Biotech employees cash in health care’s largest salaries, while people working at providers sit near the bottom

It pays to be in the lab. It pays way less to be at the patient’s bedside.

People who work at biotechs, life sciences firms, and pharmaceutical companies pull in the largest salaries of anyone in health care — usually more than $100,000 per year, and frequently above $250,000, according to a STAT analysis of the median pay for employees at more than 200 publicly traded health care companies. These workers usually have advanced degrees and are steeped in knowledge of science and drug development. They are testing new therapies and conducting clinical trials.