The 20 best jobs in business for 2016

Average salary: $73,670

Best-paying cities: Grand Junction, Colorado; Ocala, Florida

Loan officers are available to help clients with financial milestones like paying for a college education or buying a new car or house. The best loan officers have excellent interpersonal skills and advise, evaluate, and authorize loans to people and businesses. Positions are available in a range of settings from commercial banks and credit unions to mortgage companies and car dealerships. Employment growth of 8% is expected for loan officer jobs through 2024.

Average salary: $56,840

Best-paying cities: Durham, North Carolina; Washington D.C.

Fundraisers raise money for nonprofit organizations like educational institutions, health research foundations, and political campaigns. People in this position are relied upon to bring in the big bucks by cold calling, grant writing, and event organizing. Fundraising jobs are expected to have a growth rate of 9% through 2024.

Average salary: $34,500

Best-paying cities: Trenton, New Jersey; Boston, Massachusetts

This position is defined by the employer, though many fill diverse roles such as operations managers, event planners, accountants, and maintenance workers. Administrative assistants provide support at all levels of an organization and are often tasked with keeping track of budgets and ensuring all departments adhere to their budgets. In 2014, there were 2.4 million jobs in this position, but the BLS projects that number to grow by 3% within 10 years.

Average salary: $68,000

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; Bridgeport, Connecticut

Compliance officers make sure companies and governing bodies stay in line with internal policies and regulatory requirements. Openings for this position are in high demand in the financial industry as the government steps up enforcement of anti-money laundering laws. There are also openings healthcare, telecommunications, and gas extraction. Duties include identifying risks, implementing controls to mitigate the risks, and reporting on the effectiveness of these solutions. The BLS estimates that about 8,700 new jobs will be added through 2024.

Average salary: $62,590

Best-paying cities: San Luis Obispo, California; Santa Cruz, California

HR Specialists operate under the belief that if a company hires talented people and keeps them happy, success is inevitable. Analytical people are best in this position where daily tasks range from recruiting or training new employees to addressing compliance issues. The best candidates for this position — which is expected to grow by 5% — are those with a bachelor’s degree in training and development, education, human resources, computer science or instrumental design.

Average salary: $67,730

Best-paying cities: Mankato, Minnesota; Washington D.C.

By their very nature, jobs in social work are about making a difference in a community. Social and community service managers do this by working with a specific group of people, like medical patients or the homeless, seeking to identify problems and gaps in care. They may also research and design programs that address these problems and analyze data, write grant proposals, or mentor staff. Solid growth is expected for this position: 10% through 2024 driven by the aging population.

Average salary: $64,340

Best-paying cities: Midland, Texas; Anchorage, Alaska

Cost estimators are an integral part of the manufacturing and building industries. They're responsible for estimating the costs, time, resources, and labor of various types of projects and analyzing those patterns. Many work in nonresidential building construction or for building equipment contractors. Job growth is projected to be 9% through 2024, translating to about 18,700 new jobs.

Average salary: $92,250

Best-paying cities: San Francisco, California; New York, New York

Financial analysts are always on top of current economic trends, business news, and company strategy so they can best advise their clients when to buy and sell investments. Many analysts work at financial companies and dedicate 50 to 70 hours a week to their job. The BLS predicts job growth of 12% for this competitive position.

Average salary: $76,830

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; Washington D.C.

Logisticians work largely behind-the-scenes, coordinating responses to natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes or environmental disasters like oil spills. Jobs are available in virtually every field from retail to finance to government, where the position requires workers to develop strategies for minimizing costs while maximizing efficiency. Employment for logistician jobs is only expected to grow 2% through 2024.

Average salary: $68,700

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; San Francisco, California

Market research analysts are hired to help their clients figure out who their consumers are, what they want, and how much they'll pay for it. New technology has altered the description of this job over the last five years, but market research analysts still churn out reports on sales trends and consumer demographics, preferences, and spending habits. The BLS projects massive growth with a 18.6% increase in the number of jobs available through 2024.

