5 Best Jobs in America

It's hard to pinpoint what the absolute "best" job is: Whether a person's time in front of a computer screen, on the floor, or in the field is heaven or hell depends on one's particular interests and talents, and that assessment can be clouded by other factors like how long it takes to get to work or even how much someone likes their co-workers. So 24/7 Wall St. ran through CareerCast's data on various occupations, which pays attention to more objective qualifiers such as salary, environment and safety, stress levels, and industry outlook. You'll need to have an aptitude for data and stats for many of the top jobs on this list, but you'll be paid well for your efforts. Here, the best prospects, along with median annual wages:

1. Statistician, $80,110
2. Medical services manager, $94,500
3. Operations research analyst, $78,630
4. Information security analyst, $90,120
5. Data scientist, $111,267

Check out the entire list. (If you're just going by pay, see the 10 best US jobs here.)