Millions of Americans kicked off 2021 unemployed due to COVID-19. Using Glassdoor’s unique data on jobs and companies, we compiled a list of the 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021 to help people find jobs they’ll love. To ensure each of the Best Jobs were relevant career options during the pandemic, each job had at least 2,000 openings on Glassdoor as of 12/07/20. The Best Jobs in America for 2021 list is based on three factors that are top of mind for job seekers:
The full list includes the 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021. Below is a list of the top 10 jobs based on salary, job openings and overall job satisfaction.
| Rank | Job Title | Median Base Salary | Job Satisfaction | Job Openings |
| 1 | Java Developer | $90,830 | 4.2 | 10,103 |
| 2 | Data Scientist | $113,736 | 4.1 | 5,971 |
| 3 | Product Manager | $121,107 | 3.9 | 14,515 |
| 4 | Enterprise Architect | $131,361 | 4.0 | 10,069 |
| 5 | Devops Engineer | $110,003 | 4.0 | 6,904 |
| 6 | Information Security Engineer | $110,000 | 4.0 | 5,621 |
| 7 | Business Development Manager | $82,182 | 4.1 | 8,827 |
| 8 | Mobile Engineer | $94,301 | 4.1 | 4,631 |
| 9 | Software Engineer | $110,245 | 3.8 | 40,564 |
| 10 | Dentist | $134,122 | 4.0 | 4,315 |
Source: Glassdoor Economic Research (Glassdoor.com/research)
This report identifies the 50 U.S. Best Jobs based on three criteria. The top jobs are determined by weighing three factors equally: earning potential (median annual base salary), overall job satisfaction rating and number of job openings on Glassdoor.
For a job title to be considered for the report, it must receive at least 100 salary reports on Glassdoor and at least 100 job satisfaction ratings shared by U.S.-based employees over the past year (12/11/19-12/10/20). A job title must also have at least 2,000 job openings as of 12/07/20 to be considered for this list. The number of job openings per job title represents active job listings on Glassdoor as of 12/07/20. This report takes into account job title normalization that groups similar job titles together. C-suite and intern level jobs were excluded from this report.
The three factors used to determine the Best Jobs in America for 2021 are chosen with the job seeker in mind. Incorporating the count of open jobs ensures that each job title is relevant and presents meaningful opportunities for job seekers to land Best Jobs across the country. Salary is also a top factor for job seekers when searching for a new role. Finally, job satisfaction encompasses workplace factors such as career opportunities and company culture, which helps shed light on how current workers in these roles actually feel about their time spent at work.