They say money can’t buy happiness, but new research published by the National Academy of Sciences suggests it can. The more money you have, the happier you’re likely to be – with a few surprising exceptions. Click or scroll through to see how the wellbeing of Americans compares based on annual salary. All data is taken from National Academy of Sciences research by Matthew A. Killingsworth. Scores are based on evaluative wellbeing, and so reflect overall life satisfaction.

Study participants with an annual salary of $15,000 had the lowest wellbeing score at -0.34, suggesting they are the least happy with their lives overall. An American working a 40-hour week earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 would fall into this category. Those earning $15,000 a year are also more likely to suffer from bad moods on a daily basis than those earning more, with a mood score of -0.21.

A $10,000 increase in annual salary only brings a small shift in happiness, as those earning $25,000 a year have an average wellbeing score of -0.32. However, there is a much bigger shift in experienced wellbeing, or daily emotions, with those earning $25,000 having an average score of -0.11. This means that people in this salary bracket reported higher levels of the positive emotions listed by the researchers (feeling confident, good, inspired, interested, and proud) and lower levels of the negative emotions (feeling afraid, angry, bad, bored, sad, stressed, and upset). An occupation that would typically fall into this wage bracket is a restaurant cook, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

For those on a salary of $35,000, which is similar to the average annual pay of a dental assistant according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the wellbeing score saw a large increase, landing at -0.19. Following the trend, mood and daily emotions also crept up by 0.02, compared to the previous salary threshold, to -0.09.

As annual salaries increase, so does happiness. Americans earning $45,000 each year reported a life satisfaction score of -0.15 and an increase in experienced wellbeing. In his study, Matthew A. Killingsworth suggests that people spend money to reduce suffering and increase enjoyment. This explains the trend of higher paychecks prompting better wellbeing scores, as people have the means to make their lives more comfortable. Laboratory assistants, surgical technicians and environmental science technicians at the start of their career would typically fall into this salary bracket, according to CareerBuilder.

The growing happiness trend continues when annual pay reaches $55,000, which is similar to the average salary of somebody working in transportation and warehousing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Evaluative wellbeing, which is measured by assessing general life satisfaction, jumps up to -0.07, while the score representing positive emotions, such as feeling proud and confident, moves up to -0.05. 

Workers earning $65,000 each year reported a higher wellbeing score of -0.04, along with more positive emotions on a day-to-day basis than those with smaller paychecks. Construction workers and those working in wholesale trade typically fall into this salary bracket, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those earning a salary of around $75,000 displayed a discernible increase in four of the five positive feelings sampled by the research: feeling confident, good, interested, and proud. There was not a significant increase in the fifth emotion – feeling inspired – in this salary bracket. Overall, the wellbeing score in terms of daily emotions was -0.01. The score for life satisfaction as a whole was -0.02. Occupations paying around $75,000 a year include mail superintendent, gas plant operator, farmer, and gambling manager, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Previous studies have suggested that once a person earns $75,000 a year, their happiness plateaus, however this recent research found that happiness levels continue to rise as salaries increase. Those earning $95,000 exhibit the first positive wellbeing score, which is 0.01, and there is a marked improvement in emotions. Occupations offering an average salary of $95,000 include nuclear power reactor operator, distribution manager, and police supervisor, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Interestingly in this study those earning $85,000 a year score better in terms of general life satisfaction than those earning $95,000, while day-to-day happiness levels are slightly lower than in the higher salary bracket. Commercial pilots, detectives and escalator installers are among the professions who would typically be paid this amount, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On average workers earning more than $80,000 displayed significantly higher levels of all five of the positive emotions than those earning less, along with significantly lower levels of feeling bored, bad, sad, or upset. 

The jump to a salary of $112,500 correlates with a big boost in overall life satisfaction, which is rated at 0.08. Day-to-day emotions also tend to be more positive, and scored 0.04. Another theory as to why an increased salary makes individuals happier is the idea of control – for nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents, feeling in charge of their own life played a role in the link between income and happiness. Software developer and optometrist are two examples of jobs that fall into this salary bracket, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Earning $25,000 more each year led to a 112.5% increase in the wellbeing score compared to those earning $112,500. The level of positive emotions was also boosted too. Marketing and IT managers and petroleum engineers can expect this sort of salary, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics. 

Despite the $37,500 increase in salary, interestingly the research found that there is no notable difference in general life satisfaction between those earning $137,500 and $175,000. There is an incremental increase in the day-to-day emotions of inspiration, confidence, interest, pride, and feeling good, however, as this rating moves from 0.06 to 0.08 when income reaches $175,000. Nurse anesthetists and paediatricians are among those who would expect a salary around this figure. Research also shows that those with higher incomes are more likely to suffer from time poverty, although in theory those earning enough could ‘buy’ time, for example through hiring others to do household chores. 

Workers earning $250,000 each year reported a heightened level of wellbeing, both in terms of their overall life satisfaction and their daily emotions, with scores of 0.24 and 0.17 respectively. Many medical occupations that require high levels of training fit into this salary bracket, including surgeons, psychiatrists and obstetricians, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those with an average salary of $400,000 proved to have very high levels of wellbeing across the board, with a score of 0.35 for how they perceived their lives overall and 0.19 in terms of their emotions on a daily basis. This group had the highest levels of positive emotions coupled with the lowest level of negative emotions. The best-known role with a $400,000 annual salary is the office of the President of the United States.

Now read: The minimum wage in every state and DC

Proving that money can buy a general sense of happiness, the biggest earners scored the highest in terms of general quality of life, with a score of 0.38 for evaluative wellbeing. Senior roles in the private sector tend to command these huge paychecks, such as the managers of investment banks or management consultants. That said, those earning $625,000 recorded more negative emotions and fewer positive emotions than those in the $250,000 and $400,000 salary brackets, with an experienced happiness score of 0.15. This goes to show that a huge paycheck won’t guarantee happiness on a day-to-day basis – or at least more happiness than other workers also earnings hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 

Now discover how much money you need to join the 1% in America and around the world