U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2024 Best Jobs. The rankings offer a look at the best jobs across 17 categories – from sectors such as engineering and business – to help job seekers at every level make the most informed career decisions for them. The rankings take into account the most important aspects of a job, including growth potential, work-life balance, job safety, employment rate and salary.
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With an increased demand for health care and health care support roles, nurse practitioner captured the No. 1 spot this year.
“Health care workers are critical to our overall well-being,” says Erika Giovanetti, Money expert at U.S. News. “Nurse practitioner rose to the No. 1 spot as this year’s best job. The 10-year outlook for the occupation is strong with one in three of the top 100 jobs being in health care – an increase from one in four in the 2023 rankings. Future growth and a high median salary make this career sector appealing as well.”
Following nurse practitioner in the overall ranking is financial manager at No. 2, software developer at No. 3, IT manager at No. 4 and physician’s assistant at No. 5.
STEM fields and health care support jobs also continue to rank high among the Careers With the Most Job Security, with these industries capturing all of the list’s top 10 jobs. Of the six STEM positions noted in the top 10, nurse practitioner took the No. 1 spot, statistician landed at No. 2, software developer came in at No. 4 and information security analyst came in at No. 5. These have a median salary between about $99,000 and $128,000.
“With the 2024 job market exhibiting an appetite for web development, engineering and science-based professions, it is no surprise that STEM occupations make up nearly one-quarter of the Best Jobs rankings,” says Giovanetti. “The strong future job prospects and salary opportunities for many of these roles are a clear indicator for expansion in this industry.”
The 2024 Best Jobs rankings offer job seekers detailed information on training and education requirements, median salary, and job satisfaction across diverse sectors, including social services, education, construction, and creative and media. Best Jobs Without a College Degree and Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree are also offered for those who did not attend or finish college.
To calculate Best Jobs, U.S. News draws data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs are then scored using five component measures: future prospects, wage potential, employment, job safety and stability, and work-life balance. For further details on how the rankings were calculated, see the methodology.
For more information, visit Best Jobs and share the rankings on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) using #BestJobs.
2024 U.S. News Best Jobs Rankings
100 Best Jobs
1. Nurse Practitioner
2. Financial Manager
3. Software Developer
4. IT Manager
5. Physician Assistant
Best Business Jobs
1. Financial Manager
2. Medical and Health Services Manager
3. Actuary
4. Statistician
5. Management Analyst
Best STEM Jobs
1. Nurse Practitioner
2. Software Developer
3. IT Manager
4. Physician Assistant
5. Medical and Health Services Manager
Best Health Care Jobs
1. Nurse Practitioner
2. Physician Assistant
3. Speech-Language Pathologist
4. Occupational Therapist
5. Veterinarian
