London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

The No. 1 job in USA with the ‘best career opportunities’ pays $112,000 a year - and it’s not in tech

The No. 1 job in USA with the ‘best career opportunities’ pays $112,000 a year - and it’s not in tech

‘This list of jobs with great career opportunities is not limited to tech; we see several finance, health-care and marketing roles with strong career paths,’ a new report finds.

Most people want a job that allows them to advance, learn new skills and earn more money. It’s the $112,000 question: How can you have both? Is there a job out there that gives you a six-figure income, and all of that too? As unemployment hovers a 49-year low, there are more professions to choose from that will give people the one thing that gets them out of bed in the morning: a meaningful job with the possibility of advancement.

Access to career momentum opportunities in the workplace is one of the strongest predictors of employee satisfaction based on millions of reviews left on Glassdoor, in addition to culture and values and quality senior leadership, according to a study released Wednesday by the company. “This list of jobs with great career opportunities is not limited to tech; we see several finance, health-care and marketing roles with strong career paths,” the report said.

Tax managers have the strongest career opportunities rating, according to employees in this position. They had a median base salary of $112,021 a year and 4,803 job openings on Glassdoor as of July 5. With the infiltration of technology into financial services, there’s a renewed emphasis for tax managers to build closer client relationships, the report’s authors said.

The report used the following criteria: a median base salary over the past year of $80,000 a year or higher, well above the June 2019 U.S. median annual pay of $53,411, and at least 2,000 job openings as of July 5 on Glassdoor. Employees rated their job on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level of advancement. Tax manager had a rating of 4.1 compared to the average rating of 3.0 across all jobs on the Glassdoor website. Here’s a list of the top 25.

Tax managers were followed by Salesforce developers ($81,721 a year with 3,193 job openings), product designers ($102,054 a year and 2,045 openings), strategy managers ($142,328 a year and 3,131 openings), HR managers ($84,700 a year and 4,351 openings), audit managers ($102,521 a year and 3,050 openings) and data scientists ($110,160 a year and 6,789 openings).

Read MarketWatch’s Moneyist advice column on the etiquette and ethics of your financial affairs. This week: ‘My dad is difficult and even refuses to use his oxygen tank — will our stepmother get all his money if he dies without a will?’

Data scientists are also in high demand. They ranked No. 1 on Glassdoor’s recent “Best Jobs in America” for 2019 — for the fourth straight year. They boast median base annual salary of $108,000, but Glassdoor also says there are signs their salary growth has been leveling off. They were followed by nursing managers at No. 2 ($83,000), marketing managers at No. 3 ($82,000), occupational therapists at No. 4 ($74,000) and product managers at No. 5 ($115,000).

There were other six-figure jobs on Glassdoor’s top 20 list with a relatively high number of job openings, job satisfaction and earning potential, including DevOps engineers, who work with developers and IT staff to oversee code releases, at No. 6 ($106,000 a year); data engineers at No. 8 ($100,000); software engineers at No. 10 ($104,000); physician assistants at No. 12 ($105,000); strategy managers at No. 16 ($140,000) and security engineers at No. 17 ($102,000).

Data scientists and software developers use programming language such as Python, followed by R, SQL, Hadoop and the more well-known Java, according to Glassdoor. A mid-level data scientist is likely to be proficient in Python, R and SQL, Java, Python and JavaScript and make close to $130,000 a year. Google GOOG, +0.15%, Aetna US:AET and Microsoft MSFT, +0.10%  typically hire people for these roles.

The labor market is getting stronger, judging by the latest jobs figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics last month. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% in July and remained near a 50-year low. What’s more, more people entered the labor force in search of work. The labor force participation rate was 63% in July, up slightly from 62.9% in June.

There’s probably never been a better time since the Great Recession to start looking. The U.S. economy added 164,000 new jobs in July, the government recently reported. Analysts polled by MarketWatch predicted 171,000 new jobs last month.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×