Taking care of business
From the person who greets clients in the lobby to the executive who oversees all operations, it takes many kinds of professionals to make a company successful.
The corporate world features career opportunities for workers of all skill sets and education levels. Learn more about the salaries and growth potential for accountants, operations experts and human resources specialists with this roundup of the best business jobs from the U.S. News & World Report Best Jobs rankings. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
25. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk
Median salary: $39,240
Education required: post-secondary coursework in accounting
Projected job decline by 2026: 1 percent
Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks create and maintain records of company financial transactions. The balance sheets and income statements they produce are important for tracking business success and failure and also for complying with regulations.
Learn more about bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks.
24. Executive assistant
Median salary: $57,410
Education required: high school degree
Projected job decline by 2026: 17 percent
Corporate leaders lean on their executive assistants to provide valuable support as they run businesses. Executive assistants are responsible for researching and writing reports, writing and sending correspondence and managing executives’ schedules, among other tasks.
Learn more about executive assistants.
23. Customer service representative
Median salary: $32,890
Education required: high school degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 5 percent
Customer service representatives work on the front lines of a business. They field comments, questions and complaints from clients, take orders, process payments and provide guidance to customers who need extra help.
Learn more about customer service representatives.
22. Receptionist
Median salary: $28,390
Education required: high school degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 9 percent
Health care and social services organizations especially rely on the services of receptionists, although they also work at businesses of all kinds. These professionals perform administrative tasks that include answering phones, greeting clients, collecting their information and maintaining data files.
Learn more about receptionists.
21. Credit counselor
Median salary: $44,710
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 14 percent
Companies turn to credit counselors to help them get access to credit and manage their debt. These professionals analyze their clients’ assets and expenses, advise about loans and budgets and create plans to help them stay on track financially.
Learn more about credit counselors.
20. Meeting, convention and event planner
Median salary: $48,290
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 11 percent
These professionals are hosts with the most. They plan association conventions, business meetings and special events such as fundraising galas on behalf of corporate clients. Meeting, convention and event planners scout and book venues, coordinate services, oversee payments and select details such as food and entertainment.
Learn more about meeting, convention and event planners.
19. Logistician
Median salary: $74,590
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 7 percent
Logisticians get things where they need to go. These professionals are supply-chain experts who figure out everything related to producing and delivering products, including the resources needed, the timeline required and the transportation involved.
Learn more about logisticians.
18. Social and community service manager
Median salary: $64,100
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 18 percent
Organizations and agencies that help specific populations improve their lives need steady hands at the wheel. Social and community service managers serve as captains, overseeing all the important work required to meet people’s needs. They identify problems, design programs that provide solutions and analyze data that measures the success of those solutions. They may also raise money and market their organization’s offerings.
Learn more about social and community service managers.
17. Fundraiser
Median salary: $55,640
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 15 percent
Nonprofits, educational institutions and religious organizations that collect donations need skilled fundraisers. These professionals work for international aid charities, colleges, museums, theaters, hospitals and more, writing grant proposals and soliciting gifts from potential donors.
Learn more about fundraisers.
16. Management analyst
Median salary: $82,450
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 14 percent
Also called consultants, management analysts help companies improve efficiency, cut costs and increase profits. They often work in teams on a per-project basis to help client companies solve particular problems. Management analysts may have to compete for assignments, writing proposals for why their services would be most valuable.
Learn more about management analysts.
15. Financial analyst
Median salary: $84,300
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 11 percent
Companies rely on financial analysts to provide expert advice about investing assets. Analysts study economic trends and businesses’ budgets to better balance stock and bond portfolios. They may specialize in buying or selling and develop expertise in particular industries or geographic regions.
Learn more about financial analysts.
14. Medical and health services manager
Median salary: $98,350
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 20 percent
Running health care institutions like clinics, nursing homes and hospitals requires business acumen. It’s the specialty of medical and health services managers, also known as executives or administrators. They work to improve efficiency, comply with regulations, organize medical records, manage budgets and oversee work schedules.
