The 10 Best Jobs Of 2014

Perhaps if you had known that some of the best jobs of 2014 would require mathematical skills, you would've paid more attention in math class.

Professions like mathematician, statistician, and actuary are a few of the top jobs in America right now, according to CareerCast, a career guidance website that just released its 26th annual Jobs Rated report.

CareerCast evaluated income, outlook, environmental factors, stress, and physical demands for 200 professions across a wide variety of industries, salary ranges, and skill levels.

Using this data - gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, trade association studies and other sources - CareerCast was able to determine the best and worst jobs of 2014.

This year's report named mathematician the best job, due primarily to the robust hiring demand among a huge range of employers.

CareerCast says public and private companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and the non-profit sector all seek to hire mathematicians, in part because of the growing popularity of mathematical principles and concepts in almost every area of work, especially statistical analysis.

"Mathematicians are employed in every sector of the economy and have critical skills related to the success of many businesses, from Wall Street brokerages to energy exploration companies to IT R&D labs to university classrooms," says CareerCast publisher Tony Lee. "Mathematician rose significantly in the rankings thanks to rising hiring demand and higher salaries, which help to boost much of the other criteria we measure."

According to the latest data available, the median annual pay for mathematicians is $101,360. "And at a projected growth rate of 23% by 2022, the field's outlook is very bright," CareerCast says.

Here are the 10 best jobs of 2014:

Click here to see the full rankings of all 200 jobs and the report's methodology.