在的华尔街杂志上，曾发表了一篇题为“学数学以找到好的工作”的文章（Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs）。该文称数学家列在美国最好职业榜第一位，保险精算师和统计学家分列第二和第三位。这个排行榜是由CareerCast.com制作的。主要参考了工作环境，收入，就业前景，体力要求，和强度。此项研究称一个数学家的平均工资是94,160美元，而伐木工人列在200项工作的最后。 以下是这个（最好最坏）排行榜前二十位和后二十位的工作。
The Best and Worst Jobs
| The Best | The Worst |
| 1. Mathematician | 200. Lumberjack |
| 2. Actuary | 199. Dairy Farmer |
| 3. Statistician | 198. Taxi Driver |
| 4. Biologist | 197. Seaman |
| 5. Software Engineer | 196. EMT |
| 6. Computer Systems Analyst | 195. Roofer |
| 7. Historian | 194. Garbage Collector |
| 8. Sociologist | 193. Welder |
| 9. Industrial Designer | 192. Roustabout |
| 10. Accountant | 191. Ironworker |
| 11. Economist | 190. Construction Worker |
| 12. Philosopher | 189. Mail Carrier |
| 13. Physicist | 188. Sheet Metal Worker |
| 14. Parole Officer | 187. Auto Mechanic |
| 15. Meteorologist | 186. Butcher |
| 16. Medical Laboratory Technician | 185. Nuclear Decontamination Tech |
| 17. Paralegal Assistant | 184. Nurse (LN) |
| 18. Computer Programmer | 183. Painter |
| 19. Motion Picture Editor | 182. Child Care Worker |
| 20. Astronomer | 181. Firefighter |