What's Hot: In the high profile Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group, including such occupations as “Producers and Directors” (annually averaging $83,030), “Athletes and Sports Competitors” ($79,460), “Fashion Designers” ($71,400), “Broadcast News Analysts” ($70,730) and “Writers and Authors” ($64,560), it is the “Art Directors” who head up the Best Paid list averaging $88,510 per year.

What's Not: While ingenious “Floral Designers” make or break many a Valentine’s Day for guys throughout the U.S., they don’t receive proper credit or compensation as they top the Least Paid list with an annual average of $24,510. Similarly, the athletes are the ‘players’ among the Best Paid; it is their supporting cast, the “Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials” ($28,330); “Coaches and Scouts” ($35,580); and “Public Address System and Other Announcers” ($37,530), who really seem to participate for the ‘love of the sport’, as all are among the Least Paid.

Sources: In addition to specific citations noted, supplementary source materials include the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.