally a job that pays $10,000 a month. However, if you're in the top 5% of this field and can help businesses make hundreds or even millions of dollars in profit, well, you're definitely making some unreal money.
You can read my post on the best digital marketing side hustles for even more ideas!
4. Software Engineer
Another classic example of a job that pays 10k a month is software engineering.
According to Indeed, the average software engineer earns approximately $104,000 per year and also receives $4,000 in cash bonuses annually.
This is also especially true in tech-bubble cities like Seattle and San Francisco where, between the cost of living and salary competition, earning $150,000 per year or more as a software engineer isn't unrealistic.
Of course, becoming a software engineer usually requires schooling, and you have to be in the top percentile of talent to get hired at a company that pays such high salaries. But, there's no denying that software engineers will only continue to be in demand as technology becomes more intertwined with daily life.
5. YouTuber
Like blogging, I think YouTube is another job that can pay $10,000 per month or even more since the income ceiling is massive.
The top YouTubers earn millions of dollars just in ad revenue alone. When you consider other revenue streams like brand deals, affiliate marketing, and selling products, YouTube is actually a very robust income source.
For some context, my YouTube channel is earning about $1,400 per month right now with 74,500 views.
With affiliate marketing and funneling traffic to my blog, it's probably more like $1,600 per month, but let's even use $1,500 as a nice and simple example here.
If my channel earns $1,500 per month with 70,000 views or so, YouTube could make $10,000 per month with around 800,000 monthly views.
Granted, I'm in the personal finance niche so I have a high RPM, and 800,000 views is still a massive feat to accomplish. But then again, this isn't adding in potential income sources like Patreon subscriptions, affiliate sales, sponsored videos, or selling courses.
The bottom line is that making money on YouTube is still challenging, and it takes time and dedication to grow a channel. However, I think YouTube is a realistic $10K a month job and also has insanely high earning potential.
6. Online Freelancer
I know people who make $10k a month or more from freelancing, but that's just one example of skills you can sell online to make that sort of money.
Some other very lucrative freelancing fields include:
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Consulting work
- Data scientist
- Social media manager (if you run an agency)
- SEO expert ((if you run an agency)
- Website design
- Video editor (if you run an agency)
To reach $10,000 a month, oftentimes, you need to run an “agency” style business and build a team so you can service larger, higher-paying clients who need more work done. But all of these freelancing gigs can make that sort of income or much, much more.
I mean, I was making $3,000 a month with SEO and paid ads consulting at one point, and that was just a part-time gig!
To find work, you can ask your network for help or use different remote job boards. And if you're brand new, you can try landing some beginner Upwork jobs to build your portfolio.
You won't find a freelance job that pays $10k a month overnight. But there are plenty of freelance-based roles that can scale to this type of income.
Even More Jobs That Make 10K A Month
If you want even more jobs that pay $10,000 a month, here are 15+ jobs in a variety of fields you can consider.
Note: All of the salary information I'm going to use for these $10k a month jobs comes from Salary.com, which provides salary estimates for different jobs. I'm also going to use some figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shares salary data on the highest-paying jobs.
Again, these are just estimates, and different levels of experience and different markets likely impact how much money you can earn per month.
With that said, some other jobs that pay $10,000 a month include:
- Airline Pilots & Flight Engineers – $186,000 per year.
- Air Traffic Controllers – $127,400 per year.
- Anesthesiologist – $261,000 per year; requires an incredible amount of schooling and certifications.
- Architectural & Engineering Managers – $158,000 per year.
- Computer & Information Systems Managers – $161,000 per year.
- Dentist – $170,500 per year; requires significant schooling and the highest-earning dentists own their own practice.
- Chief Executives – $197,000 per year.
- Financial Managers – $151,000 per year.
- Gynecologists – $233,000 per year.
- Lawyers – $148,900 per year.
- Nuclear Engineers – $125,000 per year.
- Petroleum Engineers – $154,000 per year.
