For those looking for a fulfilling career – whether to start out or start over – U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Jobs may be a helpful resource.
Released Jan. 14, the lists rank the best jobs across 17 categories, including technology, health care, business, creative services and more.
Positions were evaluated for aspects such as growth potential, work-life balance, job safety, employment rate and salary.
For the second year in a row, nurse practitioner was named the No. 1 job in the nation.
“Careers in health care and health care support continue to show promise in the 2025 rankings due to a steady need for medical professionals that aid in the health and well-being of the population,” Carly Chase, vice president of careers at U.S. News, said in a statement accompanying the lists.
“Nurse Practitioner maintains the No. 1 spot as this year’s best job because of its critical role in health management, the flexibility it provides and its strong 10-year career outlook,” Chase added.
Nurse practitioners are “clinicians that blend clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating health conditions with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management,” according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
These professionals “must complete a master’s or doctoral degree program and have advanced clinical training beyond their initial professional registered nurse (RN) preparation,” AANP added.
The nursing field as a whole faces a shortage across the country. In New Jersey, there are only 8.46 nurses per 1,000 residents, according to a March 2024 report by NurseJournal.
Several organizations across the Garden State are working to combat this trend, including Thomas Edison State University and Cooper University Health Care; Holy Name Hospital; New Jersey City University; and Rutgers School of Nursing.
The top five jobs in the nation, according to U.S. News are:
The publication also noted the “2025 job market currently reflects a hearty appetite for STEM-related fields as a whole,” with nurse practitioner also ranking No. 1 in that area.
Additionally, the No. 1 business job was financial manager, while the best-paying job in the country this year was an OB/GYN, with a median salary of $239,200. In fact, eight of the top 10 most lucrative positions were in health care.
To determine its findings for the best jobs in the country, U.S. News analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs were then scored on future prospects, wage potential, employment, job safety and stability, and work-life balance.
