This job pay $160,000 a year with no college degree required—here's how
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
The path to a six-figure salary no longer runs exclusively through corner offices and corporate towers. A surprising occupation has emerged near the top of Indeed's best jobs of 2026 ranking, and it doesn't require a single college credit.
The Road to Six Figures
Owner-operator truck drivers landed in second place on Indeed's latest ranking of the best U.S. jobs, commanding a median annual salary of $160,000. That's the highest pay of any position in the entire 50-job list.
The entry requirements look nothing like the traditional professional track. Instead of four years in a lecture hall and student loan debt, candidates need a commercial driver's license and hundreds of hours of behind-the-wheel training. No degree necessary.
The timing matters too. While McKinsey predicted 2025 would mark a pivotal year for automated trucking deployments, the technology won't reach full viability until 2032. Human drivers have at least a decade before automation poses a real threat to their livelihoods.
Healthcare Dominates the Employment Landscape
Trucking wasn't the only surprise in Indeed's rankings. Health care and social services roles claimed the majority of positions on the list, which evaluates professions based on three-year growth trends and current job openings.
Cardiac medical technicians topped the entire ranking with a median annual salary of $133,907. The role has seen wage and job posting growth of 34% over the past three years.
Seven of the top 10 positions fall under health care. The dominance reflects a fundamental shift in the American labor market as artificial intelligence reshapes the employment landscape.
Why Medical Careers Remain Recession-Proof
Laura Ullrich, the North American research director for the Indeed Hiring Lab, described the broader labor market as a "low-hire, stagnant space for the last year." Health care stands as the lone major exception.
The numbers tell the story. Only 11% of all jobs exist in the health care sector, yet the industry accounts for 72% of job growth across the entire labor market.
The explanation goes beyond simple supply and demand. While AI continues to eliminate white-collar positions, medical care requires physical presence and human touch. Doctor checkups and sterilizing surgery equipment can't be automated away.
"One reason for this market imbalance is medical care is a nonnegotiable need," the Indeed report noted. "Not only does this drive demand, but it gives these roles an added level of job security, even in times of economic uncertainty."
Beyond Doctors and Nurses
The ranking expands the definition of lucrative health care careers. Traditional roles made the list—registered nurses earning $86,238 annually and physical therapists bringing in $110,848—but they're joined by lesser-known specialties.
Speech-language pathologists, nurse injectors, and dental hygienists all cross into six-figure territory. The variety reveals opportunities that job-seekers might overlook when they picture medical careers.
"When people think of health care, they think of doctors, nurses, or pharmacists," Ullrich explained. "But they might not think of other, more niche roles—like cardiac technicians—that have seen serious growth."
Every position in Indeed's top 10 reaches six figures in median annual salary. The rankings identify what the company calls the "sweet spot" of the market: stable careers positioned for long-term mobility and security. The shift reveals how dramatically the employment landscape has changed, where the steadiest paths to prosperity now wind through hospital corridors and highway routes rather than exclusively through glass office towers.
