Here Is the Most Popular Job in Your Income Bracket

Every passing year brings us to greater heights of creativity when it comes to job titles, but for every chief chatter and beverage dissemination officer, you’ll still meet many more managers, nursing aides, and lawyers.

(Photo Credit: Tax Credits/Flickr)

Recently, NPR looked at the most common jobs for every income bracket. Their verdict?

“There’s a reason our grandmothers wanted us to go to med school or law school,” writes Quoctrung Bui, noting that doctors and lawyers are only found in the top two brackets. The next three brackets — 70th percentile to 99th, or roughly the middle and upper-middle class — all boast manager as their most popular job.

Here’s the breakdown of the most common job for each income bracket:

$207,000+ (99th percentile): Physician

$103,000 – $207,000 (90th to 99th percentile): Manager

$72,000 – $103,000 (80th to 90th percentile): Manager

$58,000 – $72,000 (70th to 80th percentile): Manager

$48,000 – $58,000 (60th to 70th percentile): Primary School Teacher

$40,000 – $48,000 (50th to 60th percentile): Primary School Teacher

$32,000 – $40,000 (40th to 50th percentile): Secretary

$26,000 – $32,000 (30th to 40th percentile): Secretary

$21,000 – $26,000 (20th to 30th percentile): Nursing Aide

$12,000 – $21,000 (10th to 20th percentile): Nursing Aide

$0 – $12,000 (0th to 10th percentile): Nursing Aide

You can see the top 10 jobs for every income bracket at NPR. Just keep in mind that even if a profession occupies the top spot today, there’s no guarantee that the same will hold true down the line. Law school, for example, used to be a much safer bet before the recession. In 2013, 11.2 percent of law school graduates had yet to find a job nine months after graduation.

Bottom line? The best job is always the one that makes good use of your interests, talents, and skills. Knowing which professions tend to rake in the big bucks is good research, but far from the only factor to consider.

Tell Us What You Think

Were you surprised by any jobs on this list? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.