U.S. News Reveals 2026 Best Jobs List
Whether you’re starting your career, looking for a change or just want to see how your position stacks up, U.S. News & World Report is out with the Best Jobs lists for 2026.
The publication named the best jobs across 17 categories, including specific fields such as health care, business and technology, as well as breakdowns of best-paying and best positions without a college degree and more.
To determine the findings, U.S. News evaluated U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data “to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand.” Jobs were scored on growth prospects, wage potential, employment, job safety and stability, and work-life balance.
“After a year of cross-industry layoffs and job market uncertainty, the 2026 Best Jobs rankings offer a resource for consumers to plan the best career moves for them,” Carly Chase, vice president of careers at U.S. News, said in a Jan. 13 statement.
The Findings
For the third year in a row, nurse practitioner was named the No. 1 job in the nation. The overall list ranked 100 positions.
Nurse practitioner also landed as the No. 1 job in health care and STEM.
hase added that the job has stayed at the top of the list based on immediate need, flexibility and a strong 10-year outlook.
“Careers in STEM remain strong in the 2026 rankings due to the persistent need for medical professionals,” Chase added.
The 10 Best Jobs in the nation, according to U.S. News, are: Empty heading
- No. 1: Nurse practitioner
- No. 2: Financial manager
- No. 3: IT manager
- No. 4: Information security analyst
- No. 5: Physician assistant
- No. 6: Medical and health services manager
- No. 7: Software developer
- No. 8: Data scientist
- No. 9: Speech-language pathologist
- No. 10: Pilot
For more breakdowns and internship insights read the full article here.