These are the top 50 careers in the United States requiring a college education in 2026, ranked by demand, salary, and growth potential. Data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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#	Career Title	Field	Median Salary	Growth	BLS Profile
1	Nurse Practitioner	Healthcare	$124,680	+45%	BLS.gov
2	Software Developer	Technology	$132,270	+25%	BLS.gov
3	Physician Assistant	Healthcare	$126,010	+28%	BLS.gov
4	Data Scientist	Technology	$108,020	+35%	BLS.gov
5	Financial Manager	Business	$156,100	+17%	BLS.gov
6	Registered Nurse	Healthcare	$81,220	+6%	BLS.gov
7	Cybersecurity Analyst	Technology	$112,000	+32%	BLS.gov
8	Physical Therapist	Healthcare	$97,720	+15%	BLS.gov
9	Occupational Therapist	Healthcare	$93,180	+12%	BLS.gov
10	Civil Engineer	Engineering	$95,890	+7%	BLS.gov
11	Mechanical Engineer	Engineering	$99,510	+10%	BLS.gov
12	Electrical Engineer	Engineering	$105,990	+11%	BLS.gov
13	Pharmacist	Healthcare	$132,750	+3%	BLS.gov
14	Dentist	Healthcare	$163,220	+4%	BLS.gov
15	Veterinarian	Healthcare	$119,100	+19%	BLS.gov
16	Lawyer / Attorney	Law	$135,740	+8%	BLS.gov
17	Accountant / CPA	Business	$79,880	+6%	BLS.gov
18	Marketing Manager	Business	$140,040	+10%	BLS.gov
19	Human Resources Manager	Business	$136,350	+5%	BLS.gov
20	Operations Research Analyst	Business	$87,670	+23%	BLS.gov
21	Aerospace Engineer	Engineering	$126,880	+6%	BLS.gov
22	Biomedical Engineer	Engineering	$99,550	+10%	BLS.gov
23	Environmental Engineer	Engineering	$96,820	+6%	BLS.gov
24	Architect	Design	$93,310	+5%	BLS.gov
25	Urban Planner	Government	$81,800	+4%	BLS.gov
26	Psychologist	Healthcare	$102,900	+6%	BLS.gov
27	Social Worker (Clinical)	Social Services	$60,280	+9%	BLS.gov
28	Speech-Language Pathologist	Healthcare	$84,140	+19%	BLS.gov
29	Radiologic Technologist	Healthcare	$68,870	+6%	BLS.gov
30	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Healthcare	$60,780	+11%	BLS.gov
31	Actuary	Business	$120,000	+23%	BLS.gov
32	Statistician	Science	$99,960	+31%	BLS.gov
33	Economist	Business	$115,730	+6%	BLS.gov
34	Geoscientist	Science	$93,580	+5%	BLS.gov
35	Biochemist / Biophysicist	Science	$102,270	+11%	BLS.gov
36	Microbiologist	Science	$81,990	+5%	BLS.gov
37	Epidemiologist	Healthcare	$78,830	+26%	BLS.gov
38	Dietitian / Nutritionist	Healthcare	$66,450	+7%	BLS.gov
39	School Principal	Education	$101,320	+4%	BLS.gov
40	Postsecondary Teacher	Education	$84,380	+8%	BLS.gov
41	Instructional Designer	Education	$77,970	+11%	BLS.gov
42	Logistician	Business	$79,400	+18%	BLS.gov
43	Supply Chain Manager	Business	$98,560	+28%	BLS.gov
44	Construction Manager	Engineering	$104,900	+8%	BLS.gov
45	Industrial Engineer	Engineering	$96,350	+12%	BLS.gov
46	Computer Systems Analyst	Technology	$102,240	+9%	BLS.gov
47	Database Administrator	Technology	$101,000	+9%	BLS.gov
48	Network Engineer	Technology	$94,000	+6%	BLS.gov
49	AI / Machine Learning Engineer	Technology	$145,000	+40%	BLS.gov
50	Cloud Solutions Architect	Technology	$138,000	+30%	BLS.gov

* Salary data reflects U.S. median annual wages. Growth projections are 10-year estimates from BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026.

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