The 25 Best Jobs in America - 2017

When deciding your career path, it can be beneficial to know your options – like, say the top jobs that are available. To aid in this decision-making process, students look to their interests, studies and rankings from studies across the globe. So, in order to help with your career prospects, here’s one such list. Glassdoor releases an annual list that identifies the best jobs in the country. According to Glassdoor, the jobs that made the list were chosen based on three factors: the number of job openings, job salary and a rating of career opportunities. The jobs ranked within the top 25 tier achieved the highest “Glassdoor Job Score,” standing out in all three aforementioned categories. Here’s some information to help you understand the list, and the methodology behind it:

• “Estimated job listings” are based on how many active job listings Glassdoor had listed on their site, as of January 5, 2018.
• The “job score” listed is determined based on a five-point scale, with a score of five equaling the best and one resulting in the lowest ranked job score.
• Similar to the “job score” ranking, “job satisfaction” is ranked on a five-point scale, with five having the highest satisfaction and one being ranked with the lowest satisfaction. You can learn more about the methodology involved within this list at the bottom of the article.

If you need help determining which career path is the right one, check out the top 25 ranked jobs in America for 2017:

1. Data Scientist

Estimated Job Openings: 4,184
Median Base Salary: $110,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.4
Job Score Ranking: 4.8

2. DevOps Engineerr

Estimated Job Openings: 2,725
Median Base Salary: $110,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.2
Job Score Ranking: 4.7

3. Data Engineer

Estimated Job Openings: 2,599
Median Base Salary: $106,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.3
Job Score Ranking: 4.7

4. Tax Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 3,317
Median Base Salary: $110,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.0
Job Score Ranking: 4.7

5. Analytics Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,958
Median Base Salary: $112,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.1
Job Score Ranking: 4.6

6. HR Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 4,339
Median Base Salary: $85,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.8
Job Score Ranking: 4.6

7. Database Administrator

Estimated Job Openings: 2,877
Median Base Salary: $93,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Job Score Ranking: 4.5

8. Strategy Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,184
Median Base Salary: $130,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.3
Job Score Ranking: 4.5

9. UX Designer

Estimated Job Openings: 1,691
Median Base Salary: $92,500
Job Satisfaction: 4.0
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

10. Solutions Architect

Estimated Job Openings: 2,232
Median Base Salary: $125,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

11. Marketing Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 3,875
Median Base Salary: $90,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

12. Occupational Therapist

Estimated Job Openings: 14,897
Median Base Salary: $72,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

13. Audit Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,887
Median Base Salary: $98,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.8
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

14. Electrical Engineer

Estimated Job Openings: 3,643
Median Base Salary: $78,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.4

15. Nurse Practitioner

Estimated Job Openings: 15,634
Median Base Salary: $100,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

16. Software Engineer

Estimated Job Openings: 17,085
Median Base Salary: $101,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.5
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

17. Corporate Recruiter

Estimated Job Openings: 2,858
Median Base Salary: $60,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.2
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

18. Supply Chain Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,270
Median Base Salary: $100,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.9
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

19. Finance Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 3,142
Median Base Salary: $116,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.6
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

20. Mechanical Engineer

Estimated Job Openings: 3,383
Median Base Salary: $76,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

21. Communications Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,332
Median Base Salary: $82,000
Job Satisfaction: 4.0
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

22. QA Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 2,531
Median Base Salary: $92,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.7
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

23. Controls Engineer

Estimated Job Openings: 1,756
Median Base Salary: $75,400
Job Satisfaction: 3.9
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

24. Nurse Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 6,710
Median Base Salary: $77,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.6
Job Score Ranking: 4.3

25. Compliance Manager

Estimated Job Openings: 1,104
Median Base Salary: $100,000
Job Satisfaction: 3.9
Job Score Ranking: 4.3
Here’s the methodology behind the list, according to Glassdoor: “Methodology: Glassdoor’s 25 Best Jobs in America report identifies specific jobs with the highest overall Glassdoor Job Score. The Glassdoor Job Score is determined by weighting three factors equally: earning potential (median annual base salary), job satisfaction rating, and number of job openings. Results represent job titles that rate highly among all three categories. The Glassdoor Job Score is based on a 5-point scale (5.0=best job, 1.0=bad job). For a job title to be considered, it must receive at least 75 salary reports and at least 75 career opportunities ratings shared by U.S.-based employees over the past year (1/8/15-1/7/16). The number of job openings per job title represents active job listings on Glassdoor. This report takes into account job title normalization that groups similar job titles.”