37.9 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$49,120 median pay (2025)2.4% growth (2025–2035)3,000 annual openings
Route in: No formal educational credential. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.
37.9 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$63,520 median pay (2025)1.2% growth (2025–2035)1,000 annual openings
Route in: Associate's degree. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: This is a small national occupation (11,300 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
37.5 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$47,880 median pay (2025)2.3% growth (2025–2035)3,800 annual openings
Route in: High school diploma or equivalent. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.
37.4 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$38,210 median pay (2025)3.3% growth (2025–2035)6,900 annual openings
Route in: Postsecondary nondegree award. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.
37.4 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$30,890 median pay (2025)0.6% growth (2025–2035)86,400 annual openings
Route in: No formal educational credential. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.
37.2 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$76,410 median pay (2025)-1.8% growth (2025–2035)700 annual openings
Route in: High school diploma or equivalent + apprenticeship. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: The usual entry route includes an apprenticeship. Interest in the subject is not a substitute for supervised, paid training.
37.1 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$48,740 median pay (2025)5.8% growth (2025–2035)400 annual openings
Route in: No formal educational credential. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: This is a small national occupation (3,500 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
37.0 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$50,270 median pay (2025)-3.6% growth (2025–2035)9,000 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 3.6% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.
37.0 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$35,240 median pay (2025)4% growth (2025–2035)6,400 annual openings
Route in: High school diploma or equivalent. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.
36.8 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$50,690 median pay (2025)-9.4% growth (2025–2035)12,500 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 9.4% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.
36.1 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$34,980 median pay (2025)-2% growth (2025–2035)150,300 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 2% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.
36.0 / 100Labor-market score
Why it ranks: the weighted combination of these three national measures.
$47,720 median pay (2025)0.7% growth (2025–2035)5,400 annual openings
Route in: High school diploma or equivalent. No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Before choosing: BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.7%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.
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.
