在2009年1月6日出版的华尔街杂志上，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

1. Mathematician
2. Actuary
3. Statistician
4. Biologist
5. Software Engineer
6. Computer Systems Analyst
7. Historian
8. Sociologist
9. Industrial Designer
10. Accountant
11. Economist
12. Philosopher
13. Physicist
14. Parole Officer
15. Meteorologist
16. Medical Laboratory Technician
17. Paralegal Assistant
18. Computer Programmer
19. Motion Picture Editor
20. Astronomer

The Worst

200. Lumberjack
199. Dairy Farmer
198. Taxi Driver
197. Seaman
196. EMT
195. Roofer
194. Garbage Collector
193. Welder
192. Roustabout
191. Ironworker
190. Construction Worker
189. Mail Carrier
188. Sheet Metal Worker
187. Auto Mechanic
186. Butcher
185. Nuclear Decontamination Tech
184. Nurse (LN)
183. Painter
182. Child Care Worker
181. Firefighter