- Physician – $210,800 per year; requires an immense amount of schooling. Specializing in different types of medicine can also increase your annual pay.
- Podiatrists – $151,100 per year.
- Sales Managers – $147,800 per year.
- Surgeons – $252,000 per year; requires a ton of schooling like other medical professions.
I definitely recommend checking out the Bureau of Labor Statistics' database since this is just scratching the surface of jobs that pay $10,000 every month.
But, notice the common theme here: these jobs typically require a lot of schooling and are usually specialized positions. Additionally, many of the jobs are in healthcare or technology; two fields that are only going to continue growing as populations age and as technology becomes more important.
I also want to mention that commission-based jobs can be a ticket to making $10,000 per month or more. For example, jobs like being a real estate agent, software sales rep, or car salesman can yield this sort of monthly pay if you close enough deals.
Extra Reading – How To Make $20k A Month.
Tips For Your Job Search
I've covered 20+ jobs that make $10k a month, but it's time to wrap things up with some tips you can use for your job search!
1. Specialization Seems To Pay Off
If you look at the list of high-paying jobs above, it's clear that specialization is a common theme for success.
This makes sense. After all, the world is becoming more complex, and we need specialists to tackle the problems of tomorrow.
This trend is also true for things like freelance writing: if you specialize in a niche, you can usually charge more per-word than someone who isn't an expert and writes about everything!
2. Consider Tech & Healthcare
As mentioned, these two fields seem to be an overwhelming percentage of jobs that make $10k a month or more.
If you're in college and are scouting out some programs to go into, I'd suggest looking at jobs in these two fields if earning a high salary is your goal.
3. Grow Your Network
This is a very generic networking tip, but for specialized individuals, I think it's truly important.
I mean, if you work in a very niche-role and want to make the most money possible, you need to network with very specific clients for very specific projects.
Personally, I think content creation or educating others is a great way to network, but you can also do the regular LinkedIn and business networking event grind to meet people.
Extra Reading – How To Make $10,000 Fast.
4. Create Multiple Income Streams
If you're not a fan of any of the jobs that pay $10,000 a month in this list, don't despair. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with using multiple income streams to reach $10K a month or whatever dollar figure you're aiming for.
And, in my opinion, having multiple streams can help you keep your autonomy and work-life balance since a single employer doesn't rule your life.
As an example, here are my current income streams I'm using to earn more than my previous day job:
- Freelance writing for clients
- Blogging
- YouTube
- SEO consulting
- Upwork consulting
- Investing & dividends
- Facebook ads consulting
Granted, it took three years to build up all of these streams, but you get the idea. So, don't be afraid to pick up a second job, start your own business, or to even use various gig apps to boost your income.
Over time, it makes sense to look for more passive income sources, like investing or getting into things like YouTube, so you're not just working 80 hours a week or something crazy. But, if you put in the hours and experiment, I'm confident you can at least push your monthly pay in the right direction!
Extra Reading – How To Make $1,000 In A Day.
$10,000 Per Month Is How Much Per Year?
Earning $10,000 a month equals $120,000 in a year before taxes. Here's how earning $10,000 per month breaks down for your hourly, daily, weekly, and biweekly salary:
- Hourly: $57.69 per hour
- Daily: $462 per day
- Weekly: $2,308 per week
- Biweekly: $4,615 every two weeks
So in short, if you can earn $462 per working day, you're on track to make $10,000 a month.
Note: This calculation assumes you work 40 hours per week. Although in my experience and from the people I've met, you're probably working 50+ hours per week to make this sort of money.
Final Thoughts
I hope this list of jobs that pay $10k a month helps you decide where to go next for your next career.
As mentioned, this list is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are so many other ways to make $10k a month. It really doesn't matter if you turn to blogging, freelancing, a high-paying career, or create multiple income streams for yourself.
The real key is to also be happy, as much freedom over your time as possible, and to be healthy. Without these other pillars, $10k a month doesn't mean a thing.
Looking for other high-paying job ideas? Checkout:
