{"h1":"Occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs","faq":[{"a":"Lawyers has the most open jobs of the occupations that typically need a doctoral or professional degree: 3,758 jobs in our data.","q":"Which occupation ranks first: occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs?"},{"a":"10 occupations have at least 30 open jobs, so the list has 10 entries.","q":"How many occupations are ranked?"},{"a":"An occupation is a standard occupation (SOC) code, and the group is the typical entry-level education the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists for it: here, a doctoral or professional degree. An occupation's score is the number of its open professional roles. A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only occupations with at least 30 open jobs are ranked.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Lawyers has the most open jobs of the occupations that typically need a doctoral or professional degree: 3,758 jobs in our data.","minN":30,"rows":[{"n":3758,"bar":1,"key":"soc:23-1011","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Lawyers","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"3,758"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$175k"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+4.7%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"863,700"}],"value":3758,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"3,758 jobs"},{"n":558,"bar":0.1484832357637041,"key":"soc:19-1042","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Medical scientists, except epidemiologists","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"558"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$198k"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+12.6%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"181,000"}],"value":558,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"558 jobs"},{"n":247,"bar":0.06572645023948909,"key":"soc:29-1123","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Physical therapists","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"247"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+11.9%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"283,700"}],"value":247,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"247 jobs"},{"n":169,"bar":0.04497072911122937,"key":"soc:29-1229","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Physicians, all other","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"169"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$315k"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+3.4%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"367,400"}],"value":169,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"169 jobs"},{"n":69,"bar":0.01836083022884513,"key":"soc:19-1021","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Biochemists and biophysicists","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"69"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+12.3%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"35,200"}],"value":69,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"69 jobs"},{"n":49,"bar":0.01303885045236828,"key":"soc:19-2011","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Astronomers","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"49"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+7.8%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"2,400"}],"value":49,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"49 jobs"},{"n":49,"bar":0.01303885045236828,"key":"soc:23-1012","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Judicial law clerks","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"49"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+2.8%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"14,000"}],"value":49,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"49 jobs"},{"n":45,"bar":0.01197445449707291,"key":"soc:29-1215","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Family medicine physicians","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"45"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+3.3%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"114,300"}],"value":45,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"45 jobs"},{"n":39,"bar":0.01037786056412986,"key":"soc:29-1214","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Emergency medicine physicians","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"39"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+3.2%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"34,900"}],"value":39,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"39 jobs"},{"n":35,"bar":0.009313464608834487,"key":"soc:19-3033","sub":"Doctoral or professional degree","href":null,"name":"Clinical and counseling psychologists","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Open jobs","value":"35"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$124k"},{"label":"Projected growth to 2035","value":"+11.7%"},{"label":"Workers in the occupation","value":"81,300"}],"value":35,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"35 jobs"}],"slug":"occupations-needing-a-doctoral-or-professional-degree-with-the-most-open-jobs","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"us","kind":"national","name":"United States"},"title":"Occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs","family":"Degrees","method":["An occupation is a standard occupation (SOC) code, and the group is the typical entry-level education the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists for it: here, a doctoral or professional degree. An occupation's score is the number of its open professional roles.","A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only occupations with at least 30 open jobs are ranked."],"builtAt":"2026-11-03T15:06:31.259Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"dg_occ","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles, matched to standard occupation (SOC) codes","Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-35: typical entry-level education and projected employment change by occupation"],"baseline":null,"keyFacts":["#1 Lawyers, Doctoral or professional degree: 3,758 jobs","#2 Medical scientists, except epidemiologists, Doctoral or professional degree: 558 jobs","#3 Physical therapists, Doctoral or professional degree: 247 jobs","10 occupations ranked across all occupations","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"occupations","commentary":["The lead is wide: Lawyers (3,758 jobs) is well clear of Clinical and counseling psychologists at #10 (35 jobs).","Lawyers is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,758 open jobs behind its figure.","Occupations with fewer than 30 open jobs are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/occupations-needing-a-doctoral-or-professional-degree-with-the-most-open-jobs"}