(NewsNation) — More American households have pets than children, and now, demand for veterinarians is surging, making it Indeed’s best job of 2025.
Job listings for veterinarians on Indeed are up 124% over the past three years, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects the role will grow by an additional 19% over the next nine years.
It’s not hard to see why. The number of dog-owning households in the U.S. has increased from 31.3 million in 1996 to 59.8 million in 2024, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Cat-owning households have jumped from 27 million to 42.1 million over the same timeframe.
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The trend is in line with other reports that have found younger generations are increasingly choosing to parent pets rather than children.
Job security isn’t the only upside. The median annual salary for a veterinarian is roughly $140,000 per year, according to Indeed.
That said, becoming a veterinarian is expensive and requires years of training. It can also be stressful dealing with pet owners in life-and-death situations, which is one of the reasons there’s a longstanding shortage.
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What are the best jobs in 2025?
Indeed’s “best jobs of 2025” list is based on three criteria: a minimum salary of $75,000, at least 20% growth in job postings over the past three years and at least 5% of postings are remote or hybrid.
The top 25 jobs were then ranked by their share of postings on the platform.
Several health care roles on the human side were among the top jobs, including physicians, clinical psychologists, radiologists, registered nurses and directors of clinical services.
“These positions show the sustained and ongoing need for healthcare professionals amid the changing demographic makeup of the U.S.,” Indeed said in the report.
Engineering roles outside the tech industry were also well represented, accounting for five of this year’s top 25 jobs. Civil engineers, fire engineers, structural engineers and senior electrical engineers all made the list.
“Shortages of engineers continue to drive demand, and aging infrastructure within the United States is accelerating that demand,” Indeed said.
As for the fastest-growing roles on Indeed, jobs with a relatively low barrier to entry were among the most common. The top-five roles with the highest growth in job postings from 2021 to 2024 were insurance agents, paralegals, realtors, electrical project managers and registered nurses.
Indeed’s top 10 jobs of 2025
1 – Veterinarian
Median annual salary: $139,999
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 1,065
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 124%
2 – Sales representative
Median annual salary: $182,487
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 961
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 76%
3 – Physician
Median annual salary: $225,000
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 705
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 76%
4 – Civil Engineer
Median annual salary: $100,872
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 584
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 104%
5 – Estimator
Median annual salary: $99,592
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 579
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 51%
6 – Attorney
Median annual salary: $145,168
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 546
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 90%
7 – Territory Manager
Median annual salary: $80,348
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 461
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 43%
8 – Clinical Psychologist
Median annual salary: $118,597
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 324
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 75%
9 – Fire Engineer
Median annual salary: $110,000
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 318
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 136%
10 – Structural Engineer
Median annual salary: $110,725
Number of job postings per 1 million total jobs: 268
Growth in postings from 2021 to 2024: 127%
