Health Care Professions Dominate 2021 Best Jobs Report
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, has revealed the 2021 Best Jobs. At a time when health care is more critical than ever, jobs from the sector dominate the list, with 42 of the 100 Best Jobs in health care or health care support roles.
After ranking No. 3 since 2017, Physician Assistant captures the No. 1 spot, while software developer lands at No. 2 after topping the list for three consecutive years. Nurse practitioner follows at No. 3, while medical and health services manager debuted in the top 10 at No. 4.
The rankings offer a look at the best jobs across 17 lists – from sectors such as business and technology – to help job seekers at every level achieve their career goals. They take into account the most important aspects of a job, including growth potential, work-life balance and salary.
“One thing the global pandemic has reinforced is the need and value of health care professionals,” says Antonio Barbera, consumer advice editor at U.S. News. “This year’s rankings affirm that it is a good career sector for many, with typically high median salaries and low unemployment rates.”
Health care jobs also rank high among the Best Jobs that Pay More Than $100K. Fifteen of this list’s top 25 are health care occupations. Orthodontist tops the list, followed by anesthesiologist at No. 2 and oral and maxillofacial surgeon at No. 3. These – along with five other health care positions that round out the top 8 – have a median salary of over $200,000.
Along with flight attendant, data scientist was added to the overall 2021 Best Jobs rankings this year. The job broke into the top 10 at No. 8 due to its strong growth rate, comparatively high salary, good work-life balance and solid job prospect evaluation.
“In an increasingly digital society, there’s strong demand for tech-skilled employees. As many existing and prospective workers are evaluating their goals and lifestyle needs this year, technology jobs are attractive for those who value high salaries and the ability to work remotely,” says Barbera.
The 2021 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. For individuals interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math, also known as the STEM fields, U.S. News compiles the Best STEM Jobs.
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 seven component measures: 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, median salary, employment rate, future job prospects, stress level and work-life balance. For further details on how the rankings were calculated, see the methodology.
