The 25 highest-paying companies in the US in 2016

Technology companies make up 20 of the 25 highest-paying companies in the US.

Median annual salaries are above $100,000 in the tech industry (Rex)

The tech industry, where median annual salaries are above $100,000, led the race in a new ranking of the top-paying companies in the US, new research found.

Technology companies make up 20 of the 25 highest-paying companies in the US, according to a study published by Glassdoor, a careers website.

Glassdoor looked at data voluntarily submitted by US employees from March 2015 to March 2016 and found that A.T Kearney and Strategy&, two consulting companies, grabbed the first two spots boasting pay packages of $167,534 and $157,000 respectively.

Alphabet’s Google, Facebook and Twitter predictably all made the list. Google employees can expect a median total compensation package including base salary, commissions and bonuses of $153,750, while staff at Twitter and Facebook have to settle for $150,000.

Juniper Network, a California based firm, led the technology industry finishing third overall with a total compensation package of $157,000.

Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor chief economist, said that high pay continues to be tied to in-demand skills and higher education

“Salaries are sky-high at consulting companies due to barriers of entry in this field, which refers to employers wanting top consultants to have personal contacts, reputations and specialised skills and knowledge,” Chamberlain said.

“In technology, we continue to see unprecedented salaries as the war for talent is still very active, largely due to the ongoing shortage of highly skilled workers needed,” he added.

Tech giants Apple and Amazon surprisingly didn't make the cut.

Jessica Jaffe, Glassdoor Community Expert, told the Independent that in both cases the companies had large workforces with diverse positions. This could also indicate a more diverse employee salary range.

"If you go to Amazon's salaries page you'll see a wide range of positions and salaries: from warehouse worker to technical program manager. Also, if you go to Apple's salaries page, you'll also see a wide range of positions and salaries: from Apple store specialists to software engineers. This compares to Google's salary page where you will see less diversity and positions," Jaffe said.

Nineteen of the 25 highest paying companies were based in the New York and San Francisco metro regions.

"These areas have a high cost of living. In order to attract the right talent in these expensive cities, these particular companies are offering higher salaries," Jaffe said.

Glassdoor only included companies that had at least 50 salary reports from US-based employees in its study.

These are the 25 highest-paying companies in the US in 2016 :

1. A.T. Kearney

Median Total Compensation: $167,534

Median Base Salary: $143,620

Industry: Consulting

2. Strategy&

Median Total Compensation: $160,000

Median Base Salary: $147,000

Industry: Consulting

3. Juniper Networks

Median Total Compensation: $157,000

Median Base Salary: $135,000

Industry: Technology

4. McKinsey & Company

Median Total Compensation: $155,000

Median Base Salary: $135,000

Industry: Consulting

5. Google

Median Total Compensation: $153,750

Median Base Salary: $123,331

Industry: Technology

6. VMware

Median Total Compensation: $152,133

Median Base Salary: $130,000

Industry: Technology

7. Amazon Lab126

Median Total Compensation: $150,100

Median Base Salary: $138,700

Industry: Technology

8. Boston Consulting Group

Median Total Compensation: $150,020

Median Base Salary: $147,000

Industry: Consulting

9. Guidewire

Median Total Compensation: $150,020

Median Base Salary: $135,000

Industry: Technology

10. Cadence Design Systems

Median Total Compensation: $150,010

Median Base Salary: $140,000

Industry: Technology

11. Visa

Median Total Compensation: $150,000

Median Base Salary: $130,000

Industry: Finance

12. Facebook

Median Total Compensation: $150,000

Median Base Salary: $127,406

Industry: Technology

13. Twitter

Median Total Compensation: $150,000

Median Base Salary: $133,000

Industry: Technology

14. Box

Median Total Compensation: $150,000

Median Base Salary: $130,000

Industry: Technology

15. Walmart eCommerce

Median Total Compensation: $149,000

Median Base Salary: $126,000

Industry: Technology

16. SAP

Median Total Compensation: $148,431

Median Base Salary: $120,000

Industry: Technology

17. Synopsys

Median Total Compensation: $148,000

Median Base Salary: $130,000

Industry: Technology

18. Altera

Median Total Compensation: $147,000

Median Base Salary: $134,000

Industry: Technology

19. LinkedIn

Median Total Compensation: $145,000

Median Base Salary: $120,000

Industry: Technology

20. Cloudera

Median Total Compensation: $145,000

Median Base Salary: $129,500

Industry: Technology

21. Salesforce

Median Total Compensation: $143,750

Median Base Salary: $120,000

Industry: Technology

22. Microsoft

Median Total Compensation: $141,000

Median Base Salary: $125,000

Industry: Technology

23. F5 Networks

Median Total Compensation: $140,200

Median Base Salary: $120,500

Industry: Technology

24. Adobe

Median Total Compensation: $140,000

Median Base Salary: $125,000

Industry: Technology

25. Broadcom

Median Total Compensation: $140,000

Median Base Salary: $130,000

Industry: Technology