U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, unveiled the 2020 Best Jobs. The rankings offer a look at the best jobs across 17 lists – from best-paying jobs and best jobs without a college degree to sectors such as business and technology – to help job seekers at every level achieve their career goals. The rankings take into account the most important aspects of a job, including growth potential, work-life balance and salary. 

For the third year in a row, software developer tops the list as the Best Job overall. Dentist – which peaked at No. 1 in 2017 – moves up from the No. 4 position last year to No. 2. Physician assistant comes in at No. 3, followed by orthodontist at No. 4. Occupations in health care continue to show promise due to a combination of high salaries and low unemployment rates, taking 46 of the 100 Best Jobs. New to the list this year, pilot debuts at No. 39.

"The world has evolved significantly over the last 10 years with how we use and depend on technology. So for students who love math and science, we have good news: Our 2020 U.S. News Best Jobs rankings is packed with health care, business and technology occupations," says Whitney Blair Wyckoff, senior editor, advice products at U.S. News. "Though you may need a lot of schooling before you get your first job, many of these roles come with high salaries."

Health care occupations also take a majority of the Best-Paying Jobs. With an average salary of $267,020, anesthesiologist tops the list, followed by surgeon at No. 2 and oral and maxillofacial surgeon at No. 3.

For individuals who want to dive into the workforce after high school, U.S. News also calculated the best jobs without a college degree. Home health aid ranks No. 1, followed by medical assistant at No. 2 and medical records technician at No. 3. A majority of the jobs in this list's top 10 are health care support positions.

The 2020 Best Jobs rankings offer job seekers detailed information on training and education requirements, median salary, and job satisfaction across diverse sectors, including social services, education, construction, and creative and media. For individuals interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math, also known as the STEM fields, U.S. News also compiles the Best STEM Jobs.