U.S. News & World Report ranks nursing #2 out of 100 jobs in the U.S.

In its annual “Top 100 Jobs” roundup, news site U.S. News & World Report named nursing the #2 profession, scoring the career an 8.2 out of 10. While it noted that the job calls for an above-average level of stress, the upward mobility and flexibility are average (in this case, that means pretty good!).

Here’s exactly what the site had to say about the outcome:

“Nurses may be most visible at the hospital bedside or in the doctor’s office, but this fast-growing community of more than 2.7 million workers is rapidly expanding into a host of specialized jobs ranging from elder care to oncology. While many RNs work in hospitals or physicians’ offices treating and educating patients, explaining prescriptions and procedures, administering medication, or managing medical records, more are finding jobs in public health, home care, or alternate care settings such as rehabilitation centers, schools or businesses. Within the field, you can focus on the care of patients following heart surgery as a cardiovascular nurse, or aid in treating brain or spinal cord injuries as a neuroscience nurse. Even in a tough economy, nursing has flourished compared with most other occupations. Thanks in part to an aging population, long-term job growth is expected to be much faster than the national average. The largest number of new jobs will appear as physicians’ offices expand and staff up. Solid employment growth and a wide range of job prospects help make registered nursing a top healthcare job, as well as the No. 2 career on our list of The Best Jobs of 2013.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects registered nurse employment growth of 26 percent, thanks in large part to higher healthcare demand from aging Baby Boomers.”

U.S. News claims that the average nursing salary is $65k and the unemployment rate among nurses is 2%. We’re very curious to know if you agree with those statistics. You can read more of the findings here.

We know you love what you do–do you agree that it’s one of the top 2 career options in the U.S.? Sound off in the comments below!