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All career rankings
2026 edition · United States

Best careers: Business and Finance

Ranked within this collection by pay, projected growth, and annual openings. Decide whether the work and preparation suit you before choosing.

Find careers that meet your requirements · Explore the full guide or category · How we rank

26 ranked careers · 0 excluded for incomplete ranking evidence · Page 2 of 3

Rank 13 in this list

Fundraisers

66.9 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$72,550 median pay (2025)5.5% growth (2025–2035)10,000 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

Rank 14 in this list

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

65.6 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$61,160 median pay (2025)5.8% growth (2025–2035)16,800 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

Rank 15 in this list

Loan Officers

59.9 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$76,690 median pay (2025)1.1% growth (2025–2035)17,100 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree + related experience. Prior related experience: less than 5 years.

Before choosing: BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Rank 16 in this list

Labor Relations Specialists

59.7 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$95,420 median pay (2025)2.1% growth (2025–2035)4,800 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree + related experience. Prior related experience: less than 5 years.

Before choosing: BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Rank 17 in this list

Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate

56.7 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$67,960 median pay (2025)3.5% growth (2025–2035)5,200 annual openings

The labor-market benchmark for Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate covers the broader BLS group Property appraisers and assessors (13-2020). It does not isolate this specialty.

Route in: Specialty requirements need verification. Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.

Before choosing: Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

Rank 17 in this list

Appraisers of Personal and Business Property

56.7 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$67,960 median pay (2025)3.5% growth (2025–2035)5,200 annual openings

The labor-market benchmark for Appraisers of Personal and Business Property covers the broader BLS group Property appraisers and assessors (13-2020). It does not isolate this specialty.

Route in: Specialty requirements need verification. Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.

Before choosing: Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

Rank 19 in this list

Cost Estimators

56.5 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$78,740 median pay (2025)-3.1% growth (2025–2035)17,600 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS projects employment to shrink 3.1% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Rank 20 in this list

Budget Analysts

55.3 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$91,640 median pay (2025)1.9% growth (2025–2035)2,900 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

Rank 21 in this list

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators

55.0 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$78,000 median pay (2025)-5.5% growth (2025–2035)20,900 annual openings

Route in: High school diploma or equivalent. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS projects employment to shrink 5.5% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Rank 22 in this list

Insurance Underwriters

51.2 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$81,370 median pay (2025)-3.8% growth (2025–2035)6,800 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS projects employment to shrink 3.8% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Rank 23 in this list

Credit Analysts

46.8 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$83,510 median pay (2025)-4.3% growth (2025–2035)3,100 annual openings

Route in: Bachelor's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.

Before choosing: BLS projects employment to shrink 4.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

Rank 24 in this list

Farm Labor Contractors

43.7 / 100Labor-market score

Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.

$58,460 median pay (2025)7.4% growth (2025–2035)100 annual openings

Route in: No formal educational credential + related experience. Prior related experience: less than 5 years.

Before choosing: BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

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How we rank careers

This is the 2026 edition, using 2025 national wages and 2025–2035 employment projections. BLS source table. Each career brief links to its evidence.

Score = 40% pay percentile + 30% growth percentile + 30% openings percentile. These editorial weights are a starting point, not an objective definition of the best career. Percentiles use complete BLS occupation groups represented in ChooseField, counting each source group once. Equal values receive the midpoint of their positions; a single group receives 50. Scores are rounded to one decimal.

We apply category, pay, education, and experience requirements before ordering results. Scores keep the same reference population when filters change. Equal scores share a rank and are displayed alphabetically. Specialties sharing a BLS group use the same market evidence; they are not independent salary or demand estimates. Missing pay, growth, openings, or source identifiers exclude a career from ranking.

Median pay is not starting pay. Annual openings include replacement hiring, not current vacancies. Growth and openings overlap, and larger occupations can have more openings. Education and experience are filters, not score penalties. Training, licensing, working conditions, unemployment, automation exposure, and job security are not scored. Review the actual work in the career brief and compare your shortlist.