25 High-Paying In-Demand Jobs (With Salary and Requirements)
If you’re looking for a new job or are interested in switching fields, it may be helpful to know which jobs are most in-demand. In-demand jobs are typically ones with more opportunities, and learning more about the typical job duties and salaries of these roles may help you refine your job search.
In this article, we focus on 25 in-demand jobs that annually pay $50,000 or more on average.
25 in-demand high-paying jobs
Here are in-demand jobs ranked by the number of job postings per 1 million search results on Indeed.
1. Registered nurse
National average salary: $88,828
Jobs per 1M: 15,663
Primary duties: A registered nurse is a health care professional who assists doctors and other medical professionals with their patient care duties.
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and state nursing license
Read more: Learn About Being a Registered Nurse (RN)
2. Truck driver
National average salary: $69,114
Jobs per 1M: 14,997
Primary duties: A truck driver’s job is to transport goods with a heavy truck or a tractor-trailer.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED preferred
Read more: Learn About Being a Truck Driver
3. Shift manager
National average salary: $71,245
Jobs per 1M: 9,914
Primary duties: A shift manager supervises the operation of the business while working alongside the employees during a particular shift.
Requirements: Some experience plus high school diploma or GED preferred
Read more: Learn About Being a Shift Manager
4. Delivery driver
National average salary: $81,828
Jobs per 1M: 8,653
Primary duties: A delivery driver’s job is to transport items from one place to another.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED preferred
5. Owner-operator driver
National average salary: $142,919
Jobs per 1M: 6,782
Primary duties: An owner-operator driver owns at least one cargo truck and manages their own truck-driving business.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED preferred
6. Sales representative
National average salary: $72,838
Jobs per 1M: 5,803
Primary duties: A sales representative uses customer service and communication skills to build client relationships and sell goods or services.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Read more: Learn About Being a Sales Representative
7. Restaurant manager
National average salary: $51,180
Jobs per 1M: 5,728
Primary duties: A restaurant manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the facility.
Requirements: Restaurant experience and high school diploma or GED
Read more: Learn About Being a Restaurant Manager
8. Dental assistant
National average salary: $68,410
Jobs per 1M: 3,926
Primary duties: Dental assistants are health care professionals who assist dentists in completing all dental-related tasks, including examining, cleaning and repairing teeth.
Requirements: High school diploma and postsecondary program and/or on-the-job training
Read more: Learn About Being a Dental Assistant
9. Direct support professional
National average salary: $75,351
Jobs per 1M: 3,689
Primary duties: Direct support professionals assist individuals with different intellectual and developmental abilities.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
10. Assistant general manager
National average salary: $47,833
Jobs per 1M: 3,447
Primary duties: Assistant general managers support general managers in day-to-day tasks maintaining a business including finances and operations.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
11. General manager
National average salary: $59,664
Jobs per 1M: 3,199
Primary duties: A general manager is responsible for a company’s finances and daily operations.
Requirements: Industry experience and high school diploma or GED. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Read more: Learn About Being a General Manager
12. Insurance agent
National average salary: $69,969
Jobs per 1M: 3,092
Primary duties: Insurance agents provide customers with various types of insurance policies and help them choose policies that best meet their needs.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED. Bachelor’s degree and sales experience are preferred.
Read more: Learn About Being an Insurance Agent
13. Registered nurse - medical/surgical
National average salary: $111,822
Jobs per 1M: 2,835
Primary duties: Medical/Surgical nurses treat patients who are sick, require surgery or are recovering from surgery.
Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN) and registered nursing state licensure through the NCLEX-RN certification. Possibly specialized education such as perioperative nurse training.
Read more: How to Become a Surgical Nurse
14. Service technician
National average salary: $70,429
Jobs per 1M: 2,909
Primary duties: Service technicians offer a variety of technical, mechanical or other customer support services depending on their industry and specialties.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED
15. Management trainee
National average salary: $47,825
Jobs per 1M: 2,835
Primary duties: Management Trainees work closely with and learn under a manager to assume the role of a manager in the future.
Requirements: Dependent on the industry, high school diploma or GED preferred
16. Registered nurse
National average salary: $129,667
Jobs per 1M: 2,561
Primary duties: ICU nurses provide emergency and trauma-based medical care to patients in the intensive care unit or emergency room.
Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN) and registered nursing state licensure through the NCLEX-RN certification
17. Real estate agent
National average salary: $104,932
Jobs per 1M: 2,470
Primary duties: Real estate agents assist clients with the sale, purchase and rental of residential, commercial and industrial property.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED plus valid state real estate license
Read more: Learn About Being a Real Estate Agent
18. Maintenance person
National average salary: $80,870
Jobs per 1M: 2,346
Primary duties: A maintenance technician keeps a building or facility safe, tidy and in working order.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED preferred
Read more: Learn About Being a Maintenance Technician
19. Licensed vocational nurse
National average salary: $84,104
Jobs per 1M: 2,284
Primary duties: Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) give sick or injured patients basic care under a doctor or registered nurse’s supervision.
Requirements: Nursing program completion and valid state licensure
Read more: Learn About Being an LVN
20. Physical therapist
National average salary: $73,587
Jobs per 1M: 2,264
Primary duties: A physical therapist, or PT, helps an injured or ill person improve their mobility and manage their pain.
Requirements: Doctorate of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)
Read more: Learn About Being a Physical Therapist
21. Manager
National average salary: $48,436
Jobs per 1M: 2,258
Primary duties: Managers plan daily schedules, interview and hire new talent, motivate and encourage existing employees, create and maintain budgets and coordinate with and report to senior-level management.
Requirements: Dependent on the industry. High school diploma or GED preferred, Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
Read more: Learn About Being a Manager
22. Outside sales representative
National average salary: $81,719
Jobs per 1M: 2,207
Primary duties: An outside sales representative meets and sells to customers in the field.
Requirements: High school diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Read more: Learn About Being an Outside Representative
23. Engineer
National average salary: $58,438
Jobs per 1M: 2,080
Primary duties: Depending on their specialty, engineers use the principles of science, mathematics, technology and physical sciences to solve problems.
Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering
24. Software engineer
National average salary: $93,837
Jobs per 1M: 1,989
Primary duties: Software engineers develop systems and software for businesses.
Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering
Read more: Learn About Being a Software Engineer
25. Dental hygienist
National average salary: $83,911
Jobs per 1M: 1,965
Primary duties: Dental hygienists examine and clean patients’ teeth.
Requirements: Completion of a post-secondary program approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
Read more: Learn About Being a Dental Hygienist
For all available jobs, visit Indeed.com and search for opportunities based on your criteria. Using an advanced search query or search filters, you can refine your results by location, salary, job type, company and more.
For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, click on the link(s) provided.
¹ Indeed survey, n=10,604
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