U.S. News & World Report Unveils the 2025 Best Jobs

STEM careers dominate top 100; Nurse Practitioner holds No. 1 rank.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2025 Best Jobs. The rankings offer a look at the best jobs across 17 categories – from sectors such as technology, health care, business and creative services – to help job seekers at every level make the most informed career decisions. The rankings take into account the most important aspects of a job, including growth potential, work-life balance, job safety, employment rate and salary. 

For the second consecutive year, the need for professionals in health care roles resulted in Nurse Practitioner holding the No. 1 spot.

“Careers in health care and health care support continue to show promise in the 2025 rankings due to a steady need for medical professionals that aid in the health and well-being of the population,” says Carly Chase, vice president of Careers at U.S. News. “Nurse Practitioner maintains the No. 1 spot as this year’s best job because of its critical role in health management, the flexibility it provides and its strong 10-year career outlook.”

Following Nurse Practitioner in the overall ranking are IT Manager at No. 2, Physician Assistant at No. 3, Financial Manager at No. 4 and Software Developer at No. 5.

The 2025 job market currently reflects a hearty appetite for STEM-related fields as a whole, offering prospective job growth and high pay for many roles. STEM industries rank high among the Best Jobs That Pay $100K or More, with these industries holding 18 of the top 25 careers.

“Financial comfort and freedom are goals for many job seekers, with some aiming to one day earn more than six figures in their careers,” says Chase. “‘The Best Jobs that Pay 100K or More’ offers options to job-seekers who may not be aware of specific roles with high-paying returns.”

The 2025 Best Jobs rankings offer job seekers information on training and education requirements, median salary and job satisfaction across diverse sectors, including social services, education and construction. 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 determine the 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, LinkedIn and X using #BestJobs.

2025 U.S. News Best Jobs Rankings
*See the full list of the Best Jobs here.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.