The 50 Best Jobs in America — And How Much They Pay
One takeaway you may not be surprised to learn in 2018: It’s still great to work in technology.
That’s a finding from the job site Glassdoor’s fourth annual report on the best jobs in America. On this year’s list, the tech sector comprises 20 of the 50 top positions, including data scientist (No. 1), devops engineer (No. 2), and data analyst (new to the list at No. 38).
The fast-growing finance and healthcare industries are well-represented, too, from finance manager (No. 12) to physician assistant (No. 25), the latter having a high median base salary of $104,000. The report notes that many of these jobs are unlikely to be replaced by AI or automation, and require flexibility in addition to technical knowhow.
Glassdoor’s ranking compiles three factors to determine its job scores, weighing them equally: base salary, job satisfaction ratings, and number of job openings.
And while just about everyone wants to be in an in-demand job with strong pay, the satisfaction scores offer a broader picture of how people feel in the roles. “Once people start their jobs, pay is not necessarily the leading impact for how satisfied you are,” says Glassdoor spokeswoman Sarah Stoddard.
There are some surprising additions to the list, like executive assistant (No. 46), which doesn’t always get a glowing reputation. But that occupation will continue to thrive and require creativity to help bosses in a tech-enabled workplace, according to Stoddard.
Looking for a new, more promising gig? Here’s Glassdoor’s full list of the 50 best jobs in the U.S. for 2018, including links to open positions.
- Job Score: 4.8
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 4,524
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
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- Job Score: 4.6
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 3,369
- Median Base Salary: $105,000
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- Job Score: 4.6
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 6,439
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 11,903
- Median Base Salary: $74,000
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5. HR Manager
- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 4,458
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
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- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 5,839
- Median Base Salary: $76,000
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- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 1,195
- Median Base Salary: $135,000
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- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 1,809
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 7,531
- Median Base Salary: $113,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 4,241
- Median Base Salary: $72,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 1,222
- Median Base Salary: $96,000
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12. Finance Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 2,998
- Median Base Salary: $116,000
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13. Risk Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 1,209
- Median Base Salary: $97,000
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14. Business Development Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 4,060
- Median Base Salary: $75,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 1,122
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 1,064
- Median Base Salary: $120,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 5,079
- Median Base Salary: $75,000
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- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,381
- Median Base Salary: $115,000
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19. Tax Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 3,309
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
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20. Creative Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 824
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 29,187
- Median Base Salary: $102,500
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 806
- Median Base Salary: $115,000
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 2,330
- Median Base Salary: $65,000
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24. QA Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,741
- Median Base Salary: $92,000
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 5,517
- Median Base Salary: $104,000
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 2,370
- Median Base Salary: $94,000
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27. UX Designer
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,963
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
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28. Nursing Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 4,209
- Median Base Salary: $84,660
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- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,169
- Median Base Salary: $115,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 3,325
- Median Base Salary: $125,000
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31. Process Engineer
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 3,033
- Median Base Salary: $78,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 747
- Median Base Salary: $92,000
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33. Data Engineer
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,816
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 13,706
- Median Base Salary: $65,000
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35. Speech Language Pathologist
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 11,573
- Median Base Salary: $72,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,380
- Median Base Salary: $80,000
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37. Audit Manager
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 1,951
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
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38. Data Analyst
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 4,729
- Median Base Salary: $60,000
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39. Systems Analyst
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,710
- Median Base Salary: $75,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 2,139
- Median Base Salary: $75,000
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- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 808
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
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42. Business Intelligence Developer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 882
- Median Base Salary: $86,000
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43. Business Analyst
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 9,603
- Median Base Salary: $71,000
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- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 3,273
- Median Base Salary: $82,000
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45. UI Developer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,004
- Median Base Salary: $95,000
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- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 4,684
- Median Base Salary: $55,000
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- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,024
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
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48. Project Manager
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 23,274
- Median Base Salary: $80,000
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- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 8,510
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
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50. HR Generalist
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 2,705
- Median Base Salary: $57,120
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