By Ronald E. Riggio, Claremont McKenna College

U.S. News publishes a listing of the best jobs each year based on salary, security, and work-life balance. Also taken into consideration is the demand for the job and opportunity for advancement.

What are the top jobs in the U.S. for the year 2019 and where does psychologist land on the list? Where is your job ranked?

The two top jobs on the list are software developer and statistician. The best-represented field in the top 20 is health care, including physician assistant (#3), dentist (#4), nurse anesthetist (#5), orthodontist (tied at #5), nurse practitioner (#7), pediatrician (#8), obstetrician/gynecologist (#9), oral and maxiillofacial surgeon (tied at #9), physician (tied at #9), and prosthodontist (tied at #9). With the exception of mathematician (#17) and cartographer [map-maker; GPS technician] (#18), the rest of the top 20 are in healthcare.

So, where is psychologist on the list? It came in thirty-ninth, with a median salary of over $97,000, and a minimum of a Master’s degree required. School psychologist is #45 (with a median salary of $75,000), and substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselor landed at #50. Interestingly, five years ago, psychologist did not even make the top 100, which suggests that there may be a surge in careers in psychological services. Together with other health care-oriented jobs, this sector seems to be expanding and offering solid future career opportunities.

As you might expect, a number of business-oriented management jobs are also in the top 50, including accountant (#24) and financial manager (#25), IT manager (#28), medical and health services manager (#29), and business operations manager (#37). Civil engineer, actuary, mechanical engineer, and lawyer are also in the top 50. The only “blue-collar” job in the first 50 is landscaper/groundskeeper (#38).

Although we need to take these career rankings with a grain of salt, remember that they were based on salary, job security, number of probable openings, and potential for work-life balance. Rankings such as these also tell us something about the world we live in, and about the future. With an aging population and longer lifespans, health care is going to remain a thriving sector.

What else can we learn? Higher education still matters with most of the top 50 requiring at minimum a Bachelor’s degree, and many requiring a graduate or professional education. Of course, career opportunities shouldn’t be the only reason that people seek higher education. (See 5 Ways a College Education Changes Lives.)

See the entire top 100 list here.

Ronald E. Riggio is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology at Claremont McKenna College.