Career satisfaction, employment opportunities and good salaries associated with the Physician Assistant profession are among the top reasons U.S. News & World Report ranked PA jobs number 4 in its Annual List of 100 Best Jobs.

In the 2023 report released Tuesday, PAs trail medical and health services managers at number 3 and nurse practitioners at number 2. Software developers secured the top spot at number 1. For the second consecutive year, PAs ranked number 2 behind nurse practitioners in the individual healthcare sector listing.

“The Physician Assistant profession consistently ranks among the nation’s top jobs because the field offers healthcare-minded individuals the chance to use cutting-edge medical training and technology to help patients achieve their healthcare goals,” said SDPA Board President Lauren Miller, MPAS, PA-C. “As the demand for accessible, superior healthcare continues to grow, we expect the need for PAs to increase accordingly. PAs are a vital part of any medical team that seeks to deliver the quality healthcare patients deserve.”

To calculate Best Jobs, U.S. News draws data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs are scored using seven component measures: 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, median salary, employment rate, future job prospects, stress level and work-life balance, according to a statement released from U.S. News. For further details on how the rankings were calculated, see the methodology.

2023 U.S. News Best Job Rankings

See the full list of Best Jobs here.

1. Software Developer
2. Nurse Practitioner
3. Medical and Health Services Manager
4. Physician Assistant
5. Information Security Analyst

Best Healthcare Jobs

1. Nurse Practitioner
2. Physician Assistant
3. Physical Therapist
4. Dentist
5. Veterinarian

Best Technology Jobs

1. Software Developer
2. Information Security Analyst
3. IT Manager
4. Web Developer
5. Computer Systems Analyst

Best Business Jobs

1. Medical and Health Services Manager
2. Financial Manager
3. Market Research Analyst
4. Logistician
5. Management Analyst

Additional information may be found on the U.S. News & World Report 100 Best Jobs website accessible here.