Learn more about medical and health services managers.
13. Loan officer
Median salary: $64,660
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 11 percent
Businesses and individuals who need money to meet their goals interact with loan officers. These professionals verify financial information and assess whether candidates are fit to receive loans from institutions such as banks. Loan officers may deal with mortgages, small business loans, commercial loans or consumer loans.
Learn more about loan officers.
12. HR specialist
Median salary: $60,350
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 7 percent
Companies vie to attract the most talented workers, and they rely on human resources specialists to find, recruit, hire and retain those employees. Human resources specialists conduct interviews, process worker benefits, set compensation structures, oversee promotions and make sure companies follow government regulations.
Learn more about human resources specialists.
11. Compliance officer
Median salary: $67,870
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 8 percent
Compliance officers are sticklers for following rules. Businesses rely on these workers to make sure their activities remain within the bounds of laws and regulations and that their permits and licenses are up to date.
Learn more about compliance officers.
10. Operations research analyst
Median salary: $81,390
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 27 percent
Decisiveness and problem-solving skills are essential for operations research analysts. These professionals use data to help companies make all kinds of decisions, including setting schedules, managing logistics, developing budgets and determining prices.
Learn more about operations research analysts.
9. Financial manager
Median salary: $125,080
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 19 percent
Financial managers are responsible for making sure money is spent and invested in ways that benefit their companies. They direct accounting, insurance, banking and investing.
Learn more about financial managers.
8. Financial advisor
Median salary: $90,640
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 15 percent
Financial advisors offer advice to clients about how they should manage their money. That means assessing investments in the stock market, filing taxes, planning for retirement and handling loans and mortgages.
Learn more about financial advisors.
7. Accountant
Median salary: $69,350
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 10 percent
Public accountants help business clients comply with financial-reporting laws by assessing tax forms and balance sheets. Management accountants help corporations create budgets, keep costs in check and select appropriate investments.
Learn more about accountants.
6. Market research analyst
Median salary: $63,230
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 23 percent
Good market research analysts have their fingers on the economic pulse. Companies rely on them to figure out what consumers want to buy and how much they’ll be willing to spend on goods and services. They use surveys, polls, interviews and statistical software.
Learn more about market research analysts.
5. Business operations manager
Median salary: $100,410
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 9 percent
Business operations managers make sure that a company’s essential daily tasks are completed by creating and enforcing policies and planning how workers use their time. It’s a less glamorous job than that of the CEO, but it’s just as important for taking care of business.
Learn more about business operations managers.
4. Cost estimator
Median salary: $63,110
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 11 percent
Trade contractor companies claim more than a third of cost estimators, who also work for construction and manufacturing businesses. These professionals collect and analyze figures to estimate how many resources will be needed to complete a project, such as manufacture a car or complete a building.
Learn more about cost estimators.
3. Mathematician
Median salary: $103,010
Education required: master’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 30 percent
Mathematicians not employed by the federal government or universities tend to work in finance, consulting or research and development. They may design studies to test drugs, organize experiments to assess consumer products or analyze data to optimize marketing strategies.
Learn more about mathematicians.
2. Actuary
Median salary: $101,560
Education required: bachelor’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 22 percent
The finance and insurance industries employ nearly three-quarters of the nation’s actuaries, who study risks and help figure out ways to minimize them. For example, their calculations about the likelihoods of certain health outcomes help to determine the prices consumers pay for various medical insurance options.
Learn more about actuaries.
1. Statistician
Median salary: $84,060
Education required: master’s degree
Projected job growth by 2026: 34 percent
Businesses such as insurance companies, health care organizations and corporations that conduct scientific research and development hire statisticians. These math-minded professionals build models and analyze data to predict outcomes and solve problems, ultimately helping to improve business decisions.
Learn more about statisticians.
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The Best Business Jobs originally appeared on usnews.com
