The 13 best healthcare companies in America that pay the most

Headquarters: St. Paul, Minnesota

Experienced median pay: $85,700

High job satisfaction: 74% of employees

At the medical-devices manufacturing company, employees are encouraged to take advantage of the LiveWell Program, which lets them get on-site health screenings and free health assessments. PayScale notes that 85% of St. Jude Medical employees felt that their job provided high meaning — one of the best scores for a company ranked in the top 50 list.

Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Experienced median pay: $93,400

High job satisfaction: 70% of employees

At Biogen, employees feel like they're making a difference, with 91% reporting high job meaning, according to PayScale. The biotechnology company, which develops therapies for neurological and autoimmune diseases, emphasizes giving back to its communities, and every year the company dedicates a "Care Deeply Volunteer Day," where thousands of employees participate in local community-service projects.

Headquarters: Abbott Park, Illinois

Experienced median pay: $93,500

High job satisfaction: 73% of employees

Healthcare giant Abbott Laboratories offers an extensive list of benefits that help keep job satisfaction high. In addition to a number of health and wellness-related programs, the company offers tuition assistance, three weeks of paid vacation for new hires, paternity leave, and an assistance program for mothers to help ease the transition back to work.

Headquarters: Indianapolis, Indiana

Experienced median pay: $102,000

High job satisfaction: 78% of employees

Most Eli Lilly employees find their jobs fulfilling, and 91% report having high job meaning. Employees at the pharmaceutical company — which creates drugs like Prozac (for depression), Cialis (for erectile dysfunction), and Methadone (for opioid addiction) — also find meaning outside of their day-to-day duties through Lilly's volunteering opportunities. As a part of Connecting Hearts Abroad, employees can take two weeks of paid leave to work in impoverished countries, providing hands-on support in healthcare, caregiving, and education.

Headquarters: Summit, New Jersey

Experienced median pay: $103,000

High job satisfaction: 79% of employees

82% of employees felt their work for the the biopharmaceutical company is very meaningful— not surprising since the company is responsible for the development of cancer treatment drugs.

Celgene has a broad range of job titles that include: manufacturing engineers, clinical research physicians, lab technicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Payscale notes that gender ratio for the company is 40% female and 60% male.

Headquarters: Kenilworth, NJ

Experienced median pay: $104,000

High job satisfaction: 76% of employees

Merck has approximately 68,000 employees working to create products such HPV vaccine Gardasil and antihistamine Clarinex. According to Payscale, only 5% of employees reported low job stress but 78% reported a high job meaning — this shows that working for the pharmaceutical company can be highly stressful yet very meaningful.

Headquarters: North Chicago, Illinois

Experienced median pay: $107,000

High job satisfaction: 67% of employees

The pharmaceutical company, which makes blockbuster autoimmune-disease drug Humira, typically pays its employees 6% above the market compared to similar companies. In April, AbbVie announced that it is teaming up with the University of Chicago for a five-year deal to collaborate on cancer research.

Headquarters: New Brunswick, New Jersey

Experienced median pay: $107,000

High job satisfaction: 77% of employees

With nearly 130,000 employees in more than 60 countries, Johnson & Johnson is dedicated to the entire team's well-being. The pharmaceutical company actively cultivates a healthy culture and offers health programs with services tailored to individual employee needs.

Headquarters: New York, New York

Experienced median pay: $108,000

Job satisfaction: 75% of employees

Pfizer sums up its company culture with two words: Own it. The company believes that employees should be able to take ownership of their careers, allowing them the freedom to take risks and the support to confront systems and attitudes that aren’t working. The pharmaceutical giant also offers its employees relative flexibility, as 37% are able to work from home.

Headquarters: Parsippany, New Jersey (US headquarters)

Experienced median pay: $110,000

High job satisfaction: 84% of employees

Allergan commits to environmental sustainability by using green materials, equipment, and technology whenever possible. The pharmaceutical company also coaches employees on sustainability practices through its Environmental Responsibility Program, aiming to help them improve their habits at work and at home.

Headquarters: New York, New York

Experienced median pay: $111,000

High job satisfaction: 78% of employees

Biopharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb has a rich employee culture with strong gender diversity — 54% female and 46% male — across its 11 offices in seven states. The company manufactures drugs that treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, and cardiovascular diseases, among other ailments, and 82% of employees report that their job has high meaning, according to PayScale.

Headquarters: Foster City, California

Experienced median pay: $116,000

High job satisfaction: 85% of employees

At Gilead Sciences, employees work to create new medicines that transform the lives of people with life-threatening illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and hepatitis C. This focus on changing lives contributes to Gilead employees finding purpose in their work, as 91% of them report having high job meaning, according to PayScale. In the US, employees also enjoy benefits such as tuition reimbursement, backup childcare options, and the ability to buy company stock.

Headquarters: Thousand Oaks, California

Experienced median pay: $121,000

High job satisfaction: 77% of employees

The biopharmaceutical company employs about 18,000 people worldwide. Nearly 90% of them report having a high job meaning — not surprising given that Amgen has developed several successful cancer treatments as well as drugs to address autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis.

Amgen is committed to career development and education opportunities, offering tuition reimbursement as well as formal and technical training within the company for those looking to advance their skills.