Top 50 Occupations

We selected the Top 50 Occupations in the following manner:

1. For each occupation, created a "Top 50 Ranking" by multiplying the Projected Need for Employees times the Median Hourly Wage.
2. Using the Top 50 Ranking, sorted the occupations from highest to lowest.
3. Eliminated the occupations whose Median Hourly Wage is less than $20/hr
   (about $42,000/year, which is a decent living wage in many parts of the country).
4. Of the remaining occupations, selected only the top 50.

(Initially sorted by Top 50 ranking and
not by Projected Need for Employees)

Note: Specific physician occupations (Anesthesiologists, Family Practitioners, Internists, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pediatricians, Psychiatrists and Surgeons) were not considered for the Top 50 because their projections data came from the much less specific "Physicians and Surgeons;" this gave them an "unfair advantage" over the other occupations. Nevertheless, we feel that any of the "Physicians and Surgeons" occupations are great occupations if you have the time, resources, and inclination to pursue them.