Average salary: $130,230

Best-paying cities: New York, New York; San Francisco, California

Financial managers are responsible for the finances of major companies or agencies, where they coordinate accounting and produce financial reports, cash-flow statements, and profit projections. People in this position must be detail-oriented and excellent communicators. The BSL predicts job growth of 7% for this position and notes that the most marketable candidates are those who can handle international finance and the increasingly complicated worlds of financial instruments and securities.

Average salary: $110,090

Best-paying cities: Washington D.C.; New York, New York

Actuarial science uses math, statistics, and financial theory to measure, manage, and mitigate financial risk and uncertainty. Actuaries are integral to the insurance industry and are rapidly finding their places in other industries. In fact, the BLS predicts jobs available for this occupation will increase by 18% through 2024.

Average salary: $117,200

Best-paying cities: Bridgeport, Connecticut ; New York, New York

Often referred to as the "go-to" people at a company, business operations managers' duties depend on the specific company but typically include hiring people, negotiating contracts, addressing budget matters, understanding general business operations, and guiding work teams for projects. Driven by the creation of new businesses, employment for this job is projected to grow 7%.

Average salary: $90,860

Best-paying cities: Greeley, Colorado; Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Companies hire management analysts, also known as consultants, to improve an organization's efficiency and increase profits. People in this position come in with a fresh perspective to collect and analyze data on a company's procedures and present them with suggestions and new ideas. Employment for management analysts is expected to grow by 14% through 2024.

Average salary: $103,680

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; Madera, California

Excellent organizers make the best medical and health services managers. They plan, direct, and coordinate behind the scenes at hospitals, nursing homes, group practices, and healthcare facilities to keep things running smoothly. These managers also possess strong communication, interpersonal, and technical skills. The BLS projects huge job growth of 17% for medical and health services managers through 2024.

Average salary: $104,350

Best-paying cities: Washington D.C.; San Francisco, California

Some mathematicians conduct research to explore and develop theories, and others actually apply those theories and techniques to solve daily problems. Common positions mathematicians fill include financial analysts, systems analysts, professors and elementary, middle and high school teachers. The job's growth rate is expected to hit 21% through 2024.

Average salary: $108,090

Best-paying cities: Danbury, Connecticut; Panama City, Florida

Financial advisors can perform the combined roles of stockbrokers, community bankers, and insurance salespeople. The general duty of today's financial advisor is to counsel clients on their finances, which cover everything from investing to retirement plans. The best candidates for this position are good listeners and sympathizers who can explain complex ideas in simpler ways. The BLS projects a massive growth rate of 30% in this occupation driven by the baby boomer population seeking advice for retirement, though this could be hindered by an increase in online advisory tools.

Average salary: $73,670

Best-paying cities: New York, New York; San Jose, California

Accountants — whether public, internal, management, or government — are responsible for preparing taxes, performing audits, and providing consulting. They're "numbers people" who have exceptional problem-solving skills and organization. The BLS expects there to be an 11% increase in jobs for accountants by 2024.

Average salary: $82,940

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; San Diego, California

Operations research analysts turn raw data into value for businesses. They're high-level problem solvers who use optimization, data mining, statistical analysis, and mathematical modeling to develop solutions that help businesses and organizations operate more efficiently. Virtually every industry employs operations research analysts; demand is expected to remain incredibly high, with growth reaching 30% by 2024.

Average salary: $84,010

Best-paying cities: San Jose, California; San Francisco, California

Statisticians collect data and design experiments that aim to solve problems in variety of sectors, including public safety, healthcare, environmental, and sports. Moving forward, statisticians are expected to partner with biomedical, computer, genetics, and social sciences professionals as well as contribute to quantitative solutions involving human rights and counterterrorism. The BLS reports that jobs will grow at 34%, resulting in 10,100 new jobs for statisticians.