The tech sector continues to dominate the landscape of hot jobs with high pay, but if technology isn’t your passion, don’t despair. Careers site Glassdoor just released its annual list of the 50 best jobs in America, and many of the top roles fall in industries aside from tech, ranging from healthcare and accounting to human resources.
Glassdoor based the ranking on employee job satisfaction, salary potential and the number of current job openings, weighting each factor equally and sourcing all data from its website. Yesterday my colleague Karsten Strauss wrote about a related list, the top jobs for getting ahead in 2017. That ranking, based on LinkedIn data, places more emphasis on jobs that are likely to lead to a promotion.
To see the top 10 among Glassdoor’s best jobs to apply for in 2017, open the gallery below. For the full list of 50, see the end of this post. Methodology details are available here.
Technology jobs represent 14 of the top 50 in Glassdoor’s ranking. “Tech roles are starting to diffuse outside of the traditional tech sector,” says Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist. For instance, Walmart has a big research facility in the Bay Area, where its data scientists use machine learning to improve pricing and logistics. Large healthcare providers like Aetna use data science to find the most efficient ways to serve patients. After technology, the healthcare sector claimed the most spots on Glassdoor’s list, with seven.
Among the top 50, data scientist ranked first, with a median base salary of $110,000. A data scientist organizes, analyzes and interprets data, and it’s becoming a more widely accessible profession. “Five years ago, most data scientists were Ph.D. statisticians,” says Chamberlain. “Today, most people with a bachelor’s degree who know how to code and have some business skills can get a job as a data scientist.”
This is the first year data engineer appeared on Glassdoor’s list, and it ranked third. Data engineers make a median salary of $106,000, and they create the back-end system for how data gets recorded, classified and sorted. Their work enables data scientists to do their jobs.
Tax manager came in fourth place. A role that requires several years of work experience and is commonly found at large companies, tax managers help organizations comply with tax regulations. After the financial crisis, tax laws and compliance requirements changed significantly, boosting demand for tax managers, says Chamberlain. They have median income of $110,000.
Human resources managers, with median pay of $85,000, ranked sixth. The position has seen year-over-year salary growth that’s well above average, according to Glassdoor’s chief economist, and there are more job openings for HR managers on Glassdoor than for any other role in the top five of this list. Chamberlain explains, “When you have a job seeker’s market with low unemployment like today, HR managers become essential to find the right talent and move people through hiring process.”
The Best Jobs To Apply For In 2017 - Full List
1. Data Scientist
- Job Score: 4.8
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.4
- Number of Job Openings: 4,184
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
2. DevOps Engineer
- Job Score: 4.7
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 2,725
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
3. Data Engineer
- Job Score: 4.7
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 2,599
- Median Base Salary: $106,000
4. Tax Manager
- Job Score: 4.7
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 3,317
- Median Base Salary: $110,000
5. Analytics Manager
- Job Score: 4.6
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 1,958
- Median Base Salary: $112,000
6. HR Manager
- Job Score: 4.6
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 4,339
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
7. Database Administrator
- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 2,877
- Median Base Salary: $93,000
8. Strategy Manager
- Job Score: 4.5
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.3
- Number of Job Openings: 1,184
- Median Base Salary: $130,000
9. UX Designer
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 1,691
- Median Base Salary: $92,500
10. Solutions Architect
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,232
- Median Base Salary: $125,000
11. Marketing Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 3,875
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
12. Occupational Therapist
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 14,897
- Median Base Salary: $72,000
13. Audit Manager
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,887
- Median Base Salary: $98,000
14. Electrical Engineer
- Job Score: 4.4
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 3,643
- Median Base Salary: $78,000
15. Nurse Practitioner
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 15,634
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
16. Software Engineer
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 17,085
- Median Base Salary: $101,000
17. Corporate Recruiter
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 2,858
- Median Base Salary: $60,000
18. Supply Chain Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,270
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
19. Finance Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 3,142
- Median Base Salary: $116,000
20. Mechanical Engineer
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 3,383
- Median Base Salary: $76,000
21. Communications Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 1,332
- Median Base Salary: $82,000
22. QA Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,531
- Median Base Salary: $92,000
23. Controls Engineer
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,756
- Median Base Salary: $75,400
24. Nurse Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 6,710
- Median Base Salary: $77,000
25. Compliance Manager
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,104
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
26. Mobile Developer
- Job Score: 4.3
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,130
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
27. Systems Administrator
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 4,046
- Median Base Salary: $68,000
28. Executive Assistant
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 3,946
- Median Base Salary: $56,000
29. Technical Account Manager
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 1,968
- Median Base Salary: $66,000
30. Hardware Engineer
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 954
- Median Base Salary: $108,000
31. Intelligence Analyst
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.2
- Number of Job Openings: 1,605
- Median Base Salary: $62,400
32. Product Manager
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Number of Job Openings: 5,536
- Median Base Salary: $107,000
33. Professor
- Job Score: 4.2
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,955
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
34. Physician
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 2,610
- Median Base Salary: $200,000
35. Compensation Analyst
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 1,219
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
36. Civil Engineer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 2,004
- Median Base Salary: $65,200
37. Research Engineer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,006
- Median Base Salary: $92,850
38. Accounting Manager
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 3,392
- Median Base Salary: $82,000
39. Information Security Engineer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 1,247
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
40. Manufacturing Engineer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,504
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
41. Security Analyst
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 2,464
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
42. Business Operations Manager
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 1,009
- Median Base Salary: $93,000
43. UI Designer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 950
- Median Base Salary: $80,000
44. Pharmacy Manager
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 2,652
- Median Base Salary: $130,000
45. Supplier Quality Engineer
- Job Score: 4.1
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.0
- Number of Job Openings: 862
- Median Base Salary: $80,150
46. National Sales Manager
- Job Score: 4.0
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 937
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
47. Business Intelligence Developer
- Job Score: 4.0
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 837
- Median Base Salary: $83,000
48. Dental Hygienist
- Job Score: 4.0
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 1,050
- Median Base Salary: $66,000
49. Physical Therapist
- Job Score: 4.0
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 24,579
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
50. Construction Project Manager
- Job Score: 4.0
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 1,944
- Median Base Salary: $85,000